You may ask… what makes this new generation of workers so different from the rest? Well, let me introduce you to Gen Y, defined by their radical working values and their 24/7 connectivity to the outside world.

As Alexis de Tocqueville once said: “Each generation is a new people”, however the perception of Gen Y values can be more blatantly summarised by: ”Work used to be somewhere we went; now it is something we do.” The flattening of the world, i.e. the evolution in technology and its availability to the masses is the main contributing factor to the Gen Y attitude, as it has significantly affected processes of expectation and learning, causing the gap between reality and perceived reality to become increasingly blurred. Wikipedia anyone?

We are the new kids on the block

Growing up in the most dynamic economy in the twentieth century we have been told we can change the world. Optimistic, upbeat and filled with a sense of empowerment – we are the new kids on the block and think we can achieve anything...or so our parents told us!

As a phenomenon we’re complex and full of contradictions. We’re technologically savvy but highly creative; environmentally conscious yet highly mobile. We expect instant rewards but also demand development for the long-term. We think like entrepreneurs but value relationships over money. It’s confusing, but it’s the future.

We are the first generation in history that has been raised on the total democratisation of information. We have been “trained” by today’s tools and info-exchange norms to expect total access to whatever information we want and need, how we want it, when we want it.

Welcome to Work 2.0

As the workplace becomes increasingly demanding, diverse and dispersed globally, to be successful leaders will need to shift their thinking to embrace a radical, ‘new world’ approach to leadership. As 'work' becomes increasingly complicated and everything needs to be done 'betterquickerfaster', employees are seeking customised experiences to achieve greater effectiveness. As a result, every employee expects greater control and will assume accountability to increase productivity. Welcome to Work 2.0. 

We are creating waves and making a big noise on a global scale. We work hard to get the message out that generational theory is important to understand if you are to embrace the new world of work.

Communication, engagement and collaboration

How can organisations embrace the radical, ambitious, often naïve, approach to the world of work Gen Y has as we hip hop our way through the workplace?  Give us responsibility, engage with us through new age leadership styles and create a Gen Y Board or Mirror Board to solve the same business challenges as the Executive Board. Gen Y see the world through a different lens. A product of our surroundings, we thrive on streamlining processes, utilising technology to our advantage and constantly challenging the status quo.

We have been creating, developing and empowering Gen Y Boards since 2006. Gen Y Boards have drastically decreased the time it took to expand across Mainland China for a global bank; completely overhauled the employer brand for one of the world’s largest IT companies; and created a peer-to -peer collaboration environment for a European Engineering conglomerate.

Who gets it?

We work with the brave, the bold and the beautiful. It takes guts to recognise that change is upon us, to recognise a radical difference in how work should be structured going forward and it takes courage to release control and give greater responsibility and accountability to employees. Organisations we work with know that it is time to do some very different thinking.

One of the world's leading wealth management and capital markets companies is a prolific recruiter of graduates. They have noticed some real changes in the attitudes and values of the intakes over the last couple of years and wanted to educate the business managers on this new breed of employee. One of the top Law Firms in the UK has built on a culture that is forward looking and supportive, commercial and straightforward.

They thrive on the variety of their clients' businesses and are seen as leading edge. With this in mind they asked us to conduct a large piece of research with their Gen Y employees and get their views on what the law firm of the future will look like, we’re not talking 10 years in the future we’re talking 2010. We conducted a number of workshops and focus groups and by adding these findings to our wealth of external research, created a video and presentation based around six key factors that are changing the way we work. A Mirror Board has been set-up to roll out a road show to the senior Partners across the firm.

About our e3unlimited research

From our zillions of hours of research, our countless interviews and conversations and through the work we do with our mothership organisation (www.e3unlimited.com) we have developed the Six Factors Affecting the Changing World of Work. With this, we run workshops, we redesign organisations and we re-invigorate projects by setting up Gen Y Boards.