Generation Y: Characteristics of today's workforce. Generation y and generation x - who are they and what is the difference

For the first time the term "generation Y" appeared in Western sociology, where the theory of generations is very popular. According to this hypothesis, developed by the Americans Neil Howe and William Strauss in 1991, the entire history of mankind can be divided into several regularly repeating cycles. They correspond to a period of about 20 years.

The origins of the term

The new generation Millennium (translated from English - "millennium"), or Y, are people born in 1981-2000. This gradation may fluctuate depending on which country and which society is being discussed. Western sociologists try on this model primarily in the United States. There is also a Millennium generation in Russia. Its boundaries are determined approximately in the framework of 1985-2000.

Howe and Strauss wrote in detail about the phenomenon of "gamers" in their book The Rise of the Millennium Generation: The Next Great Generation. It was published in 2000. At that time, the senior representatives of this were just celebrating their majority and graduating from school. The authors predicted that in the coming years the new youth had to radically change the concept of youth.

Children of a new era

The emergence of generation Y is associated with several reasons. The main one is in the early 1980s, when the birth rate in the United States rose sharply. It is also called "echo boom", which is why members of this generation are also known as "echo boomers".

Demographic fluctuations have occurred periodically throughout human history. Therefore, a much more important feature of the people of the Millennium was their upbringing during the inception and rapid development. modern means communications. It is about e-mail, mobile phones, SMS, Internet, in social networks... All these attributes modern life today they already seem commonplace, but only twenty years ago they were all in their infancy and were not available to everyone, even in the United States.

Generation Y was lucky to be the first to become the owner of new technologies, with the help of which it is possible to communicate freely with a person on the other side of the world. All modern institutions - states, nations, cities, families, churches, corporations, etc. - are forced to constantly change and adapt to new conditions. For young people, this skill to change and get used to changes is elevated to the absolute. Generation Y, already in their youth, received a unique experience that previous generations did not have.

Ability to handle information

Today everyone can publish their work and express their views without any barriers. There is in this feature modern era and minus. The flow of information has become so large that it is already worth a lot of effort to filter it. At the same time, what we know today may become hopelessly outdated tomorrow. Technologies and projects that only yesterday seemed to be the invention of science fiction writers have become reality. This pace of change continues to pick up steam. In a world where nothing is constant, only the quickest response becomes really important. How older man, the more difficult it is for him to accept such principles of existence in the information age. But the people of the new generation understood these rules from the very early age and can navigate without any problems modern world.

Why do young people easily live in such conditions? Because she did not know that it could be otherwise. Constant variability has always been the environment of their existence, and the growing globalization makes it possible to feel like citizens of the world, while in the older generation it causes a feeling of strangeness and in some places even rejection. Those born in the middle of the 20th century struggle to keep up with the accelerating technological boom, while young people take what is happening for granted.

With the help of the Internet, young people can quickly and easily emphasize their individuality. They have a habit of absorbing the ever-growing stream of food for their mind: texts, pictures, sounds - today there is no end to information formats. The number of reasons to learn something new is also growing. This can be study, self-education, news, entertainment, health, life planning, everyday life, searching for spiritual foundations, etc. If their parents had to go to the library and spend several days to find the right book, then these young people can find the source of information they need in a matter of minutes. The limit of knowledge that can be absorbed by one person is growing by itself. It happens naturally... Generation Y people can represent the most unexpected mixture of views, theories and ideas.

The habit of change

In the modern world, authorities and those in power can literally change before our eyes. But even such changes do not frighten Generation Y. They are accustomed to the heroes of one day and considers this state of affairs to be the norm. Even a stormy flow of information does not bother young people. If the older generation is lost in it, then representatives of the Millennium generation are able to grasp the agenda on the fly and feel like experts in all matters.

The researchers note that the new youth grew up in the limelight, with the habit of being confident in children being taught. Perhaps this pattern is the reason for the calmness with which Generation Y looks into the unknown future. It is not crushed by the environment of total control in which X's previous children grew up.

