June 28, 2005
Generation Y
According to Eric Chester, we are shaped by the events and culture in which we grow up. Chester is the best known observer of Generation Y or, as he calls them, "Generation Why". He writes and lectures extensively on the subject. You can purchase his books on http://generationwhy.com.
The 24 and 26 year olds joining law firms have never known life without cell phones, pagers and voice mail. As Chester notes in “Employing Generation Why?”, their world has always included minivans, bottled water, cable television, overnight package delivery, and chat rooms. They would have no personal reference for a time before ATMs, VCRs, PCs, CDs, MTV, CNN and SUVs! They have never known a world without AIDS, crack, or terrorists. Sometimes referred to as the over-achieving, over-scheduled generation, their lives have been programmed from the beginning with school, sports, arts, clubs and activities. They have never known the slow pace of life of their grandparents. They see life as a drop-down menu of choices that can be accessed immediately with the click of a mouse. Speed, change and uncertainty are normal for Y’s.
I was interested in the observations about generation Y from representatives of a number of law firms as reported in The National Law Journal by Leigh Jones. In general, they were not favorable comments. But when one examines the standards by which law firms judge Generation Y’s, compared to the expectations of this new generation, one can easily come to the conclusion that the problem isn’t with Generation Y’s. It is with the law firm standards which unfortunately have not kept up with the times. Why should law firms change? The 68 million strong block of Gen Y is the only labor pool available to law firms for the next 10 to 15 years. Where are you going to get your new associates and, in a few years, your lateral hires if not from Gen Y?
Gen Y’s aren’t going to change, but they will change the successful law firms.
First among equals — don’t expect the automatic respect and obedience just because you are an authority figure within your law firm. They have watched sports figures discredited, heard a president lie, and witnessed tell-all books debunking past heroes. Gen Y’s don’t accept authority or “the way we do things” as given. They ask why I should listen to you. Why should I do it that way? They don’t accept at face value that you deserve their respect or loyalty or that the “way we do things” is the right way to do things. They may arrive in the firm treating their seniors as peers rather than their superiors. By existing standards, many may view that as disrespectful. Law firms that welcome Gen Y’s as legal professionals rather than grips and gofers will enhance their appeal.
Fast paced, Generation Y’s are impatient with anything less than instant. They need instant feedback, instant validation, instant rewards, etc. Six-month reviews and year-end bonuses do not provide meaningful incentives to Gen Y’s. Law firms have to shed red tape. They have to develop fast tracks for advancement. Put in place mentoring with immediate reviews and rewards for progress, etc.
Creativity vs. Precedent — Gen Y’s hit the ground as skilled time managers and multitaskers. They practice “management candy” by seeking the maximum results with minimum efforts. In short, they look for ways to work smarter rather than harder. They believe they can do it all. They strive to get the job done and still enjoy life. Firms may mistakenly view this as a lack of willingness to pay their dues (working long hours) as young members of the firm. Firms willing to encourage creativity and innovation and reward for getting things done with less, rather than rewarding for “hard work and long hours”, will attract Gen Y’s and make a great leap forward in client services and profitability.
Playing for a team, the desire to be a respected equal on a team may be the strongest motivator for Gen Y’s. Creating that team environment and welcoming Gen Y as an equal member are the most important things a law firm can do to attract the cream of this new generation of legal professionals.
Preparing your law firm for Gen Y is important enough to be one of the issues with which the firm’s planning team needs to deal. Adjusting the firm’s culture to attract and retain this new generation of legal professionals has to include the entire scope of the firm from recruiting, compensating, mentoring and advancement.
What are Gen Y’s looking for:
- Rapid involvement in challenging, even exciting, experiences
- An environment where they can be innovative and creative — a place to make their mark
- Fast-track environment, with immediate feedback and recognition
- Technology on the leading edge
- Teamwork and collaborations rather than one-on-one competition between individuals with an “eat what you kill” mind set
- Acceptance and respect as an equal on the team
- An organization that accepts, even encourages, challenges and questions to long-standing assumptions, procedures, practices, precedents, etc.
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Filed under HR by Tom Collins