I read with interest Linley Boniface’s comments in an article she wrote titled Gen Y, I have news for you on Monday. Read it on Stuff here.
With the prospect of a recession likely, Linley is preparing for the downturn by cracking down on the family budget and updating her CV – in preparation for any loss of job – an anxiety that’s the result of years of facing ”many slowdowns, economic downturns, contractions of the market and recessions.”
Yet she was surprised when talking with those under-25’s, that the same worry was not there.
“I’ve been interested to note my younger friends seem blissfully unflustered about the possible impact that a tanking economy might have on jobs. As far as the under-25s are concerned, the notion of recession is about as relevant to them as cassette tapes, snail mail and phones with cords.”
Yes Linley, it is difficult to imagine recession as we have not had to face a major one in our lifetimes, let alone our working careers. Should we worry though? Yes, according to Linley:
“…it’s amazing that so many Generation Y workers have insufficient imagination to foresee a time when their services will no longer be fought over and cherished… Here, then, younger readers, is a message from my generation to yours: shit happens. And it usually happens at work.”
How many times have I heard other generations lament the attitudes of Gen Y in workplace? It seems to be an issue that crops up very regularly and almost always in relation to career development and job security.
Quite frankly, I think they’re all a little worried about the fact that we’re not worried.
As young workers, we don’t have the experiences of the past to hold back our ability to be positive in the face of possible adversity. Many of us also don’t have the mortgages, families and health problems that our older co-workers may suffer. In short, we’ve got little to worry about losing.
Naivety? Perhaps – but instead of worrying what might happen during a recession, we take a ‘wait and see’ approach. I think the youthful naivety of our generation actually helps us in times like these.
But what if we lose our jobs tomorrow? Well, as Linley says, “shit happens” and we’ll be just as confident to pick up our CV and find another job as a result.
So a message from my generation to yours Linley: recession need not mean depression. And this definitely applies to work.