Interests and priorities

According to UN estimates, today the Millennium generation accounts for about a quarter of the world's population (1.8 billion people). Now these people are between 18 and 35 years old. The researchers note that they are not interested in religion - at least a third of the young population considers themselves to be atheism. Another half of the “gamers” are indifferent to politics, do not support any party and do not go to elections. In addition, these young people do not want to associate their lives with one and the same work.

According to sociological surveys, two-thirds of American students want to be millionaires. Because of this and for many other reasons, the next generation is accused of capriciousness and narcissism. The desire to make money among young people is really great. According to the same American statistics, 47% want to retire before the age of sixty at the expense of their own state, and about 30% believe they will become millionaires before forty. All of these Gen Y traits are true not only of the United States. The fruits of capitalism are noticeable in Europe, and in Russia, and in other developed countries - Japan, Korea, Canada, etc.

Education

Young and active members of Generation Y belong to the most racially diverse segment of the world community. There are other fundamental features as well. They noticeably distinguish generation "next" from previous generations - X (with the age of 35-49 years) and baby boomers (with the age of 50-70 years). Education for today's youth is more important than starting a family. So, only a quarter of Americans aged 18-32 have already tied the knot. At the same time, the dynamics is such that the share of married people continues to fall consistently.

The postponement of starting a family is most often associated with the desire to learn to live and provide for oneself. Regardless of the reasons, we can confidently state that the entry into adult life it is much more difficult for today's youth than for their older relatives. At the same time, the generation of "Yigrek" faced a serious problem in finding a job. 25% of French youth live without work, in Italy this figure is 40%, in Greece and Spain - almost 50%, in Russia - 23%. Many people make money unofficially.

Attitude to work

What does Millennial Generation mean for employers? A lot of research has been devoted to this issue. Modern youth for the most part wants everything at once, they do not want to put up with uninteresting, routine work and do not want to tear them away from their own creative self-realization. All characteristics of Generation Y indicate that it is idealistic and even childishly infantile. This means that young people are not happy with the fact that today you need to endure hardship in order for everything to be good in an unknown future.

"Gamers" care little about the formal component of their work (rank and position). They are much more interested in physical and mental comfort. According to their ideal, work should be pleasant and evoke a sense of their own growth and development. The lack of personal movement is of great concern to those in the Millennial generation. The need for physical comfort translates into the need to spend money, travel and live with dignity. "Igrekov" can be called idealists of the past era with the needs of the generous XXI century.

Getting to a new place of work, new young people are not looking for a way to adapt to it, they, on the contrary, adapt the work “for themselves”. Increasingly, young employees refuse to believe that the corporation will help them out in difficult situation and therefore are not ready to make big sacrifices for the next vacancy. Modern career young man is a collection of many small transactions with different employers, where all parties get what they want from each other. Such professional relationships are based solely on the principle of mutual benefit. Generation Y is more likely to disagree with management decisions than the more inert previous generation X. Young people tend to ignore the usual hierarchy of power in corporations. At the same time, she has much more respect for decent and comfortable working conditions.

Positive generation

With all the spoiledness and individualism of the "Y" generation, its representatives can easily rebuild when they find themselves in completely new, unfamiliar conditions. The researchers note that today's youth have a lot in common with the youth of the early 20th century, when Europe was experiencing its “ magnificent century"And a man-made revolution, while she did not know the horrors of world wars.

At the same time, the “gamers” have a noticeable gap with their parents and grandparents. This abyss is especially noticeable in our country. The millennium generation in Russia does not know and does not remember the turbulence of the 1980s and 1990s, when Soviet Union, and then the Russian Federation found itself in a difficult political, economic and social situation. Hence the cynicism of the elders, which came with experience, and the belief in the bright future of the young.

Egoists or Individualists?

In Russia, the egocentrism that distinguishes modern youth is often condemned. The millennium is a generation that has become a mirror response to the previous generation that grew up in the Soviet Union and was highly dependent on what the surrounding society thought about it. Some sociologists propose to consider “gamers” not selfish, but rather self-oriented. Several previous generations lived within the framework of the official ideology, when it was extremely difficult to realize your own project, condemned by society. People who fought off the "general line" became marginalized. Today, when such rigid frameworks no longer exist, young people have more scope for self-realization.

