Generation Y and work in tourism and hospitality: problem? What problem?

Leveraging Generational Differences to Reduce Knowledge Transfer and Retention Issues in Public Administration

“…In order for government, public, and non-profit service organizations to stay competitive, they must quickly learn how to adapt to this new demographic including how to take advantage of their technical, natural-born talents. This is especially true for companies in the non-profit and civil servant space as younger people have grown up using a different set of repetitive motions, have stronger visual memory capabilities (Hershatter & Epstein, 2010), are tactile learning-based (Cairncross & Buultjens, 2009), and are more experienced at memory retention and recall (Oyen & Bebko, 1996) because of their familiarity with technology. Accommodating these new skillsets means understanding the differences between younger and older employees and what those differences might mean for the tools provided by organizations for all employees to perform their jobs.…”

“…thinking (Eisner, 2005). Other challenges that Gamers may face as they traverse into the work space is their lack of respect for authority and overconfidence (Cairncross & Buultjens, 2009) as well as their strong narcissistic tendencies (Twenge & Campbell, 2003). Despite these negative character depictions, Gamers are often eager to learn and prefer to be matched with challenging work that pushes them (Eisner, 2005).…”

“…In this case, their technology toolkit equates to modern technology allowing Gamers to show their creativity and productivity aiding them in solving problems quickly. Studies performed on the Gamer generation have stressed the importance of placing quick access to data and gadgets into the workplace as Gamers are attracted to modern technology (Cairncross & Buultjens, 2009). Cairncross and Buultjens (2009) go on to say that the innovative companies that implement modern technology into their organization benefit from lower turnover and higher morale from their youngest cohort employees.…”

Does the Effect of Person-Environment Fit on Work Attitudes Vary with Generations? Insights from the Tourism Industry

“…Previous studies have identified positive characteristics of Millennial employees, such as the ability to work on parallel tasks, a high level of technological savvy, and openness to constant change. On the other hand, researchers have concluded that members of Generation Y demonstrate a relatively low level of work centrality, as they place greater emphasis on creating a better work-life balance and consider their job as mainly a way to financially support their lifestyle [Barron, Leask, Fyall, 2014;Cairncross, Buultjens, 2010;Park, Gursoy, 2012]. Consequently, they are less likely to allocate personal resources and energy to work tasks, or to experience satisfaction in the workplace.…”

“…Numerous scholars [e.g. Barron, Leask, Fyall, 2014;Bednarska, Olszewski, 2014;Cairncross, Buultjens, 2010;Kachniewska, Para, 2014;Park, Gursoy, 2012], have commented that the generation now entering the workforce -Generation Y (Millennials) -presents new challenges rooted in noticeably different work-related attitudes and higher expectations of their work environment than prior generations. Higher expectations may lead to a lower person-environment (P-E) fit, which, in turn, may stimulate counterproductive and withdrawal behaviors.…”