Young Professionals' Perspectives on Work, Career and Gender

The Reflexive Generation:
Young Professionals’
Perspectives on Work,
Career and Gender

The Reflexive Generation: Young Professionals’ Perspectives on Work, Career and Gender 2

Looking back in history, the assumption that the The Reflexive Generation
next generation will be fundamentally different
The new generation is currently a hotly debated
from what has come before, has been a
topic. However, many commentators do not
common phenomenon. Currently, the
agree on how to name this generation -
assumption is that young professionals from
Generation Y and Millennials are the most

The Reflexive Generation:
Generation Y are very different from any previous
popular names - or how old this generation is
generation. Organisations realise that they do not
- the consensus seems to lie between people
yet understand the needs and perspectives of
born between 1977 to 2000. The characteristics

Young Professionals’
this generation and have started to explore how
this generation is supposed to have are equally
this generation can be managed.
contested and sometimes conflicting. Generation
Looking at gender, it appears that a fundamental Y people are seen as independent, confident,

Perspectives on Work, change in perspective is needed to make use of
the diverse talent in the workplace. The gender
demography of most organisations follows the
diverse, collaborative and selfish. Many of these
characteristics seem to match more the
stereotype than the reality. However, what is clear

Career and Gender 50:30:10 rule. On entry level there are equal
numbers of men and women. In mid-
management, the percentage of women drops to
is that this generation has grown up in a very
specific period of time where jobs for life are no
more and the world is becoming a global village.
30% and in the most senior ranks there are Generation Y is also said to be a generation
Executive Summary usually no more than 10% women. In the first where gender differences are no longer an issue.
report of the Centre for Women in Business we Women of Generation Y are assumed to be as
have shown what organisations do to address the confident and ambitious as men.
50:30:10 problem (Gratton, Kelan, & Walker,
Many of these assumptions are based on
2007). We followed up on this study by
hearsay but rigorous academic research is
highlighting why having 50% men and 50%
missing. This new generation has literally grown
women in teams makes business sense in
up with technology – they came of age when new
regards to innovation (Gratton, Kelan, Voigt,
technologies such as personal computers,
Walker, & Wolfram, 2007).
mobile phones and the Internet developed. What
Our third study now takes a closer look at the is unique about this generation is that they are
entry-level in organisations. We examined the completely at home with these technologies; they
extent to which this new generation brings form the largest group of users of social network
different attitudes and perspectives to work, technologies such as Facebook and Twitter (even
career and gender. We selected the term though other generations are catching up).
‘reflexive’ to characterise this generation because These new technologies have shaped the
this generation is constantly reflecting back on interactional patterns of this generation. For
the relationship between self, work and life. In a example, rather than waiting patiently for a
time when old structures like jobs for life are promotion, this generation is said to want
withering away, the individual is increasingly in immediate gratification and feedback just like
charge of shaping his or her own career and life they receive in online interactions.
(Beck, 2000). The young professionals of the
Assessing generational change is of course a
Reflexive Generation are aware of the fact that
difficult endeavour. One could say that what we
they need to re-invent themselves to author their
see with Generation Y at the moment is more an
own life stories.
expression of the life phase young professionals
© 2009 All rights reserved.

The Reflexive Generation: Young Professionals’ Perspectives on Work, Career and Gender 3 The Reflexive Generation: Young Professionals’ Perspectives on Work, Career and Gender 4

