When baby boomers moan about ‘grandbaby boomers’, ie, Gen Yers, is it just a case of sour grapes? Justin Lester thinks so

It’s not easy being Generation Y. If we work hard we’re too impatient to get ahead, if we’re confident we’re arrogant and if we’re ambitious we’re deemed brash and disrespectful. Come on, what is it with the baby boomers these days? Feeling a little threatened perhaps? Well, whose fault might that be?  

Generation Yers, like me, grew up in the 80s and 90s and were recognisable by our zinc noses, Transformer t-shirts and spokey dokey-ed bicycles. We were the baby boomers’ ultimate trophy children. At school we got awards and certificates just for turning up. There were no firsts or seconds, winning wasn’t everything and we were applauded for trying our best. Not only that, but we were made to believe that we could be anyone and achieve anything we wanted. Silly us. 

Since graduating and entering the workforce, these same beliefs appear to have gotten us into a right royal mess. Our baby boomer peers consider us egotistical and disrespectful. They tell us we hold little regard for important values such as employer loyalty and hierarchical deference, and as a result they view us with a degree of cynicism and distrust. 
The problem is that we’re beginning to doubt ourselves and fear the next outlandish baby boomer accusation. Soon they’ll try to pin us for climate change, bird flu and the sinking of the Kursk. In some baby boomer circles it’s even rumoured that Gen Y was suspected of being the gunman on the grassy knoll. 
But seriously, before roundly criticising the values that the Gen Y moniker imparts, it is important to understand our viewpoint. We are different from previous generations, but this is not necessarily a bad thing and probably not our fault.

We are the best educated generation in New Zealand’s history. Our baby boomer parents recognised the importance of providing us a good education, to the extent that over 66 per cent of 2007 school leavers left with the equivalent of a 6th form certificate qualification, the highest in recorded history and a trend that has steadily increased since the early 1980s. 
We are more culturally aware and diverse in our outlook. This is due to the relative ease of overseas work and travel, our exposure to different cultures and the world’s increasingly liberal views. For us it is just as likely that we will be friends with a Raj, Ashraf or Huia as we would with a Ben, James or Kate. One or two people in our immediate circle of friends will be gay and about the worst insult you could be tarred with is being racist. 

In the business world we are fiercely driven, entrepreneurial and technologically aware. It is not uncommon for a Gen Yer to want to gain experience in a firm before leaving to work for themselves or establish their own business. We are confident in our abilities to achieve our goals, not only in the national, but also in the international market, and have the necessary networks, aptitude and wherewithal to achieve them. 
So why do we rebel against the traditional workplace hierarchy? The answer is basic enough – we think that given the correct experiences and exposure we can do an equally good if not better job than our baby boomer peers. 

Our rationale is based on sound logic. First, the legacy of the baby boomers to New Zealand’s economic growth is, arguably, one of complacency and forsaken opportunities. Whereas we ranked third internationally based on GDP per capita in the 1950s, under baby boomer steerage we have slumped to 32nd place, wedged between such financial heavy weights as Cyprus and Slovenia. 

Second, Gen Yers do not respond well to the baby boomer style of command control and a disciplined hierarchical process. We prefer a collaborative approach to problem solving and like to voice our thoughts or concerns. We are therefore confident enough to share our ideas with executive management, but at the same time we are equally at ease conversing with office staff and cleaners.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, Gen Y embraces meritocratic ideals. We believe that career progress should be based on ability and talent, rather than just biding your time. We want to be tested in the workplace and provided with a career path to ensure our continued growth. We will remain loyal to a firm so long as this loyalty is reciprocated. Staying at or leaving a job is viewed as a personal business decision, with our own self-development taking priority. In this respect we are no different to the hire and fire philosophy we witnessed growing up, where employers reacted to each stage of the economic boom and bust cycles in their own interests. 

Finally, what we want in the workplace is no different to what previous generations have sought before us, to be influential and have success. Our methods for achieving this are based on our own set of professional and social mores, which were in turn shaped by our unique set of experiences. Funnily enough, these were largely formed by growing up in baby boomer households and becoming the products of those environments. 

For baby boomers to deride Gen Y’s behaviour as inappropriate smacks of a hint of jealousy from our greying mums and dads. Again, perhaps it’s because they’re not accustomed to being shunted out of the limelight and into retirement by their once mild-mannered offspring. But really baby boomers, you’ve only got yourselves to blame. 

Justin is a Property Investment Manager at CB Richard Ellis and a founding director of Kapai NZ Ltd, www.kapaisalads.co.nz