Oct
09
Is “Paying Your Dues” dead?
I’ve noticed many blog posts lately about Millennials/GenY/etc in the workplace and their ’sense of entitlement’ or ‘not wanting to pay their dues’, and it’s a bit confusing to me.
I am not a Gen-Y-er (though being born in 1979, I’m not technically a GenX-er either), but I’m not sure what value is brought by expecting talented people (they are talented, that’s why they got hired, right) to immediate suffer through menial tasks that do not allow them any responsibility, encourage them to contribute, or include them as part of the team. What kind of lesson does that teach? It seems like needless discouragement to me.
I would say that if you have a Gen-Y-er on your team, a better strategy would be to include them in meetings, allow them to offer suggestions (even if you may think they’re dumb questions, it is your job to help them refine their thinking to come to a more workable idea), and generally value their contribution. If you meet all these needs, then you create an atmosphere where they want to get you coffee to show appreciation, rather than it being a chore to be resented.
Also, do this with everyone.
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Twitter: SashaHalima
October 12th, 2009 12:19
Hi Jeremy,
Okay, here’s my two cents:-
I think you hit the nail on the head spot on when you mentioned that by continuing the whole “paying your dues” it’s discouraging rather than encouraging.
Why? Because it’s a vicious cycle of entitlement. Senior staffers, rather than stopping the cycle, feel to do to others what was done to them, to a) prove a point and b) feel entitled…like they are the “big cheese” now.
This is the same thing that Gen-Y’s are being accused of.
Now, let me say, I hate labeling us all, Gen-X, Gen-Y etc., because I feel like it’s so restricting. But for the causes and cases being built around us, maybe the labels are necessary?
@KmSkala said something recently that really illustrates my mindset and how I believe others should be — “Hire based on talent, not age.”
Interestingly enough, I went on a job interview the other day, as I am job hunting currently and a Gen-Y, and the interviewer told me,
“Sasha, you know, you won’t get credit for what you are capable of right now.”
I kind of looked at him strangely because I didn’t quite understand where he was going with this.
He continued, “You’re a talented girl, but your age, and you generation hinder you. When you’re 30, it’ll be different.”
Talk about candid.
So what do I think about that?
Sure, it’s great to know that this is the mindset of some people out there. But I don’t let it get me down. Because if I did, there would be two people hindering me, those people who have that mindset, and myself.
That’s no place for an individual to be.
:) Sasha
Sasha Muradali´s last blog ..{Rules of PR no.25} Got my Social Media hands up, it’s a Party in the USA
October 12th, 2009 13:00
If Wiki has anything to say about it, you would be a Gen-Yer.
October 13th, 2009 16:40
I highly recommend reading “Rise of the Creative Class” for better insight into how people from our generation treat work. I hate menial tasks and I’ve always found ways out of it. Do they teach you anything? I think that it’s the same argument that people use against calculators in math class (and equally as spurious).