Y-generation employees are characterized, among other things, by explicitly demanding that the workplace adjust itself to them, and stating outright that the workplace is not the most important thing in their lives. These employees pose a significant management challenge to their older supervisors, requiring them to deviate from conventional practices in supervisor-employee relations they have grown accustomed to in the past. Emda CEO Nurit Berman explains: “While X-generation managers (born in the 1960s and 70s) know that their existence depends on the organization, Y-generation employees (born in the 80s and 90s) feel the organization is just as dependent on them. They know everything, they are information wizards, and they also have a tremendous need to obtain information about everything that’s going on in the organization. As far as they’re concerned – everything is questionable”. Berman goes on to explain that supervisors find this hard to accept, because they experience this attitude as disrespectful, but does not necessarily agree with them: “If you give your employees what they need, you are bound to reap the benefits”, she states. “They are good employees, inquisitive and highly committed to their job”.
