MBAs 3.0 —
GEN Y WOMEN, NOW YOUNG MOMS, PUTTING CAREER FIRST
News from Nadine
We’ve been getting a lot of Gen Y women in our offices lately — born around 1980, graduated from college in the late 90s and finished graduate school in the first years of the 21st century, they are now married and starting families. They are disarming in their self-assuredness and their absolute conviction about needing flexible work arrangements. But unlike the Gen X moms before them, they are not interested in managing every aspects of their kids’ live. In fact, most tell us they have not even considered not working. Here’s what they are telling us:
- The current economic situation had made it imperative that they accumulate as much wealth as possible for their futures, having experienced a major economic meltdown very early in their careers;
- They fear that taking even one year off will cause their skills to erode, because technology changes the workplace almost daily;
- They are a decidedly driven group and are focused on keeping their edge, worried that the workplace will not want them if they step off the career track for any length of time.
They tend to be very driven young women. We are interviewing more and more women, now in their early 30s, some fully employed, others who took a brief time off to have a child, tell us they want to get right back to work ASAP. They ‘project manage’ their lives, making time for family but always keeping career on the front burner. Not working is not even an option.
These women have much to offer companies. They are super efficient and focused, and can pack 10 hours of work into a five-hour day. We are having no problem finding places for them, even now, on a contract basis, or in permanent part-time positions. They make the case for flexibility, which creates focus, commitment, motivation, all good for the bottom line.
If you’re a Gen Y mom tell us what your experience has been in getting (or not) getting flexible work arrangements. Even if you’re not a Gen Yer, we’d like to hear from you.