The new capitalist economy, together with the culture of consumption, naturally fosters a craving for everything that is individual. As a result, representatives of generation Y are much more likely to think about themselves and listen to themselves. They believe that collective interests should not infringe on their own individual interests. Such egocentrism is not destructive - it simply denies universal equality.

Youth and money

Due to the widespread desire for education, generation Y is burdened with much more debt than their parents at the same age. Therefore, today's youth face serious economic challenges. Research shows that about 85% of Millennials have already learned how to save money every month. At the same time, only a third have a concrete long-term plan for managing their funds. Today's youth only save up, while their parents and grandparents were eager to invest. 75% of American students believe they are unable to make financial decisions on their own.

In the rich countries of the first world, a pattern is developing to reduce their spending on financing social support programs for young people and their education (instead, the infusion of funds into pension programs is increasing). Therefore, people of generation Y increasingly need to rely on themselves and on their abilities or family support. Thus, in the United States, senior citizens receive from the state 2.5 times more money than young people. These patterns are explained by the democratic structure of developed countries. It is the old people who choose politicians, and the state course is guided primarily by the needs of their voters.

The future of "gamers"

Already today, sociologists are trying to understand what the world will be like when key location it will be occupied by the finally grown generation "next". Globalization and Facilitation of Communication different parts lights should lead to a more tolerant attitude different cultures to each other. The same goes for race, nationality, sexual orientation, floor. They have much less prejudice than their parents. They are much more mobile and productive. First of all, this jerk is associated with technical revolution who radically changed her character human life in just the last twenty years. The number of innovations during this period is equal to the progress that people have gone through over decades and centuries. The generation "Y", accustomed to changes, will accept future changes much less painfully than their predecessors from the "X" generation did.

Youth mobility faces many challenges. Some of them create political authorities. The openness of the world is hindered by registration - about 60% of states put obstacles in front of their population. The conflict between "fathers and children" is expressed not only in this. At the same time, the whole history of mankind shows that in the confrontation of generations, sooner or later, the youth wins, who come to replace the old.

Whom is it customary to classify as a generation of "Yigrels", and what are these people interesting from the point of view of psychology and sociology?

It is customary to refer to generation Y people who were born between 1981 and 2003. On the territory of the CIS, however, there is another starting point, which falls on 1983-1984 (the beginning of perestroika).

According to William Strauss and Neil Hove, authors of the Theory of Generations, the values ​​of each generation are formed up to 12-14 years old, and therefore the youngest representatives of the "gamers" are still in search of themselves. However, the foundations have already been laid - and, most likely, their psychological picture will not differ too much from the portrait of those who are 5-10 years older.

Key Features of Generation Y. What's on Their Mind?

Dealing with millennials can be challenging for parents, educators, and older bosses. To understand through what prism they see the world is not an easy task, especially given the fact that in our time the cult of individuality is stronger than ever, everyone strives to be a person and stand out against the background of the “gray mass”. However, psychologists still managed to identify the main features that all people of generation Y have to one degree or another.

1. Ambition

In this regard, the "millennials" have no equal, but their priority is not at all what mattered to their parents and grandfathers. Unlike older people, “gamers” do not seek to build a career in the traditional sense of the word, and the constant race for solid positions and higher salaries does not matter to them.

"The main thing is to follow the call of your heart"- they say and really sacrifice career prospects for the opportunity to do something that really brings pleasure.

2. The cult of individuality

We have already touched on it above, but without a doubt, this topic is worth a closer look. The new Generation Y has completely different demands on work and life. And first of all, this is due to the fact that their growing up fell on a period when there was no longer any compulsory distribution after universities, no rigid "binding" to the place of work and study.

Freedom of choice in everything - from subculture to the opportunity to discover own business and develop it - has left its mark.

