Y and x Generation

Introduction
In Malaysia, most of the employees are from Gen-Y generation. They have skills, education background and other characteristic that needed by an organization in order to move forward. With the knowledgeable they have, Gen-Y tend to become job hopper which have make them change job frequently in a short term to seek other jobs with a greater promotion. This trend has been practiced by them to satisfy themselves as a reward for their time sacrifices with study for years.
There is no denying that job hopping is more popular among Generation Y. About 91 percent of this age group is likely to leave their job in less than three years to get a new experience. There are two kinds of job hopping which are random job hopping which is moving every time you get a better job and strategic job hopping which is taking a new job because it enhances and helps build your career.
Generation Y can be seem to be more confident and ambitious. Expectations typically need to be managed as Generation Y is confident to take on important roles within organizations as soon as they begin. With young entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerburg, the millennial believe there is no limit to what they can achieve. Unlike generations before them, they are happy to change job roles more often to find the right organization that offers higher salary and job position to work with.
Understanding Generation Y is important not just for employers. Older workers which are, anyone over 30 years old really need to know how to adapt to the values and demands of their newest colleagues to create a good work environment in the office
This generation is more likely to become a job hopper due to a few factors such as their family oriented, personal attributes and education level. There are also some advantages and disadvantages for hiring this generation into an organization.

Contents
i. Generation Y Definition
Generation Y is the most educated and most diverse generation in history, and the first to have more women than men obtain postsecondary education. This generation can be defined as anyone who born between 1977 and 2002. They are the children of the baby boomers and have grown up with the internet at their fingertips by using computers, mobile phones, social media tools and other technologies since childhood. They also called as millennial, echo boomers, internet generation, iGen or net generation. In their lifetime, they have already experienced unparalleled technological advancements and highs and lows in economic conditions. There are many differences between Generation Y and previous generations. One of these differences can be seen in their expectations for pay and promotion. Despite growing up in prosperous times, Generation Y has much higher career expectations for pay and promotion than all previous generations. ii. Generation Y’s expectations
Life experiences will shape who you are and what you value. Employees who grew up in different time periods would have different views. Generation Y is the generation that ‘want sit all’ and that ‘want sit now’. This perception is related to their expectations in the work environment for good pay, benefits, rapid career advancement, work or life balance, interesting and challenging work, and making a contribution to society. These career goals of Generation Y have also been viewed as being unrealistic in terms of being disconnected between rewards and their actual performance.

iii. Factors that contribute Generation Y having a high expectations

a) Family
Growing up, children are greatly influenced by their parents and can become used to the lifestyle they were brought up in. For example, children who grow up in upper class families will be used to wearing designer clothing, getting all the new gadgets, and enjoying yearly vacations. Although people from lower class families will want these same things, their expectations for achieving them may be lower as they never had them before.
Generation Y has grown up in a period of economic prosperity and only recently they have felt the effects of a recession. This period of economic prosperity, in which Generation Y’s parents were able to find work that was well paying, has also led to Generation Y’s high expectations. Although we may believe that this most recent recession has given Generation Y a reality check and lowered their expectations. Most recent recession has not lowered Generations Y’s expectations for pay and promotion. The income of one’s family will impact their salary expectations, for example one will want to maintain the lifestyle that they had growing up and will want a high paying job in order to maintain that lifestyle.
b) Personal Attributes
Each individual exposes with varying personal attributes that make them who they are. In an organization, these personalities will shine and will ultimately determine the expectations that they will have on their expected pay and promotion throughout their career paths. The personal attributes were inspired by the traits found in the core self evaluation are locus of control, neuroticism, self-confidence, and self-esteem. An individual who shows high levels of each personality traits are more likely to have higher expectations within their career aims. In contrast, an individual with low levels of each personality trait would essentially have the opposite effect.
c) Education
Education is an important factor that causes Generation Y to have higher salary and promotion expectations than older generations. Generation Y are the most education-minded generation in history. The main influence is being raised by Baby Boomer parents who value education and a labor market that demands it to gain well paying work. Most of Generation Y recognizes that the key to their success is a high level degree. Generation Y has been in the education system longer than any prior generation.
They have devoted four or more years to studying, spending thousands and thousands of dollars into their education. Even more than their elders. Generation Y believe that they are talented and their knowledge and skills are worth more money. They have the perception that a higher education will lead them to a better professional situation. Earning an educational degree will increase the earning potential in their lifetime. People who graduate from higher education programs will earn almost twice as much as those with only a diploma. A higher educational level is expected to lead to high wages and good quality jobs. Education might also increase expectations for both wages and job features.
Generation Y has been inspired by their boomer parents to value education. They have been raised with a high expectation of achievement. Before graduating from College or University it is common to have several jobs and volunteer projects on ones resume. There is no denying they are well trained, however they have come to expect constant learning experiences and new challenges. Generation Y are known for their ability to multitask. They seek out creative challenges and view colleagues as vast resources from whom to gain knowledge. It is important for employers to continue giving them challenging projects in order to prevent boredom and attrition.
Generation Y is a group of adaptable and fast learners. As mentioned before, they are the most educated of all the generations and they enjoy the process of learning, shown in their seriousness to master new processes and programs. Workplace training and development is very important and, in fact, often demanded as a part of their work condition s. This desire for knowledge and ability to adjust makes Generation Y ideal for the ever changing business environment.