are in and an expression of individuality, as Research Design interviewed 21 men and 21 women in total, and about the impact of work on their life and saw
young people will differ markedly from one our sample included 12 nationalities, with the long hours working culture as harmful to
Given the plethora of studies on Generation Y, we
another. While changes in generations will only participants from all five continents. The average them. Regardless of which stance the young
felt that it was necessary to add a gender
become visible over time, this research provides age of the interviewees was 26 with the MBA professionals took in respect to work-life balance
perspective to these debates and to use different
a snapshot of how young professionals feel now. participants slightly older than those from one thing was clear: the single most important
methodologies to assess the degree to which
corporations. The interviews lasted 45 to 90 element in relation to work-life balance is that
We have called this generation the Reflexive there is generational change. In our previous
minutes and were audio and visually recorded. they want autonomy over when and how to work.
Generation. We call them reflexive because this work at the Centre for Women in Business we
This autonomy is closely linked to the idea of
generation is constantly reflecting back on the used quantitative methodologies to gather a
relationship between self, work and life. In a time breadth of information. In this research we
The Reflexive Generation: self-managing and being in charge.
when old structures like jobs for life are withering decided instead to use qualitative methodologies. Research Insights Challenging Careers
away, the individual is increasingly in charge of These methodologies allow us to create a much When we talked about careers, young
Self-Managed Work
shaping his or her own career and life (Beck, deeper insight into the mindset of the young professionals were clear that the most important
2000). This unique time presents younger professionals we studied. Qualitative research Managing Generation Y
aspect to them is challenge. They want to have a
generations with the opportunity but also the aims for depth rather than breadth, is inductive When we talked with the young professionals career where they are challenged and can grow
challenge of choosing the right life path. and theory generating and focuses on a much about their work it became clear that this with the challenges. Rather than being bored,
Individuals will have to reinvent themselves at smaller number of people. The goal is to create a generation has a strong need to self-manage they prefer jobs which stretch them and if they
various times throughout their life course. Young deeper understanding of those we are their work. They want to be given goals and are no longer challenged they would consider
professionals from Generation Y have researching. targets but want to be left to their own devices to moving on.
internalised this reflexive pattern. They reflect get the job done. We found that they want their
We used in-depth interviewing techniques and The second most important aspect of careers for
upon their life and career options and make managers to be coaches – to help them to
analysed the results through discourse analysis Generation Y was self-improvement and
choices about which roads to take. These navigate their work and life and to support their
(Potter & Wetherell, 1987) which explores the enjoyment. Self-improvement relates closely to
choices are influenced by their own experiences. development. In order for this development to
interpretative repertoires or ‘off-the-shelf’ the idea of challenge. They wanted to improve
Thereby their own experiences form part of the occur feedback is essential and these young
explanations people have available to make themselves through formal and informal
options they choose for their future development. professionals are eager to get as much feedback
sense of themselves and the world in which they education to avoid stagnating. People used
In that sense young professionals are reflexive as possible, and as quickly as possible. This
live. We also made use of picture prompts to phrases like ‘writing one’s own life story’, showing
about their work, life and career. They are in a feedback helps them to stay on track.
explore how young professionals think about that the individual is in charge of shaping his or
feedback loop where their past influences their
certain aspects of their life such as work-life Work-life Balance her own career.
present and future experience. This feedback
balance, diversity and corporate social Work-life balance was something that young
loop allows them to re-invent themselves to Enjoyment also ranked highly. Young
responsibility. The interviews were transcribed professionals saw as important particularly in
author their own life stories. professionals did not want to feel as if they
verbatim and then systematically coded into relation to technology. Many spoke of technology
We focus on three interrelated aspects of this sections of material using the qualitative software simply have to work – but also want to enjoy their
as a ‘double-edged sword’: it allows them to work jobs. Finally, it is clear that colleagues are
Generation Y feedback loop. First, work is NVivo, where emerging themes and issues were flexibly but they recognised the negative work-life important to them. Many young professionals
characterised by self-management and the need addressed and analysed in detail. balance impact. talked about their colleagues as friends and saw
for instant gratification and feedback. Second,
For this research we defined Generation Y as There was not a unitary perspective on work-life them as an important aspect of having fun at
careers should be challenging for this generation,
people who were born between 1977 and 1987, balance; instead three types of perspectives work. Interestingly, we found that activities
and young professionals stress the importance of
which captures the older cohort of this arose. Some people worked long hours and saw related to corporate social responsibility were less
self-development to author one’s own career.
generation. We focused on young professionals this as essential for their job and to get ahead. important for job choices.
Third, for this generation, diversity is a fact of life.
from Generation Y, and we sampled from two We call them the excessives. A second group,
While many claim that there has been a change
corporations (16 interviews for each organisation, the balancers, focused more on achieving A Different World…Parents’ Careers
in gender relations in recent years, the research
with 8 men and 8 women) and from young work-life balance through for instance not Most young professionals emphasised that their
showed that some elements of gender relations
professionals pursuing an MBA degree (10 working on weekends. The third group, the careers are going to be very different from their
have not changed that significantly.
interviews, with 5 men and 5 women). We skeptics, is made up of those who were clear parents’ careers. They are aware that they will