For "millennials" the priority is no longer material stability and confidence in the future, but the opportunity to show their talents and maximize their potential, to do something that others will envy and admire.

3. Infantilism

Perhaps this is - the real scourge of all "gamers". Both those who are now 18-20 years old and those who are in their 40s stubbornly refuse to say goodbye to childhood. They are in no hurry to leave their parents, get married, have children.

Many different reasons come into play here: partly I do not want to repeat the mistakes of parents who started early independent life and were forced to spend most of it in an unloved job, earning mere pennies and not being able to simply ... be free. In addition, in the current economic situation, it is practically impossible to save up for the same apartment, earning by honest labor, and nobody is eager to get into mortgage "slavery".

4. Inner emptiness and loneliness

Despite the fact that pleasure is at the center of the gamers' lives, only a few of them are truly happy. And the overwhelming majority live with a feeling of deep inner dissatisfaction, regret about missed opportunities and the feeling that there is not a single person in the whole world who could 100% understand and accept them as they are. The eternal race for more expensive things and pleasures is not pleasing, but only plunges a person deeper into depression - hence the frenzied popularity of psychological consultants and trainings.

Motivation of generation Y. How can an employer work with such people?

The most difficult thing is to communicate with the "gamers" after all for those who hold managerial positions in different companies. Many are generally frightened off by the coveted "nine" in the year of birth in the resume: but it is impossible not to read it, because according to the law, the employer has no right to refuse a candidate for a position because of age.

Nevertheless, knowing the peculiarities of the thinking of generation Y, it is easy to find an approach to them. In work, regardless of the field of activity, they value:

· Equal and fair competition, the opportunity to become the best;

· Partnerships with colleagues and bosses - instead of a rigid hierarchy;

• wise leadership, not leadership;

· Exchange of information, not its protection;

· Making any decisions based on collective discussion or independent analysis, and not just instructions from above.

The best motivation for “millennials” is the opportunity to realize their potential, discover talents, do something truly interesting and unusual, work in a friendly team and have fun to the fullest. And if you give them that opportunity, you will get the most dedicated and selfless employees you can imagine!

Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z - these phrases often appear at HR conferences and in special articles. Who are these gentlemen? Why do you need to know them by sight? How can you attract them to your company? According to labor market experts, the theory of generations is not a fashionable hobby, but an expansion of opportunities for attracting and managing personnel.

Tell me when you were born ...

Describe the features and differences different generations in 1991, two American researchers decided: William Strauss and Neil Hove. The theory they created was based on the fact that the value orientations of different generations differ significantly. Strauss and Hove studied these differences, as well as the reasons that gave rise to them (political and social environment, level technical development, significant events of their time). This scientific achievement soon found a sphere of practical application: it turned out that the theory of generations is very useful to use in business structures, and now modern HR people are guided by it. “The deep values ​​of generations are an important guideline for specialists in the field of personnel management,” says Mikhail Semkin, advisor general director, holding "Empire of Personnel". This thought is continued by Sofya Pavlova, business development manager of the recruiting company Beagle: “Indeed, professionals of different generations have their own characteristics. Working for a recruiting company can reveal many differences between generations. " But what are these differences?

Baby boomers. According to Mikhail Semkin, the main values ​​of the baby boomer generation (born in 1943-1963) are interest in personal growth, collectivism, team spirit. Personal growth such employees understand it as a growing ability to achieve results together, as a team. Now almost all baby boomers have reached retirement age. Despite this, many of them are still in operation. A feature of most Russian baby boomers is enviable health and endurance.

X. “Generation X (from 1963 to 1983) is characterized by: readiness for change, the ability to choose, global awareness, informal views, self-reliance,” says Mikhail Semkin. This generation of employees can be called “the generation of loners” dedicated to hard work and individual success.

