Gen WHY?

Over the last decade there has been plenty written about the challenges of leading Millennials in the workplace. As silly as it might seem to try to put an entire generation into one category, it is worth observing how the working environments are changing in many countries. As is always the case no matter what generation is entering the workforce, the newest arrivals are bringing changes. While those changes might seem challenging to traditionalists, they can also offer some very positive benefits.

So how can Gen Y bring positive change to the workplace? By becoming “Gen WHY?”.

As new employees enter the working world, they are asking why certain things are done the way they are done. Let’s face it, many times the answer is “because that’s the way we have always done it,” and that’s not a very good answer. As we shift from manufacturing to knowledge-based work in many places, as we face a smaller workforce due to declining birth rates in many countries, and as educational systems and evolving technology provide us with better educated and better connected workers, then the way we work should be changing, too. All too often, it isn’t.

That’s where the younger generation comes in. By having very firm ideas about how they expect things to be — such as more flexible working options, a greater voice in the organization, better work-life balance — they will create necessary changes to the workplace that have long been needed. Much as earlier generations did with unions, so too can Gen WHY make the workplace a better place. Asking “why?” is going to drive change, maybe not immediately — plenty of bosses still plan to ignore them — but when THEY become bosses, and assuming they keep pushing these ideas, then the workplace will change.

But at the same time, Gen WHY needs to consider a few things…

First is the issue of responsibility. Many people complain that the youngest generation of employees grew up with a stronger sense of entitlement than their parents did. If so, they may not be prepared for the cost of getting what they want. For example, if you insist that things to be a certain way, then you need to perform better when you get what you want. If you ask for telecommuting because it will improve your work, then if you start telecommuting your work had better improve. If you want your recommendations to be considered as valid as everyone else’s, then realize if you’re wrong, you can’t use “but I’m inexperienced” as a defense when you’re getting demoted or fired. There are costs associated with advocating for change, and they need to be prepared for those.

Next is a sense of humility. Young employees may ask, “Why wouldn’t my opinion matter as much as someone else’s who just has a few years more experience than I do?” Well, perhaps because they have had those few years of experience. Experience is not just about the number of years in place, it’s about building networks, gathering information, understanding relationships, having cross-functional opportunities, facing and overcoming complex challenges — and all of that matters. That’s not to say a new employee’s opinion shouldn’t matter at all, but to think you should be viewed as equal to people who have already demonstrated their ability is, frankly, a little narcissistic. If you want your opinion to matter equally, you should be able to demonstrate WHY it matters equally…and, rather than just being an opinion, it should be a position backed up with facts and reasoning.

Finally, there’s the question of taking on challenges. A few too many Millennials decide to just “take a break” from the workforce and let someone else take care of them — their parents, a significant other, whoever. Sure, that sounds fun, but what happens 20 years out of school when these same folks continue to back down from challenges and wait for someone else to take care of them? By then, they will be in charge of things, but will they be ready for it? We hear too many stories of new employees leaving a job soon after starting, but at some point, they need to be ready to take on difficult things.

Since we seem to be intent upon stereotyping people in this generational cohort, we may as well look at the positives as well as the perceived negatives. But in order to get the positives, it’s worth looking at the potential downsides so we can avoid them. In the end, every individual needs to be evaluated as an individual, not as a member of a generation. But can these collective individuals bring about great changes in the workplace? They can, so long as they ultimately move from just asking “why?” to answering “Here’s why…”