have shorter job tenures, they talked about how their career moves on hold while others accepted However, at the same time, young professionals but we should not forget that the period of time
the world they live in is a global village, and they insecurity as a fact of life. Some discussed the experienced a very traditional gender culture. in which they grew up shaped this mindset. For
spoke about how they profited from educational lowering of their expectations of their jobs for fear First of all, they regularly addressed the them jobs for life and delayed gratification are
opportunities. Finally, they talked about how of being unemployed, meaning that in this masculine culture of business and the young outdated concepts, and young professionals do
opportunities had changed significantly with economic context they are less demanding. For professionals identified that business is a man’s not expect this. In such a situation it is not
people settling down later and with many women others, unemployment was even seen as world. Second, the young professionals did surprising that keeping one’s own skills fresh and
remaining in employment despite having children. opening new opportunities to travel or explore acknowledge that in the thirties something relevant and looking for new challenging
different career options. Young professionals also changes when men and women have children opportunities is not an expression of egoism but
Endless Opportunities… Despite the Recession? highlighted their flexibility as their greatest asset but most young professionals struggle to put their rather an expression of being realistic about the
Many of the young professionals saw their career in being able to cope with the economic crisis. finger on what it is exactly that changes. Finally, workplace they inherit.
characterised by endless opportunities. They During the economic crisis, the reflexive potential issues with female role models became evident. The follow-up interviews during the economic
could see their careers developing in various of reinventing one’s life becomes particularly When talking about women’s networks the crisis have shown that young professionals from
directions and there was no clear pattern in the visible and a useful asset. assumption was that these women’s networks Generation Y are reflecting upon and integrating
responses they provided. They see the world were for older women and not for younger the economic changes into their relationship to
open to them for their taking and believe they are The Aftermath of Gender women. It was also regularly addressed that work and life in difficult times. This generation of
in charge of building their careers through taking there is competition among women and that
Diversity young professionals are reflexive when it comes
positions that would provide opportunities for older women are less willing to help women up
When asked about how important diversity is for to their own careers and lives. What also seems
self-development. the ladder. Senior women were often seen in
them, most young professionals stated that it was to be specific for this time is that gender equality
Within corporate research on this topic and in negative terms such as being too emotional and is now expected and taken for granted. This does
‘fairly important’, followed by ‘really important’, thereby not suitable as role models.
the popular press, there is the idea that people of not mean that gender inequality has withered
and then by ‘not important at all’. The most
Generation Y are leaving organisations to a There were few gender differences in the away but rather that it has taken on new shapes
commonly cited form of diversity was nationality
greater degree than other generations. We found responses overall, supporting the idea that men and forms. This requires ever-changing
and ethnicity, followed by gender, religion and
that one of the most common reasons given for and women of Generation Y have very similar responses to inequalities to allow people to
age. Most people agreed that diversity is
leaving an organisation was that individuals had ideas about work and career. It was also flourish in future workplaces. Young
enriching because a diverse group of people
not been promoted or were not developing any noticeable that men and women talked about professionals of the Reflexive Generation are in
produces better solutions and ideas. However,
more. Young professionals wanted to pick up having children and many young men voiced an ideal position to shape their own life courses
the strongest opinion about diversity was that it is
new skills and work on engaging projects to that they would like to take active roles as by reflecting upon, referring to, and making
a fact of life. This generation would not expect to
remain motivated. There was also a gender angle fathers. This was in contrast to the fact that the sense of past experiences and potential futures.
see a workplace that is not diverse. Diversity is
to the issue of retaining young professionals thirties were seen as critical for women in general
accepted as normal and as nothing that needs to
within organisations; some women mentioned
be stressed. and shows that in their own life the young Key Insights and
that the requirements of career progression in professionals would like to create more
the company are less appealing to them because Experiences of Gender
Recommendations
egalitarian patterns. It remains to be seen if this
of the energy and sacrifices in terms of work-life optimism turns into reality. These findings raise some important and
Many young professionals argued that there has
balance needed to have a career in the far-reaching implications for the management of
been or will be a lot of progress in relation to
companies. Are Young Professionals of Generation Y Really companies and of individuals. We have identified
gender. Young professionals talked about how a
that Different? four specific challenges:
We also conducted a number of follow-up gender balance is slowly being reached. They
also talked about how gender discrimination is This leads to the question regarding the extent to
interviews with young professionals after the Challenge 1: The Management of Work
no longer an issue of modern workplaces. The which the current generation is really different
economic crisis hit to explore the extent to which One of the overriding impressions of the men
glass ceiling was perceived as a thing of the past, from any previous generation. Many of the
their perspectives on their career, work and life and women of this generation is their frustration
and many people from this generation have the elements we uncovered, such as being in charge
have changed. We found that most young with performance management practices which
firm belief that equality between men and of one’s own work, career and life, are probably
professionals were affected directly or indirectly are too slow, too bureaucratic and too
women has been achieved and will no longer be applicable to many people. This generation
by the economic downturn. Their reaction to the hierarchical. They want to learn fast, to adapt
an issue for them. might be more vocal in expressing their needs,
changed economic climate was varied: some put


