Companies are in for a surprise as they welcome Generation Y into the workforce. Born in the years between 1980 and 2000, the first batches of the millennials (as they are also known), are just fresh out of college and eager to take their place in the corporate world. But having been pampered by their Baby Boomer parents, millennials are not exactly your run-of-the-mill hires. In fact, a lot has been said about this generation’s i-come-first attitude, their affinity to social networking, fondness for all forms of consumer electronics, and constant need for feedback and change.

Judging from these attributes alone, a Generation Y’er can be a welcome addition to any team. Or he may simply be viewed as a non-conformist, constantly challenging the conventional way of doing things in the workplace. The fact remains however, that millennials are a handful to manage. The challenges are particularly felt in the work aspects briefly discussed below.

Communication

The youngest generation of workers are often berated for their reported lack of communication skills. This is largely attributed to the millennial’s mastery of text messaging which utilizes abbreviated words, and extensive use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter which encourages informal communication among peers. Unfortunately, this abrupt and unprofessional style of communicating is sometimes manifested even in their dealings in the workplace.

Commitment to an Organization

In contrast to the baby boomer parents who viewed their dissatisfaction with management as just being “part of the job” and remained loyal to the organization no matter what, Gen Y workers have no qualms flitting from one job to another. The move could be out of their desire to find better opportunities, or simply because of boredom. But what’s clear is that loyalty is not one of the stronger traits of the millennial employee. Their lack of commitment to any organization is such that even if they were offered higher pay or more ideal working conditions, they would still move on if they felt like it.

Career Advancement

While more often than not millennials don’t see themselves sticking it out with a company for the long haul, it doesn’t stop them from aspiring to climb up that ladder – and fast. Armed with their confidence and university diplomas, millennials do manage to advance themselves pretty quickly but the problem is that they may lack the management skills needed for higher positions. In addition, they are bound to clash with the more tenured senior employees who are adamant about sticking to the traditional corporate norms.

Work Habits and Attitudes

Generation Y’ers are also not keen about keeping to the usual 9 to 5 desk job, and as such, would thrive better with unconventional work scheduling. While they do value structure, they thrive best in a creative work environment that doesn’t put so much store in when and how a job is done, but only that it gets done. And with their adeptness for anything electronic, they would like to see automated systems and the general use of technology in the workplace to get things done faster.

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