Experience – a company that provides career services came out with report about 5 key Gen Y related trends in the workplace.

1. Compensation: Gen Y wants more than $alary. They want training, recognition and advice on how to manage their career
2. Communication: Gen Y does not want everyone to be serious. They appreciate humor and a light hearted approach…. and most of all, though, they want honesty. Spin should go in the trash bin.
3. Training — and lots of it…
4. Lifestyle benefits, such as sabbaticals, and social gatherings outside the office.
5. Dispersed office — or otherwise referred to as the Virtual office. Gen Y likes to work at home and sometimes even at Starbucks.

Gen Y is definitely making an impact.

Interesting observation about what is going on among the Democratics. When Hillary lost in Iowa, she had some late Baby Boomer standing behind her when she made conciliatory speech. Even Madam Madeleine Albright was there in the background. In New Hampshire, things were different. If you watched her victory speech, she had a bunch of Gen Yers behind her. Why? Cause she knows that Gen Y represents change. And as we are quickly learning, Gen Y wants change and is willing to go to the mat and challenge the current political system. It is not quite the social revolution we almost had in the 60s, but there is definitely something happening. Young folks want change and are forcing politicians to be more authentic and real. Or as Hillary said in her victory speech, the people of New Hampshire helped her ‘find her voice.’ That is really what Gen Ys and what Gen Y preaches. Be authentic. Be real.

This past Friday night, my husband, Mike came home and asked me if I wanted to go to the Sunrise Theatre in Southern Pines to see Lars and the Real Girl.

I had not heard of it, but after reading the write-up, I decided it sounded a bit quirky (and I am all into quirky), so we went. 

I left the theatre feeling like I had just watched the best movie of my life (well, maybe second to The Big Chill).

At any rate, the main character, Lars (played by cutie-pie Ryan Gosling) is a very serious introvert who has had a rough time emotionally, goes to the internet, orders a sex doll (who is gorgeous) and falls in love with her.  I am not going to tell you about the entire movie, because you’ve got to see this.  I laughed and laughed, fell in love with Lars (and his doll), and at the end, I was sobbing. 

The thing that I most learned was about acceptance (and Gen Y is all about acceptance, as should we all be).  My daughter,  Ann, age 19, saw the movie with us, and as we left the theatre,  she said “You know Mom…Lars was so different, yet he was accepted by his community in spite of his oddities”.  And this is really what I felt was also my main lesson from this movie.  It’s really incredible…go see it soon!  You will love it!