with speed and to change tack with elegance Therefore the boundary management is crucial Challenge 4: The Future of Flexibility Acknowledgements
and to do this they need more frequent feedback in a number of key areas. These include - how It is not surprising that this generation play down We would like to acknowledge the generous
and more support and mentoring. Their needs do the personal and work social networks differences between men and women. Most support of the founding sponsor Accenture and
will put particular pressure on managers who are overlap? What in the public domain can be have grown up in households and schools in Allen & Overy, Barclaycard Business, Baxter
already over-laden so the emphasis must be on brought into the work domain? And how can the which diversity was seen as the norm. However, International, Cargill, IBM, KMPG and Johnson &
how this generation can manage their own 24-hour flow of information be shaped and whilst they themselves may believe that diversity Johnson. Various people contributed to this
learning and how they can work with their peer bounded? There are very few protocols, no is a fact of their life – they observe around them research and to the conversations around it and
groups to create a more frequent flow of established rules and routines, and a technology the lack of diversity. They see few women at the we would like to thank Katharine Buckley,
information and feedback. One example of this etiquette (or netiquette) that is only now top, they know that many women are potentially Alexandra Budjanovcanin, Yu-Chien Chang,
can be seen in the restrictions and boundaries emerging. Creating these norms and frameworks leaving after becoming mothers and they see the Rachel Dunkley Jones, Ioannis Karalis, Onur
that some companies and even countries have will be an important part of creating a work life pressures their senior male and female Komurcu, Ellen Miller and Judy Wajcman in
attempted to enforce through the Internet. for this generation which enables them to have colleagues are under. This worries and confuses particular for their help with the research project.
Despite this repression the digital environment satisfying and balanced lives. This will be them. The men and women we spoke to wanted
continues to reinvent itself. It is the smart ‘digital especially important as men and women of this to be good citizens and good parents – their References
natives’ (Prensky, 2001) who collaborate globally generation work out the boundaries of work and anxiety was that they do not know how to do this. Beck, U. 2000. The Brave New World of Work.
to work around these restrictions, to create home life, and in households where both Cambridge: Polity.
Our research on work/home spillover has shown
collaborative environments that benefit a much partners work full-time or part-time. Gratton, L. 2004. The Democratic Enterprise.
that working can have positive implications for
wider community than their own. Many of these London: FT Prentice Hall.
Challenge 3: The Design of Work home life for men and women – and it can have
‘digital natives’ or professionals of this generation
In the turbulent, fast changing world in which negative spillover for both men and women. Gratton, L., Kelan, E., Voigt, A., Walker, L., &
do this outside of their professional jobs.
this generation has been raised, it is no surprise What is clear to us and reinforced by the Wolfram, H.-J. 2007. Innovative Potential: Men
Challenge 2: The Management of Boundaries that they value their capacity to shape their own bewilderment of this generation is that families and Women in Teams, The Lehman Brothers
This generation uses technology like no other. destiny through the creation of their personal are not a ‘woman’s’ issue. Families are an issue Centre for Women in Business, London Business
They reach out to peers within their businesses, human capital. They place a great deal of for men and women. So the wise executive will School, http://www.london.edu/assets/
link in to associates in other businesses and emphasis on intellectual capital (the knowledge understand that flexibility is not a women issue documents/facultyandresearch/Innovative_
build a significant virtual network of friends and insights they have), social capital (the depth, – it is an issue that goes beyond gender to the Potential_NOV_2007.pdf
across the globe. This is all good news for richness and extent of their networks) and core of what it is to be a human. Remember that
Gratton, L., Kelan, E., & Walker, L. 2007.
companies where networking and the rapid emotional capital (the means by which they many of the young people we interviewed will live
Inspiring Women: Corporate Best Practice in
dispersion of knowledge and collection of ideas is understand themselves and build self for more than ninety years and many will work
Europe, The Lehman Brothers Centre for Women
a crucial competitive advantage. However, as we knowledge). For this generation the emphasis is for much of this time. For them work life is a
in Business, London Business School, http://
have seen, it raises issues of boundary on ‘work to learn’ rather than ‘work to live’. This marathon – not a sprint - and like a marathon it
www.london.edu/assets/documents/
management. creates a crucial role in the organisation around needs to contain pacing, stamina and resilience.
facultyandresearch/May_2007_Corporate_Best_
the design of what could be called ‘good work’. Right now the excitement is there – but what is
The concept of a hierarchical career is based on Practice_Report.pdf.
This is work that creates the context in which lacking is a road map.
a traditionally male model of professional work Potter, J., & Wetherell, M. 1987. Discourse and
rapid learning takes place. Good work is work Dr Elisabeth Kelan
outside the home, premised on a separation social psychology: beyond attitudes and
which is meaningful, which has sufficient Professor Lynda Gratton
between the public and the private domains. A behaviour. London: Sage.
complexity to be stretching, which has within it Dr Alice Mah
conventional bureaucratic career is built on
the provision of feedback and which delivers Lamia Walker Prensky, M. 2001. Digital Natives, Digital
uninterrupted service to one or a few employers
enough autonomy for the individual to make Immigrants, http://www.marcprensky.com/
often involving geographical mobility as part of
choices about how best to develop themselves writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20
career advancement. What we see now is a
(Gratton, 2004). Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf.
change in how boundaries are being managed
not only between employer and employee but
also between home and work domains.


