By Shun McGhee
Contributor, Career Services
Matt Rosenburg, an author on About.com, defines Generation X as people born between 1964 and 1979. According to this definition I am a member of this group. A city bus ride this weekend provided me with an opportunity to discuss the common threads running through our generation with a friend. We discovered many of our parents were baby boomers (people born after World War II between 1946 and 1964). We were among the first kids labeled latchkey children. We purchased vinyl records, cd’s and tapes to satisfy our musical appetite and played Atari because it was new, not nostalgic. In our time, bullies were something your older siblings prepared you to defeat, failing grades were considered the result of you not trying hard enough, and A’s were earned by the academic elite.
About.com classifies Generation Y (also referred to as Millennials) as people born between 1980 and 2000. In generation Y I noticed many similarities. They also contained latchkey children and many of them purchased cd’s and tapes. It is the differences I found between Generation X and Y that beg the question how does Generation X make room for the emerging Generation Y in corporate America?
When I was undergoing my first lessons on interviewing and professional presentation I was taught tattoos were frowned upon and if you possessed any, to cover them at work. Since then, tattoos have risen in popularity and are now worn in places difficult to cover, such as on the hands and neck. Will corporate culture have to change to accommodate and up and coming generation that does not subscribe to all the same corporate standards? Yes.
I may not agree with all the adjustments made in the future to create a more Millennial-friendly working environment, but I see and understand the need for change. A company desiring to expand its target audience or even survive the competition must find ways to connect with the Generation Y. They are the newest members of the workforce, possess fresh ideas and represent a large purchasing market. Missing out on tapping into the creativity and buying power of this group could be devastating for many companies.
Avoiding extinction not only means doing some more obvious things like joining social media groups like Facebook, Myspace and LinkedIn to promote and post positions but amending corporate cultural standards. This could include offering a wardrobe advance for new hires whose closets are not yet overflowing with corporate attire. Doing this will preserve the dress code without excluding anyone. Compromises like this will be made along the way to integrate and maximize the opportunity afforded by maintaining an office filled with Millennials and X’ers. Because, in the words of the singer-song writer Sam Cooke, “A Change is Gonna Come.”
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