Tapping the potential of Generation Y

VANCOUVER, BC—“When was the last time you consulted your youngest employee?” That was the question Jennifer Corriero posed to an audience of hospitality industry leaders at the recent British Columbia Hospitality Industry Conference and Expo held in Vancouver.

The answers were insightful.  One Vancouver hotelier was excited about the new website his son had created.  A young restaurant employee came up with the idea of showing the plating of items on the Web.  Another young staffer improved the efficiency of the hotel’s computer.  And still another created a corporate-sponsored soccer team that reached the finals and won the championship – to the surprise and joy of the organization.

“Tap the potential of the youngest people within your organization.”  That’s the message from Corriero, executive director of Toronto’s TakingITGlobal.

“Negative perceptions exist, and if you have those assumptions, your employees will live up to those attitudes and perceptions,” she says.  “But all young people are inspired to live out their dreams, and you can use them to improve your organization.  Young people growing up have so much potential!”

Corriero herself is a young innovator and leader, whose focus has been on two things: helping youth around the world to realize the potential of technology, and working with companies to show them what they need to do to connect meaningfully with young people. Her achievements include the development a youth-oriented not-for-profit organizations, TakingITGlobal, which has over 300,000 users in more than 200 countries and territories, and provides a platform, a resource and a network for today's global youth.
According to Corriero, Generation Y, those born between 1980 and 2001 are influential, connected, diverse, enabled and aware.

Influential

Generation Y is a huge demographic group; more than 50 per cent of the world’s population is under 25 years old.  Depending on whether they are engaged when they are young, “you can see huge opportunity or promise, or a potential threat,” she says.

“In the U.S. the Boomers are the TV generation, Gen X are the PC generation, Gen Y are the Net generation and Gen Next the mobile technology generation,” she adds.

According to an article in The Economist, today’s children are more comfortable, knowledgeable and literate than their parents Corriero states.  There is also increasing attention deficit disorder. This generation has so much stimulation that it is very difficult to sit in a room and listen.

Connected

In the Gen Y group, 20 per cent began using computers between the ages of five and eight. Those who are between the ages of 13 and 19 see technology as something that must be mastered and used as much as possible.   They are super-connecters. They talk online and use cell phones and computers every day.  The Internet now helps youth make crucial decisions about college, hobbies and training.  Research shows that younger people today have a stronger voice on how money is spent in the family.  Many kids are now developing, buying, trading and selling online.

There is a blurring factor; multitasking is becoming a way of life.  It’s not unusual for a 13-year-old to sit on the computer, doing homework, downloading songs, monitoring Facebook and MSN, and text messaging on their cell phones – all at the same time.  This factor is both positive and negative.  The workforce requires the ability to multitask, but it also requires the ability to pay attention and focus on one thought or activity at a time. 

Diverse

Today’s Generation Y is multicultural, from all socioeconomic groups. There is a sense of exposure to global culture.  They are used to multi-processing and discovery-based learning with a bias toward action, and multimedia literacy.  The way they learn—on the job or in school—is often not consistent with the way they live.

Enabled

It used to be that leadership was hierarchical.  Now the emphasis is on collaborative networks and knowledge management, largely because of the Internet.

The average person has more information available and expects a higher level of participation and involvement in decision-making.

How do we adapt our workplaces to accommodate oung people who think and act like this?

“There is a lot more that they could contribute,” Corriero says.  “They are more presumptuous and informal – but as employers your focus is on how to bring out the best in everyone.”

Ways to tap Gen Y in the workplace of the future

1. Recognize the value of letting young people take the lead at all levels of the company.
2. Build capabilities through peer to peer workshops and knowledge sharing.
3. Offer interactivity (internships) and challenging experiences.
4. Encourage grass roots-led initiatives and projects.\
5. Promote cross-cultural understanding.
6. Seek input from youth through ongoing consultations and discussions.

Tap their expertise to make the most of Web 2.0 Trends

1. Social networking:  on Facebook people become fans of certain products.
2. Review things publicly. Starwood hotel managers use Trip Advisor.com to respond to criticism of their hotels.  For homework, Corriero suggests looking up the name of your company and “sucks.”
3. Video, video, video—put videos of your restaurants and hotel rooms online; use YouTube.com/Trips for Travelers; get involved in conversations.
4. Online educational programs—examples include Southwest Airlines’ Adopt a Pilot initiative, a four-week program that packs math, science, geography, history and creative writing into a sky-high educational adventure for hundreds of classrooms across the U.S.; and Wells Fargo’s online program teaching students how to manage debt.\
5. Customization—an example is Virgin Airlines’ seat-to-seat chat. “Now you can bitch about babies crying or barf-inducing turbulence—with emoticons!” according to the Virgin Web site.
6. Viral marketing campaigns such as Ilovegeese.com. The objective of this interactive game is to form a flock of geese and embark on a great migration across North America with the final goal of reaching Goose Bay in 15 days.
7. Booking 2.0 —showing what seats in a restaurant are available at opentable.com.
8. Virtual world—designing an island for a future version of a hotel got lots of feedback. 
9. Wiki for Business—a valuable site for listings and links.
10. Mobile access—Short Message Service text alerts telling people their flights are delayed.