Generations at Work Headline here

Baby Boomers Generation X Generation Y
(ca. 1940-1960) (ca. 1960-1980) (ca. 1980-2000)


What We Seem to Know About Generation Y… What Do We Know About Generation Y?
20,000,000
18-24
Age 18,000,000

16,000,000
Various and conflicting age-based definitions 14,000,000
25-34
In our case young professionals born after 1977 12,000,000 14-17
10,000,000

8,000,000
Characteristics 6,000,000
35-44
Gen Y is ascribed with various and conflicting 4,000,000
45-54
characteristics from being selfish to being 2,000,000
55-64 65+
0
generous Age of Social Network Technology Users (Rapleaf 2008)

Gender
Gen Y largest proportion of social network
Assumption that men and women are equally technology users
confident and ambitious
In-depth academic research missing


What Can Be Said About Generations At All? The Questions We Are Asking…

Life Phase Work
Other generations were similar in this life stage How do young professionals of Generation Y
experience work?
Individuality
There are differences among and between Career
individuals of one generation What expectations do young professionals of
Generation Y have of their long-term careers?
Change
Changes in the period of time in which these Gender
young people grow up will only fully show in What perspectives do young professionals of
the long run Generation Y have on diversity and gender?


Qualitative Research In-Depth Interviewing and Discourse Analysis

Depth rather than In-depth Interviewing
breadth
Allows deeper understanding of research
participants’ views

Inductive and
Understanding
theory generating Discourse Analysis
As a means to understand the ‘off-the-shelf’
resources participants have access to
Small heterogeneous
samples


Picture Prompts The Analysis

Verbatim transcription

Coding and analysis
Identification of
key themes and
‘interpretative repertoires’
Comparisons across
sample
Use of NVivo software

Left image: Dresdner Kleinwort recruitment campaign 2007


Our Sample Sample Characteristics

Total Number of Interviewees 42

Nationality 12 nationalities
(from all five continents)
1977-1987
Young (21-31 years at Sex 21 women, 21 men
Professionals time of first MBA 10 (5 men, 5 women)
interview)
Organisation 1 16 (8 men, 8 women)
Organisation 2 16 (8 men, 8 women)
Interviews with Senior Professionals 6

