Just like saying "eskimos have 50 words for snow".
But, talking of old buffers, I'm starting to have some trouble with young buffers.
I remember my daughter used to complain vigorously when her mum played the "you'll see it differently when you're older" card, and particularly disliked the "when you're older you'll see shades of grey rather than black and white" card. Of course, I had equally infuriating equivalent trump cards.
But now, I'm starting to feel ever so slightly patronised by some of the Gen Y speak. I get to read quite a lot of it because we're publishing talentsmoothie's fascinating report on what you need to know about Gen Y if you're going to be able to recruit, retain, motivate and reward Gen Y staff.
While the report is spot on, some of the Gen Y blogspeak elsewhere has a quite opposite effect on me. Take this recent SnapTalent blog, Hiring Generation Y: What Corporate needs to know.
It includes things like:
We like to figure things out ourselves, especially with a lovely friend called Google. It comes from our independent streak.
We are expert multi-taskers. It comes from doing-homework-chatting-online- listening-to-music-and-eating-nachos- with-super-runny-cheese, all at the same time. More simultaneous projects equals more productivity.
A confession: we’re not crazy about the whole 9-to-5-boring-cubicle part of working.
Students have unbelievably busy days.
I don't disagree with any of this and I think Nina Chai sounds great. I also have two wonderful Gen Y children and share an office with a Gen Y rising star. But I was pretty busy as a student and I'm not crazy about the 9-5 thing and I know women my age who can smoke, drink, talk, cook, dance and be funny all at the same time (though obviously I can't because I'm a monologophile man. But what's this Google thing? I guess I'll have to ask around.
So, playing the Gen Y card just pisses me off sometimes. And so the gap gets gappier.
4 comments:
Good post, I agree that people between generations don't usually understand each other. Check out this post on a similar topic:
http://blog.snaptalent.com/?p=13
Hey there Andrew, yeah i think the cockiness gap between Generation Y and X is readily apparent. In light of such differences how do you think companies should change their approaches in the way they advertise their jobs?
Thanks Nina. The post you mention is the one that provoked my blog in the first place!
Thanks Sumon, I think employers need to make all sorts of changes to the way they advertise for and recruit young people. Sally's report, mentioned in my post, suggests several. But I'm not sure that the cockiness thing calls for any changes to job ads. However, it does obviously affect interviewing and the whole business of older colleagues working alongside Gen Y recruits.
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