Sofia Pavlova also speaks about these features of the Xs: “These are people who are accustomed to building their careers gradually, throughout their lives and moving in one direction. There are many examples when "X" work for 30-40 years at the same plant, enterprise or government institution, where they accumulate experience for years, starting their professional way from the lowest steps. As a rule - right after the institute's bench, where they received specialized education. "

Y. Generation Y (from 1983 to 2003) has its own understanding of success and determination. “The“ gamers ”are often not ready to start their way from the bottom and slowly grow upward, waiting for years for promotion and increase in remuneration,” says Sofya Pavlova. It is the "focus on immediate reward" that Mikhail Semkin considers the main disadvantage of the "gamers" employees.

However, young workers have an excuse. "Y" accounts for an incredible flow of information and a very unstable external professional environment, "Y" cannot afford to be a specialist in a very narrow field and work in it all his life, "says Sofya Pavlova. According to Mikhail Semkin, generation Y is the main hope and support modern companies". Why? “This generation is characterized by an unprecedented level of technical literacy, an increase in the volume of work performed at home, a desire for new knowledge,” the expert continues.

According to Mikhail Semkin, these people will become the main labor force on the labor market in ten years. However, the attractiveness of "gamers" for modern employers is explained not only by their high technical literacy. According to the observations of Sofia Pavlova, it is not so often now that you can meet a person of this generation who works by profession - more often they prefer to work in those areas where high earnings are possible here and now, and it does not require years of painstaking work. " Nowadays, when companies need a lot of service workers and middle managers, Generation Y can feel quite confident in the labor market.

Z. Generation Z is still too small to say anything about their professional features... “It is difficult to say yet what values ​​Generation Y will pass on to their followers, since time is accelerating and technologies are changing at great speed,” agrees Mikhail Semkin. Nevertheless, in one of our previous articles, interesting considerations were made in this regard.

Hunting season

Why do HR specialists need all this? But if you ask the question a little differently: "Why does a human resources specialist need this?", Everything will fall into place. “Initially, the term Human Resources means that a person is in the first place,” emphasizes Sofia Pavlova. The focus of business is shifting to the side human potential... It is he, and not tangible assets, that becomes the main wealth of the company.

In addition, the personnel market is entering a period of active struggle for each applicant. To win it, you need to offer Better conditions talented employees from every generation. All generations cannot be measured by the same yardstick - they have too different ideas about the "dream job". “The theory of generations is very important for understanding the driving factors and motivation of workers,” says Mikhail Semkin.

What "X" is good, then "igruku" ...

What is “best conditions” as understood by employees of different ages?

Baby boomers. This generation, as Mikhail Semkin notes, is the most stable in terms of its demands and is strongly focused on sustainability. If you create stable conditions for baby boomers, you can "charge" them to achieve a result even with the help of not material motivation.

X. “The main motivation for” X ”is to be integral part corporate culture, confidence in the future and clear organizational structure", - says Sophia Pavlova. According to Mikhail Semkin, one of the working motivators for representatives of this generation is the opportunity to learn throughout their lives. As for material motivation, according to Sofya Pavlova, X prefer fixed salaries. Too much variable part of the salary makes them nervous.

Y. "Gamers" are sometimes also called "network generation". Unsurprisingly, they are most easily recruited through The world wide web, especially through social networks. “The main motivation for” Y ”is financial reward, lack of bureaucracy, technological effectiveness (for example, equipping offices with high-tech equipment),” says Sofya Pavlova. Mikhail Semkin fully agrees with this: "If the company does not introduce new technologies, there is no activity to optimize and automate business processes, this can scare off promising generation Y employees."

In addition, “gamers” are attracted to companies that have few restrictions and prohibitions. Generation Y values ​​a relaxed atmosphere and free style communication, does not like to adhere to the dress code and walk along the line. Another powerful motivation technique for the generation that grew up on computer games- "disguise" of the work routine with the aesthetics of the game.

Should not be neglected

You can, of course, dismiss the theory of generations as just another invention of theorists. But companies that dismiss most trends as quirks slow down their development (as do those who accept them thoughtlessly and without careful elaboration). “A special approach to representatives of different generations is, of course, necessary,” says Sofya Pavlova. - As they say, "there is a merchant for each product", and where you need "X", "Y" will not replace it. Ideally, when there is a symbiosis: “X” take patronage over “Y”, while listening to the younger generation and adopting a new one from them ”.