Work in one of two Follow up interviews in crisis 5
organisations or pursue Average age (overall) 26
for less than an MBA degree
three years Average age (MBA) 29
Average age (Organisations) 25
Length of Interview 45-90 minutes
Length of transcribed interviews 500,000 words
(without follow up interviews)


The Reflexive Generation Self-Managed Work

Self-Managed
Self-Managed Challenging Challenging
Work
Work Careers • Self-management
Careers
• Self-management • Challenges and • Challenges and
• Work-life balance
• Work-life balance self-development self-development
• Generation change • Generation change
• Endless opportunities • Endless opportunities

The Aftermath of Gender The Aftermath of Gender
• Diversity as fact of life • Diversity as fact of life
• Gender changes and continuities • Gender changes and continuities


How Does Gen Y Want to be Managed? Self-Management

Give them goals and let them run with it...
Self-Management Give me a remit but then be hands off
High level overview and then leave me to it
Set goals and give vision but leave me the freedom to do it how
I want to do it
Have clear deliverables and sporadic checkpoints
Do not give me baby steps but end goal
No micro-management
Feedback Coaching Do not watch me over the shoulder
Trust me to do things


Coaching Feedback

Coaching managers Feedback should be...

I look more for a mentor rather than a manager Constant
I want to be coached Immediate
I want a coaching manager A lot of it
I want to be developed Constructive
A manager should help me to grow
A manager should develop me


Work-Life Balance and Technology: Work-Life Balance: A Segmented Generation…
The Double-Edged Sword
Technology... ‘I probably work more hours than I should
Excessives […] that is the nature of business’
Has massive potential ‘I slept 15 hours in five days’
Is a double-edged sword ‘It’s a time in your life when you have to put
Is the spawn of the devil the hours in to accelerate your career’
You are always on, but you always have to be on, too
Invades one’s life ‘I don’t work during weekends because
Balancers then you risk not having a life’
Expectations that you read and reply to emails at 10pm
Working longer hours can be required but
Is addictive
this time can be compensated later on
Crackberries
Facebook addicts with 750 plus friends
Creates privacy/boundary issues ‘I don’t work because that’s who you are,
Do you become friends with your manager? Skeptics I work to earn money so I can eat. […]
They can see you drunk or on holiday My career isn’t who I am.’
Make inapproriate comments about work Living to work as social epidemic
‘I don’t want to find myself asking ‘where
did my life go’


…With A Shared Perspective Challenging Careers

Self-Managed Challenging
Work Careers
• Self-management • Challenges and
‘I am choosing to • Work-life balance self-development

work long hours’ • Generation change

Autonomy • Endless opportunities

Working long hours
on own terms
The Aftermath of Gender
• Diversity as fact of life
• Gender changes and continuities


Challenging Careers What Is Less Important For These Young
Professionals
Challenge Self-Improvement
Contradictory to perception
‘Going out of your comfort zone’ Improving yourself Socially Responsible of Generation Y
Being stretched Developing skills
Activities
Intellectual stimulation Company sponsorship Young Professionals
‘Keeping me on my toes’ for learning (doing an reported that they
Keeping busy MBA) Working for a green enjoyed CSR activities like
Keeping interested Writing own story line company volunteering
Task diversity of life
But those with an interest
No routine
in social responsibility
No boredom Activities that ‘create
might have joined different
a warm and comfy organisations
Enjoyment Colleagues feeling inside’
Work does not feel like working Colleagues are friends
Wanting to go to work Colleagues are like-minded
Getting up in the morning and Working with them is fun
looking forward to work Use their brains to solve
Forgetting the time while problems
working
Being happy with what one
does


A Different World…Parents’ Careers Endless Opportunities…Young
Professionals’ Own Careers
Changing Allegiances In five to ten years,
Are Young Professionals
I will have…
Gen Y expects no more jobs for life more likely to leave?
Gen Y expects shorter tenure Developed within the company
They leave if they have not been
Joined a competitor promoted (men and women)
Global Village
Joined a customer company
Gen Y has greater mobility Women were slightly more likely
Moved into a different industry
Gen Y perceived to have more opportunities to talk about the incompatibilities
Become an entrepreneur
of their own life plans with a
Moved to a different country corporate career:
Education
Taken a sabbatical • I want to have more
Gen Y saw education as central responsibility but I want to
Earned a lot of money and have
Some people mentioned that they were the first person in their family have work-life balance (female)
a comfortable life
to go to university • I am loyal to the company but
Done an MBA
too much effort, energy and
Gender Changes Children time is needed to compete
Settled down (female)
Gen Y expected to settle down later
Some reported that their mothers stopped working when they had Don’t know
children. Men and women of Gen Y expect to remain in employment.


