Generation “us”
This year, let’s celebrate where we’re alike as well as where we’re different.
by: Aaron Pugh
Puzzled by Gen Y? I think I finally understand the sentiment. See there’s this new crowd on deck — Generation Z — that’s about to enter the world and the workforce in some very meaningful ways over the next few years.
According to some, this generation will build on many of the strengths my generation often claims to posses, but will also be absent many of our naivetés and shortcomings. After all, these individuals have lived almost all of their lives in a period of recession, war, and other struggles, compared to Gen Y’s relatively prosperous upbringing in the 80’s and 90’s. Personally, I believe that hard times typically build the hardiest people, which bodes well for Gen Z’s ultimate potential.
As Gen Y begins having kids of their own, there’s also the lingering question mark of the impending Generation Alpha, a group whose story has only just started to be written. Those VHS movies I loved watching while growing up? Well, they might as well be phonographs or cave drawings to these kids. Even DVDs will be an entirely foreign concept for a generation raised on streaming media and other modern technology advances.
In the business world, such demographic shakeups are both exciting and confusing, necessitating frequent analysis and interpretation in order to stay ahead of market demands.
In support of those efforts, I’ve selected several of my favorite CreditUnions.com articles on attracting, serving, and even employing Gen Y individuals.
8. 3 Ways To Put Millennials Behind The Wheel
This group will soon exceed Gen X in auto-buying activity. But for credit unions, getting a piece of that action will require using alternative indicators of character outside of credit score, as well as offering additional benefits such as rate discounts and built-in educational resources.
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