What could be the consequences of neglecting generational differences? " Negative consequences can always be, most often this is due to the fact that the company gets “not its” candidate, - continues the expert. “In the race for a quick result, consultants can 'adjust' a person to a position, which entails quick disappointment for both the newly minted employee and the company, and the consultant himself, who will need to select a replacement."

“Taking into account the differences between generations, the psychological profile of the candidate and deep knowledge of the client company, the consultant will spend more time searching,” continues Sofya Pavlova. “But as a result, in addition to financial reward, he will also receive results in the form of people grateful to him.”

Also, the theory of generations helps not only to select personnel for the company, but also advise the employees and job seekers themselves. This is how Sofya Pavlova sees it: “The market dictates its own, and at the present time it is easier for“ Y ”to find the job of their dreams, since they are much more adaptable, while“ X ”may need more time. Here, the main task of the recruiter is to indicate to the candidate his importance and individuality, so that in case of refusal, the person understands that the matter may not be in him, but in a combination of factors and current market conditions. Indeed, thanks to the professionalism of the recruiter, the candidate can turn his attention to other areas, where, perhaps, he has not seen himself before. "

In addition, according to the expert, if the conditions are dictated by the candidate, then it is useful for the recruiter to understand the characteristics of generations and the factors of motivation of each, so that it is easier to “sell” them the company and the vacancy.

In addition, the application of generational theory helps to build corporate culture companies. The latter is most effective when it relies on the values ​​of employees of the generation, whose representatives are in the majority in the company. In this case, of course, you should not ignore the interests of other employees.

Andrey Pavlyuchenko - expert at Rabota.ru

Millennials (Gen Y) are those born after 1981 to 2000. The Generation Y was formed at a time when the Internet became the mainstream of the mass media.

Unlike previous generations, it is important for gamers to get emotional and professional experience v different areas therefore, taking a seat in a leather chair and becoming a "big director" is not their ultimate goal. Therefore, they tend to quit work that does not bring emotional satisfaction or simply do not like it. No, this cannot be called impermanence, it is rather a thirst to take the maximum out of life. And in this millennials are losing out to other generations, significantly reducing their value in the labor market. It is objectively not profitable for any employer to take an unstable employee into the company.

In addition, it is among the representatives of generation Y that those who are "looking for themselves" are most often found - people who have neither ambitions, nor jobs, nor prospects. Such a search for one's calling can drag on for many years.

What does a millennial do when they search?

Studies. Undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, second higher education, study abroad. 33 degrees, but no real experience. Anything, just not to work.

Why are they in no hurry to make a choice?

It's simple - millennials are afraid to grow up. International Society The Behavioral Development Study (IJBD) conducted research that showed that today's students are more afraid of growing up than other generations. They live longer with their parents, do not want to have families and children.

Rumor has it that millennials are indifferent to sex. This..

Not certainly in that way. They are indifferent to promiscuous intercourse, and this is very good. Sex has become more accessible. It surrounds us from all sides, and in order to see someone without pants, you can just correctly form a query in Google. Previous generations were not in such an abundance of sex around, moreover, they sought to start a family earlier than the gameki. For a millennial, everything that is connected with emotions and imitation of stability is important, so they choose a partner wisely and do not exchange for sex for one night. Even millennials' use of Tinder doesn't count for main goal sexual satisfaction. They tend to find an interesting conversation partner rather than a beautiful body.

What are the players striving for?

They know the value of their skills and the time spent. Their schedule is scheduled, and the goals have been visualized on the mood board for a long time. Millennials travel often, take a lot of pictures for social networks and know exactly what they want from this life. At least today they are sure of it.

Generation Y is one of the most controversial generations. Among millennials, there are extremely ambitious and independent representatives, but at the same time, they can be completely helpless and apathetic. Zet comes to the game, who is rightfully called the “golden employee” for any company. Yes, they can already work.