Changing Perceptions? Aftermath of Gender
The Economic Crisis
Realistically optimist…

Crisis is affecting them, their partners, their friends and their families
Making sure you are useful for your company Self-Managed Challenging
Work Careers
Rather sit the crisis out than move jobs • Self-management • Challenges and
‘I have lower expectations and I am less demanding’ • Work-life balance self-development
• Generation change
More risk averse and greater need for security
• Endless opportunities
‘I made a deal with insecurity. I never expected job security’
Being made redundant opens the opportunity to travel and reassess
your life
There are always opportunities The Aftermath of Gender
• Diversity as fact of life
The company needs those at the bottom and those at the top.
• Gender changes and continuities
Those in the middle are most dispensable.
Being flexible and having a broad skills set keeps you employable


Diversity is… What They Experience in Relation to Gender…

‘Fairly important’ Gender Balance is Improving…
Followed by ‘really important’ It [the gender balance] has improved in the last 20 to 30 years (male)
And ‘not important’ It was an issue of my parents’ generation (female)
The experience of the glass ceiling is narrowing for my generation
Nationality/Ethnicity (female)
Followed by gender In 20 years there will be gender equality, because several women
earn more than me (male)
And Religion
And Age
Gender Discrimination as a Thing of the Past
I don’t feel I have to break any boundaries (female)
Enriching Work
I never experienced discrimination (female)
Better solutions
I have never seen a glass ceiling (female)
Learn from other people
Gender discrimination no longer happens these days
Getting new ideas
Women no longer feel marginalised

Fact of Life
Diversity is accepted as normal
‘I have not had it any other way [than diverse]’
‘It’s not something I’d ever considered. I’d never expect an
organisation this day and age not to be diverse’


…And Yet They Observe Parenthood - a Shared Issue?

Women in a Masculine Culture Men and women talked about having children
Women are outnumbered
Some men talked about taking parental leave
Work is male dominated
and that provisions for paternity leave are not
It’s a man’s world
sufficient
There is a boy’s club where men have a cigar and play golf
Some women said that their partner is going
Women and Men in Their Thirties to take time out to be with the children
Women have babies when they are 32
Women start families at 30
Time will tell if these plans are put into
Raising a family becomes important at 30, 35 (for both men and women)
practice
Employers think that women at 29 will go off and have children

Female Role Model Identification
Women’s networks are for older women (female)
The women in the women’s network are more my parents’ generation
(female)
[Senior] women don’t like other women in the workplace (female)
Female/female relationships clash more because of rivalry (female)
Women are too emotional


Are Young Professionals of Generation Y Really
That Different?
Key Insights and
Recommendations
Young Professionals reflect the period of time
in which they grew up
Careers for life are no more and constant self-
authoring of own life is central
Gender takes on new forms
Young Professionals of Generation Y shape
their own life course through constantly
referring back to past experience to build
potential futures
They are a Reflexive Generation


Challenge 1 Challenge 2
The Design of Management The Future of Flexibility

My
p
sup eers to
port
me

Work

Home
Mentor me Tell me the goal

me
Give ack
b
Families affect men and women
feed
Flexibility is beyond gender


Challenge 3 Challenge 4
The Design of Work The Management of Boundaries

Inte
lle
Cap ctual
ital

Building my
Social Capital No protocols
Human Capital
Technology No established roles Individual
nal No etiquette
otio l
Em pita
Ca

From Work to Live To Work to Learn
Work Meaningful, Ambiguity,
Feedback, Autonomy


