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Tough Times Force Gen Y to Buckle Down

Young talent may have to stay put, but Managers need to keep them engaged

By Victoria Floethe,  Newser User

Posted Jan 5, 2009 8:05 PM CST

(Newser) – They're just out of school, but Millennials—the Gen Y techies who expect jobs-a-plenty and accommodating bosses—are hitting career walls in a plunging economy, the Economist reports. These Internet-savvy job-hoppers are cringing as managers get tough and autonomy withers. “The recession is creating lower turnover, but also higher frustration among young people stuck in jobs,” said one consultant.

Milliennials may need to work harder, it's true, but managers must keep them engaged to avoid an exodus in better times. One way is to tap their smarts to succeed in down times: Best Buy, facing a multi-million-dollar bid to design an employee portal, hired its young workers to build one for a mere quarter mil. “We’ll weather the storm and be stronger because of the Net Generation,” said a Best Buy rep.

Conference attendees at the 2006 Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference work on their laptops before a poster featuring the new Apple Mac Pro desktop at the August 7, 2006 in San Francisco.
Conference attendees at the 2006 Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference work on their laptops before a poster featuring the new Apple Mac Pro desktop at the August 7, 2006 in San Francisco.   (Getty Images)
Apple employee Brian Snoody (L) tries to sell Asma Hasan the new Apple 17' Powerbook G4 at Macworld January 7, 2003 in San Francisco.
Apple employee Brian Snoody (L) tries to sell Asma Hasan the new Apple 17' Powerbook G4 at Macworld January 7, 2003 in San Francisco.   (Getty Images)
Tammy Fritz of Colorado Springs, Colo., works on her laptop computer at Denver International Airport in Denver on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008.
Tammy Fritz of Colorado Springs, Colo., works on her laptop computer at Denver International Airport in Denver on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
A delegate from Costa Rica works in his laptop during a session at the Palace of the Conventions in Havana, Wednesday, April 9, 2008.
A delegate from Costa Rica works in his laptop during a session at the Palace of the Conventions in Havana, Wednesday, April 9, 2008.   (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
A Dutch articipant at the Chaos Communication Camp 2007 works on his laptop near Berlin August 10, 2007 at Finowfurt, Germany.
A Dutch articipant at the Chaos Communication Camp 2007 works on his laptop near Berlin August 10, 2007 at Finowfurt, Germany.   (Getty Images)
Manuel Menal, works on his laptop outside his tent at the Chaos Communication Camp 2007 on the grounds of a former Soviet airbase near Berlin August 10, 2007 at Finowfurt, Germany.
Manuel Menal, works on his laptop outside his tent at the Chaos Communication Camp 2007 on the grounds of a former Soviet airbase near Berlin August 10, 2007 at Finowfurt, Germany.   (Getty Images)
Macworld attendees look at the new iMac with Intel Core Duo processor on display at the 2006 Macworld January 10, 2006 in San Francisco, California.
Macworld attendees look at the new iMac with Intel Core Duo processor on display at the 2006 Macworld January 10, 2006 in San Francisco, California.   (Getty Images)
Customers at the Canvas Cafe take advantage of free wireless 'wi-fi' internet access April 9, 2004 in San Francisco.
Customers at the Canvas Cafe take advantage of free wireless 'wi-fi' internet access April 9, 2004 in San Francisco.   (Getty Images)
A man talks with his mobile phone as he walk past the banners promoting the TD-SCDMA third-generation mobile services on display outside a China Mobile company in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008.
A man talks with his mobile phone as he walk past the banners promoting the "TD-SCDMA" third-generation mobile services on display outside a China Mobile company in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008.   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A visitor to Yokohama-based company 3D Incorporated booth glues to a Rockwell Collins' head at the Industrial Virtual Reality Exhibition in Tokyo Wednesday, June 27, 2007.
A visitor to Yokohama-based company 3D Incorporated booth glues to a Rockwell Collins' head at the Industrial Virtual Reality Exhibition in Tokyo Wednesday, June 27, 2007.   (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
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The tone had changed from ‘What can you do for me?’ to ‘Here’s what I can do for you’.
- Jesicca Buchsbaum, head of recruitment for a law firm in Florida on interviewing young job-seekers

We’ll weather the storm and be stronger because of the Net Generation. - Michele Azar, Best Buy’s head of internet strategy

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