Generation Z: what digital people know, can and use their skills

Generation Z is a term applied to the generation of people born around 1995-2000. These people literally grew up side by side with technology and from childhood did not let go of tetris, phones, tablets and computers.

The Zetas process information much faster and live in a so-called multitasking world. Of course, this multitasking is limited to the operations they do with their gadgets. Write a message with your left hand, google how potatoes are being cooked with your right hand and send your resume to a dream company like Google using a voice command. They are really good at computer technology since childhood.

A six-year-old child will now complete a complex operational task using a gadget one and a half times faster than previous generations. Their priority is speed, so zets should be valued as employees.

At the same time, there are fears.

What's the problem with Gen Z?

They are too practical. See no reason to receive higher education, preferring to take half-year PR courses, for example, and not be distracted by disciplines developing general knowledge.

Zetas do not know how to focus on projects for a long time. This is annoying. In order for them not to abandon unfinished work, their schedule must be loaded with parallel tasks that are able to "switch" their attention.

If you do not reply to this letter for a long time, he ..

Have already found new job... It is not typical for this generation to wait “in the wings”, they know that the time has come.

And what about love?

The Zetas are rooted in traditional family values. It is important for them to build not only a good career, but also strong family... The digital generation often builds partnerships with their parents, and sees the meaning of their family as good and loving each other cell of society.

Their plans are short-term, their dreams do not border on fantasy, and their actions are quite specific.

Generation Z cons

These people are always trying to pass off wishful thinking: on the Internet, they can be funny, cute, successful and creative. In fact, they just mastered the technology well. This is about the majority.

Photo cover Sammie Vasquez

The word "millennial" comes from in English and its etymological meaning is defined as "millennium" (1000 years).

So who are these millennials? Millennials refer to a whole generation of people born in the time period from 1980 to 2000, following the Baby Boomers (the generation of the birth explosion in the post-war years).

Some psychologists divide millennials in America and Russia. In their opinion, millennials appeared in Russia from 1984 to 2000, the difference is not significant, but it has its weight, since the new socio-political conditions that contributed to the formation of a new generation were born in America earlier than in Russia.

A feature of this generation is the extensive influence of digital technologies on all spheres of human life. This generation is also called Generation Y ("Yagrek") or Generation YAYA (author's note: in Russian trans.). The degree of narcissism, a sense of self-importance here simply exceeds all limits.

I appeal to structures and foundations,
Enterprises and factories
To people and steamers,
For individuals, for all generations:
Don't rip me off, bitches, Millennium! ..
Vladimir Vishnevsky

Millennial qualities

Thanks to the development of digital technologies and their accessibility, millennials who see around them and use different technique, already in the first years of their life possess a sufficient level of use.

Generation Y people are more active in using various gadgets (Internet, tablets, smartphones, laptops, etc.). With the help of these devices, young people are constantly online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, that is, constantly.

Also, millennials very often do "" and then share personal experiences, emotions on their social media profiles.

Features of millennials

Psychologists conducted a study of representatives of generation Y, in which they revealed special qualities among millennials:

• narcissism() - can be expressed in frequent updates of news about his personal life on social networks, posting selfies on Instagram, imitating comic book and movie characters (for example, the hero " Star wars"- the dark lord of the Sith Darth Millennial) and other ways of self-expression of the individual;
• lack of live communication with others(again, frequent virtual communication replaces the real);
• addiction to likes on social media profiles(the desire to excel, to seem better than everyone, more beautiful than everyone, more significant than everyone);
• difficulty in self-determination(the Peter Pan generation), namely the reluctance of the young man of the Y generation to grow up.

  The generation of Peter Pan includes those millennials who still live with their parents. Whether it is due to economic (unemployment), personal (the convenience of such a life), social (fear of speaking in public, lack of education), or other reasons.

  The reluctance of young people to fully immerse themselves in adulthood and make serious decisions on their own. Such people are more likely to turn to their parents for advice and follow it.

• easy to learn, which means a frequent change of activity, and in the future, a frequent change of place of work.

Millennial problems

But, like any other social group, the millennial generation has its own characteristic problems. We read about them further.