Thanks to our sponsors… Further Resources

www.genderationy.com Andrus, L. 2008. The Millennials are here,
Michigan Business Review, http://www.mlive.
Kelan, E. 2008. Learning from Generation X’s com/business/west-michigan/index.
Mistakes - Generational and Gender ssf/2008/06/the_millenials_are_here.html
Transformations, http://www.personneltoday.
com/articles/article.aspx?liarticleid=47302&pri Asthana, A. 2008. Generation Y: They don’t
nterfriendly=true live for work ... they work to live, The Observer,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/
Kelan, E. K., & Dunkley Jones, R. may/25/workandcareers.worklifebalance
forthcoming. Gender and the MBA. Academy
of Management Learning & Education. Braid, M. 2008. How to connect with
Generation Y, The Sunday Times, http://
Kelan, E. K., & Dunkley Jones, R. 2009. business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/
Becoming a Manager: The MBA as a Rite of career_and_jobs/recruiter_forum/
Passage (discussion paper). article1813031.ece
Kelan, E. K., & Mah, A. 2009. The Ambivalences Brandmercenaries. 2008. Quick Facts About
of Female Role Model Identification in Generation Y. http://www.brandmercenaries.
Organisations (discussion paper). com/generationystats/
Kelan, E. K., & Mah, A. 2009. Making Young Broadbridge, A. M., Maxwell, G. A., & Ogden,
Professionals Brand Conform: Embodying S. M. 2007. Experiences, perceptions and
Brands and Gender (discussion paper). expectations of retail employment for
Generation Y. Career Development
International, 12(6): 523-544.

Additional Reading Eisner, S. P. 2005. Managing Generation Y. S.A.M.
Advanced Management Journal, 70(4): 4.

Ellwood, I., & Shekar, S. 2008. Wonder
Allen, P. 2004. Welcoming Y. Benefits Woman - Marketing Secrets for the Trillion
Canada, 28(9): 51-53. Dollar Customer. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Alsop, R. 2008. The Trophy Kids Grow Up: Erickson, T. 2008. Plugged In - The
How the Millennial Generation is Shaking Up Generation Y Guide to Thriving at Work.
the Workplace. San Franscisco (CA): Jossey-Bass. Boston (Mass): Harvard Business Press.


Additional Reading

Gribben, R. 2007. Generation Y talking about McLeod, A. 2008. Generation Y: Unlocking
a revolution, The Telegraph, http://www. the talent of young managers. London:
telegraph.co.uk/finance/ Chartered Management Institute (CKI).
personalfinance/2820326/Generation-Y-
talking-about-a-revolution.html NextStep. 2008. The Multi-Generational
Workforce Challenge. Red City, California:
Howe, N., & Strauss, W. 2000. Millennials Next Step.
Rising: The Next Great Generation. New York:
Vintage. Office for National Statistics. 2006, http://www.
statistics.gov.uk
Junco, R., Mastrodicasa, J., & Upcraft, M. L.
2007. Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Rapleaf. 2008. Rapleaf Study Reveals Gender
Higher Education Professionals Need to Know and Age Data of Social Network Users, http://
About Today’s Students. National Association business.rapleaf.com/company_
of Student Personnel Administrators. press_2008_07_29.html

Krayewski, K. 2009. Generation Y and Why Seidl, W. 2008. Meeting demands of
They Matter. http://internationalaffairs. Generation Y should be HR’s target, Personnel
suite101.com/article.cfm/ Today, http://www.personneltoday.com/
generation_y#ixzz0CrHzTUOl&B. articles/2008/04/03/45231/meeting-demands-
of-generation-y-should-be-hrs-target.html
Mann, S. 2008. Understanding Generation Y.
Professional Manager, July 2008, http://www. Tapscott, D. 1999. Growing Up Digital: The
managers.org.uk/client_files/ Rise of the Net Generation. New York (NY):
Understanding%20Generation%20Y%20 McGraw-Hill.
Jul08.pdf
Terjesen, S., Vinnicombe, S., & Freeman, C.
McCrindle, M., & Hooper, D. 2008. 2007. Attracting Generation Y graduates:
Generation Y: Attracting, engaging and leading Organisational attributes, likelihood to apply
a new generation at work, Drake International, and sex differences. Career Development
http://www.mccrindle.com.au/wp_pdf/ International, 12(6): 504-522.
NewGenerationsAtWork.pdf

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