‘They are lazy, selfish, overpaid, arrogant, spoilt, demanding and over-confident!’

Although this is the stereotype that many business owners have built up, the group of workers aged between 15 and 31 are becoming the most prominent demographic in the workforce and preparing for and gaining and understanding into the Gen Y group will prove beneficial to employers, for now and in the coming years.

Gen Y make up one fifth of the population and as more baby boomers continue to retire, Gen Y fill their positions in the workforce. While some experts warn employers of hiring anyone under the age of 30, others are recognising the benefits of having younger, tech-savvy staff.

Gen Y are all about results

They want to see that they are making ongoing progress in a company and are an active part of the solution. When managed based on their results, rather than a job description, Gen Y will focus all of their energy on the outcomes deemed most critical to the business’s operations. Bragging about their achievements on Twitter is not uncommon so giving them the opportunity to achieve is a favourable decision. Improving workplace culture

Gen Y is improving workplace culture

They place an emphasis on networking and teamwork, and building strong relationships with their colleagues is important to them. Gen Y often prefer team-oriented and collaborative work. To serve their need for networking, many of them have brought with them internal social networking, instant chat and video conferencing to increase workplace communication.

They are tech-savvy

Raised by technology with the Internet as their babysitter, Gen Y’s comfort with technology and social media can be an asset to companies trying to push cyber-boundaries and change the way they market their brand. As the forefront of innovation, a Gen Y employee can test and implement new technologies and place a business ahead of their more traditional competitors.

Different work expectations

Generation Y have higher work expectations than previous generations. A job with a purpose, great working conditions, flexible work options and strong workplace relationships are big motivators for them. They know what they are worth and what they want and they believe that these things should be set conditions of employment. Constant encouragement, feedback and incentives are a good way to motivate Gen Y staff and being