I read an article awhile back in CFO mag about Generation Y, or more specifically how large firms were preparing for this ‘special’ crop of soon-to-be new grads.
I’m not sure ‘panic’ is the appropriate word but let’s just say these kids had partners freaking out; technologically-inclined, lazy, and pre-programmed with a sense of entitlement normally reserved for royalty and Nobel prize winners, you knew something was up with these kids if management was stressing their arrival. The Big 4 went so far as to hold trainings for partners on how to tame this hyped generation as they prepared to descend on the corporate world.
More, after the Jump
Now that the first wave of Gen Yers have successfully penetrated the corporate fortress, we figured it might be a good time to check in and see how that’s working out.
‘Screw our SEC deadlines’ may not be an exact quote but that was the typical Millennial attitude impressed upon us by one of our sources, a 40-something CPA lucky enough to be stashed away in private accounting out on the East Coast. He also called working with Gen Y ‘horrid’ but private accounting can be horrid in and of itself so we won’t credit that fully to the Under 30 crowd.
Gen Y is driven by… Well we haven’t figured out if they are driven at all. All reports are that they think ‘work ethic’ means avoiding checking their Facebook pages on company time, expect the corner office as soon as the ink dries on their offer letter, and have absolutely no grasp on the concept of performance-driven bonuses.
What’s worse, say sources, is they don’t seem fazed in the least by economic turmoil. Though employers using performance above seniority as a lay off gauge naturally look to their poor performers as first in line to get sliced, the Millennials are so dosed on the illusion of their own greatness that they seem absolutely stunned when the pink slips come.
So why would the Big 4 continue the tradition of recruiting new hires from college campuses, blocking out the 35 year olds who understand that just getting up in the morning is not cause for a gold star?
You’ll have to talk to the hiring managers if you want an answer to that. Perhaps it’s that we’ve got them all wrong and the generalization itself is what’s driving the conflict.
In the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing how Gen Y breaks out of the stereotype to impress the pants off of us and inherit the empire. With all that ambition and talent, we’re sincerely hoping they learn to apply that to the Big 4 to shake things up for the better. Hopefully they can also bury the billable hour once and for all while they’re at it. Go, kids, go!