The downsides of millennials

These include:

1. Obsession with fame.
2. Exaggeration of your own importance.
3. Lack of interest in political life(does not criticize the authorities, but also does not support, treats political issues indifferently, relying on the knowledge and decisions of others).
4. Strong addiction to gadgets.
5. Disinterest in live communication.
6. Perhaps the feeling of phantom vibrations (for example, millennials think that they have received a new message on their mobile phone).
7. Inability to be creative (create something new).

Positive aspects of millennials

Of course, there are many negative points, but do not forget about positive features generation Y:

1. Tolerant attitude towards races, nationalities, religion and other things. For them, there is a world without borders. They take into account the uniqueness and exclusivity of each person.
2. Self-esteem of such people is at a good level. They are confident in their excellence.
3. Setting global goals.
4. Entrepreneurial ability and willingness to take action.
5. Combining personal and professional life into a single whole, that is, the desire to find your vocation and devote your whole future life to this.
6. Negative parenting experiences influence millennial behavior (divorce, unloved work), which is why many young people do not see the point in getting married and creating. Which negatively affects demographics.

Millennials at work

The generation of millennials, despite striving for fame, do not strive for the highest office when choosing a job. For them, the main thing is not formal suit, but convenience: in clothes, work schedule and the work function itself, with lesser degree responsibility.

Basic Millennial Work Requirements

• self-determination of the work schedule;
• the material component is in second place, the main thing is the pleasure of work;
• positions and titles do not matter;
• the opportunity to be heard among colleagues.

Millennials are breaking the mold

The new generation rejects patterns invented by other people. Millennials stand for productivity and speed in solving problems, but they perform only the assigned tasks, like a well-oiled mechanism.

The millennial generation does not associate work with getting positive emotions from the process. Consequence, "daily routine" - an expression that is familiar to every millennial, for them it is torture to sit at work for 8-14 hours, and then go home completely emotionally devastated.

Millennials don't want to wait, they need to act, they have entrepreneurial skills and a willingness to cooperate. Their thoughts on work: "Work that is not right for you will kill you every day and negatively affect both your health and your relationships with others."

That is why the desire of the millennial generation to find themselves is understandable. workplace to your liking.

The importance of millennials in the modern world

A special role for the YLP generation is assigned to the economy.

Statistics based on a survey of people showed that most of purchasing power for this moment allotted age group from 18 to 29 years old and most often purchases are made through online stores.

Therefore, the primary task of such resources is to be interested in their customers and their desires.

As the saying goes, "Demand creates supply." This is the main motto of the economy and if a company wants to develop successfully and make a profit, then it should listen to the opinion of millennials.

It is much easier for the generation of millennials to make purchases if they do not have to go anywhere and choose in stores for a long time, it is much more convenient to do it at home with a cup of tea.

What do millennials buy online the most?

1. Furniture;
2. Shoes;
3. Jewelry;
4. Wardrobe items;
5. Household products.

This should be paid special attention to, since generation Y is potential buyers whom any company intends to attract to the consumption of its goods and services.

Video: Mark Zuckerberg on the role and importance of the millennial generation in the development of society.

Conclusion

Summing up, we can say that, in general, the millennial generation is adapted to the conditions of modern life in its own way. And he knows how to easily cope with large quantity information coming into the brain from TV, radio, and the Internet, which is very difficult for older people to do.

But in other way, " eternal child»Will not be able to constantly rely on the help of his parents and continue to be Peter Pan in the land of his fantasies. And the sooner a millennial realizes it's time to grow up, the better for him and his parents alike.

Each individual from the new generation of YAYA wants to reach the heights, to prove to everyone, and first of all to himself, that he is worthy of something.

It should always be remembered that historically most people have been assigned the role of ordinary farmers.
This role is hardly capable of realizing the individual in full.
Jeffrey Arnett, professor of psychology, Clark University

Only a few have achieved success, at will happy chance... Most Millennials Will Get Crushed the existing system, daily chores and mindless hierarchy.