iv. Advantages of Hiring Generation Y
Like previous generations, Gen Y cannot be lumped into one homogenous group. However, there are certain defining characteristics of today 's class of interns. Understanding and knowing how to use these qualities can be infinitely beneficial to your business.
1. Tech-savvy. The first generation to be brought up with computers, members of Generation Y is early adopters. In fact, not only they can uncover, operate, and recommend the most advanced tools and technologies, they also can teach you how to use things like content management systems and social media.
2. Cost-effective. Compared to other populations, Generation Y appears less motivated by money.
3. Team players. We might term Generation Y as "The We Generation" for their heightened sense of community and peer-to-peer relationships. Meanwhile, for those concerned that this cooperative spirit only extends to other Millennial, think again. By welcoming this generation with open arms and practicing a few creative management techniques, Generation Y can work alongside boomers just as well.
4. Acceptance seeking. Some have termed Gen Y "The Trophy Generation" in response to the "everyone 's a winner" mentality and the endless pats on the backs associated with their upbringing. Once again, while some see this as a negative, in effect, it can be very motivating. A need for praise and validation often facilitates effort and achievement. So, yes, this will mean they will need more feedback but they will work hard to make sure it is of a positive nature.
5. Self-expressive. In the Gen Y world, Twitter has taught them to express themselves. While their parents would have scared at this type of sharing, the positive effect has been created. They are a group of prospective interns who are not afraid to put ideas out there. In the workplace, this translates into unabashed brainstorming, generating new solutions and fresh perspectives.
6. Conscious of the competition. Coming of age in a recession makes Gen Y more aware of job-market competition. So unlike older workers who may be more used to calling the shots in their careers, this generation of interns counts their blessings when it comes to employment opportunities. They tend to compete with each other in order to achieve something greater for their career performance.
7. Current. Like any youth generation, hiring Gen Y helps keep your company up to date with social, entertainment, and other market trends. Build a relationship and offer Gen Y 'ers an opportunity to grow with your organization, and they will reward you with continued relevance.

v. Disadvantages of Hiring Generation Y
Some people believe that it is preferable to hire younger workers over their more seasoned colleagues. They believe younger workers are more energetic and are more likely to bring fresh ideas to the table. While younger workers bring a number of benefits to the table, there are also some disadvantages to hiring them. Here are some reasons a younger employee may not be the ideal employee for an organization.
1. Lack of experience
Most managers and entrepreneurs look up to Mark Zuckerburg and other entrepreneurs who launched their businesses in their 20s. They have come to believe younger workers are more likely to have brilliant ideas. They tend to hire younger workers because they believe they can transform their workplace for the better.
However, young geniuses like Zuckerberg tend to be the exception more often than the rule. It seems many young professional’s ideas fail to solve the problems they sought to tackle.
Younger workers can sometimes use their energy to propel the organization forward. However, they usually lack both the professional and life experience needed to make a positive change. Older workers have this experience and are often unappreciated assets for many businesses.
2. Lack of direction
Younger workers often struggle to move forward in a consistent direction. They were knowledgeable in their fields and convinced companies and wealthy individuals to invest in them.
In spite of their knowledge and bright ideas, they were unable to make their visions come to the final result. The problem was they constantly changed their minds and were unable to move the business forward in a consistent direction.

