Stop Trying to Make the Flat Hierarchy Work: Why What Gen-Y Wants is Established Seniority.
I left my first job after a year and a half.
The decision was in my best interest: another more promising opportunity had presented itself. But the reaction from my family wasn’t as positive as I’d hoped. My mother expressed disappointment— she felt I owed the company, and that I had made a commitment to them. Discussing the move with her felt much like discussing a marriage— nothing was really wrong with my original position, so I shouldn’t have jumped ship.
Many stereotypes and theories have been put forth about Gen-Y ever since it evolved from being the nameless followers of X and emerged as the luxury-loving, spoiled-yet-driven Millennials. One of the few things the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal seem to agree on is that our generation is complex. The “how” varies, though. Our unadoring public decries us as slow-moving, inconsistent, and high-achieving all at once.
Unsurprisingly, people in the 20-34 age group see the employer-employee relationship differently. In the language of labor economics, there’s been an increase in symbiosis between employer and employee. And the unemployment rate seems to have affected this relationship as well; with an unemployment rate of 13.5% of those 20-24 and an even more frightening rate of 21.5% for those 16-19, jobs are scarce and underemployment is rampant. The Recession seems to be having the dizzying effect, also, of increasing the probability of workers shifting between companies and roles, as well as increasing the likelihood that where we perform poorly, we’ll be let go.
Generation Y wants to be employed. We value our paycheck, and we appreciate the opportunities employers provide us. But at the same time, we feel we bring something valuable and different to the table, and we want that to be recognized. With the reputation of being what the New York Post has lovingly termed “the Worst Generation” due to our inflated scores on tests related to sense of self (and its evil twin, narcissism),we come across as demanding and and disappointed to learn that we can’t have it all up front. Preceding generations see our perspective as entitled and demanding, and all too often, self-absorbed.
I would counter those who would malign the work ethic of our generation thusly: Generation Y is growing up in a time that requires a certain type of mania in order to excel as a new entrant to the work force. My mother’s parents inculcated her with stories of a time when qualified people didn’t have jobs— if one among them was lucky enough to find a place of employment, it created a lifelong bond of loyalty. (This was my father’s attitude right up until he was laid off from General Motors.) But Generation Y has responded differently—instead of allowing the fear of unemployment pervade our decisions, we (especially women, many of whom have entered high education as a response to the volatile job market) are remaining vigilant for opportunities that meet our expectations of our abilities. And considering that the percentage of college-educated laborers during the Great Depression era was about 30% compared to today’s 70%, and that those seeking more technical skills have also become a greater portion of the work force, the move on the part of many women to continue higher education to attain a master’s degree or PhD, women are becoming a more selective force in the labor market and thereby are more likely to proactively lateral between companies. The Great Depression was a crisis of unskilled labor, and the Great Recession is one of skilled labor.
With these different approaches to commitment on the job, it’s important to have a hierarchy in place. In my experience, offices that claim not to have a hierarchy actually mean that they don’t have a hierarchy of title. This can lead to an atmosphere that feels not unlike doing a group project as a grad student. No one is formally in charge, there’s no mechanism to establish priorities, and the person who does try to create some kind of structure comes off as presumptuous. Not to mention that one kid who doesn’t do anything, yet somehow ends up speaking every two seconds in the final presentation (You’ve been there. I know you have).
My job interview process led me to an unenthralling conclusion: firms proud of their “loose organizational style” also tended to be led by Gen-Xers. Based on my experience, I’m seeing the previous generation’s trademark desire to rebel against the system played out in the corporate landscape. Kind of the business equivalent of coming home from college with your nose pierced. Several of the bigger players are promoted as “democratic”—companies like Groupon, Hulu and Dreamhost—and it’s often thought of as a selling point to potential employees.
As companies increasingly try to woo Gen-Y employees, the question has to arise: is a lack of hierarchy really a selling point? Not for me. True, many of us reject the Baby Boomer’s “The Man” construct and all of its “because I said so”s. But as a generation, I think it’s also true that having a good reason for what you do, being able to see its impact with transparency, and knowing your work product is created uniquely and efficiently is important.
I like to know who my boss is, and I like to know who is responsible for me. I like titles and clear descriptions that come with them because it shows me where I’ve come from and where I need to go—it sets goals. Millennials aren’t always willing to accept that someone is better at something simply because they’ve been doing it longer, but we don’t discount the value of experience.
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Lauren Karasek is a public relations and digital media consultant based in San Francisco, California. A graduate of UC: Berkeley, she has provided media relations, crisis communication and social media counsel for companies in the technology, healthcare, energy and consumer industries. Visit her on the web at laurenkarasek.com