3. They Tend to Be More Narcissistic
This generation tends to be more narcissistic than older colleagues. People with this trait are not usually selfish or mean-spirited, however, they do tend to be overly convinced of their own abilities.
Younger workers tend to have a harder time recognizing organizational boundaries or following the instructions of their boss. They are often bitter they are the ones who have to take direction from someone else. They would probably be more stubborn and managers may find it more difficult to get their respect. Many older workers tend to have more reverence for the traditional workplace.

vi. Effects of Job Hopping

a) Migration to other country
People tend to migrate to another country when their job’s expectations cannot be fulfilled in their own country. If more people with higher education move outside their country, the country will be face a lack number of expertise. This situation will contribute to the economic downturn whereby the country needs to hire foreign expertise that cost more than local expertise.

b) Number of unemployment increase
Job hopping usually makes people to become materialistic in their life. They want a higher position and salary that parallel with their educations. If the request cannot be fill, they will much prefer to become unemployed rather receive a low payment from a job offered.

c) Social problem increase
Related with the unemployment issue, social problem also will increases when they have no job at all. They tend to seek others entertainment or resources in order to fulfill their needs and wants. Drugs, vandalism and robbery are the example of social problem that can occur if Gen-Y becomes too choosy in finding a right job.

d) Improve the standard of living
Job hopping also can bring positive effects to Gen-Y. The higher salary received can increase their standard of living. As we know, grocery and other certain needs’ price have been increasing lately. Therefore, with a good payment of job, Gen-Y can survive and support their family in this situation. The poverty rate also can be decreases in a country.

e) Gain more experiences
Jumping into another job each 3 to 5 years will give them a lot of experiences. They face a different work environment, different job position and also different job specification each time they change their job. This will lead them to become more expert and knowledgeable in order to handle people, seek opportunities in business for organization and get connected to a lot of people.

f) Help country to become well known
Professionals born can contribute to the increases of country’s image. If this generation find their job that they seek for, they will work hard and try to maintain their performance in order to avoid them lose the job. So, with the Gen-Y‘s expertise, they can use technology to compete with another country to create or innovate a new and different products or services. They also can increase the rank of country’s competitive advantage.

Conclusion

Students entering higher education will expect that their studies should lead them towards some form of professional career. They come to university with a range of expectations for their learning as well as for the outcomes of their learning. The level of education among employees in our country, Malaysia is rising. In most companies, people are staying longer at school and more students are pursuing tertiary education. With high level of educations, this student can be workers which becoming more aware of their employment rights and therefore more liable.
Job hopping can become neither good nor bad. It really depends on situation. From an employer’s perspective, it is not advisable to hire a job hopper. They would prefer a long serving employee who is willing to contribute a lot to the company and will probably seek retirement in that company. The cost of hiring and retraining someone is sometimes too high. They rather keep the same person who knows the company inside out, than spending time on training or orientation or maybe, the hiring process itself.
However, from an employee’s perspective, it is a completely different story. As an employee, we should be thinking for our future. Job hopping to a new job which is more suitable and has more prospects might be a good option. Sometimes, it pays to job hop than to stay in a job with no prospect. We will be just wasting our time. This happens in many places especially in a not so competitive working environment whereby we can see a lot of people there seeking early retirement. It will take a very big move for us to climb over these experienced people. By the time we managed to climb above this group of people, we would have wasted too much time. Worse still, we might not even get pass this hurdle. If we can’t, then there is no point staying on.
Choose a company with better prospect, maybe a better job role, and move on. Do not consider job hopping as a mean to get quick financial gain. If we really choose to do so, we will be chasing after money and not our future. We should truly find out what we want. Once we know that, find a company that is willing to train or how they are willing to commit to their employees career in the long term. If they have structured training programs, join them.
Job hopping is not an end in itself but something young workers do when they see no other choice.

References

“From expert student to novice professional”, Anna Reid &Peter Petocz, 2011
“HR Management: Challenges and Future Directions”, Retha Wiesner &Bruce Millett, 2002
“Human Resource Management in a Global Context”, Obin Kramar & Jawad Syed, 2012

http://www.pongoresume.com/blogPosts/529/how-do-you-define-a-job-hopper-.cfm http://www.time.com/time/magazine

References: “From expert student to novice professional”, Anna Reid &Peter Petocz, 2011 “HR Management: Challenges and Future Directions”, Retha Wiesner &Bruce Millett, 2002 “Human Resource Management in a Global Context”, Obin Kramar & Jawad Syed, 2012 http://www.pongoresume.com/blogPosts/529/how-do-you-define-a-job-hopper-.cfm http://www.time.com/time/magazine