By Sarah Newton*

I recently saw this post and it really got me thinking about how we can manage Gen Y better by taking lessons from video games.

And while, in my experience, I am not sure that Gen Y in the UK keeps score (as stated in the article), so to speak, I do think that bosses can certainly learn how to manage youth by pulling information from the gaming world. As for understanding youth by understanding gaming, well certainly that would apply to boys in the UK but for girls you need to understand social gaming, which is so different.

For me, what they gain from gaming is not necessarily to keep score but to get a reward to keep going. In this modern day world it is a well known fact that young workers will not just go along for the ride as they use to, most want feedback and rewards to keep them going and they want to feel excited. As far as I can see, it goes far deeper than merely keeping score; it is about feeling the buzz of being alive.

So, if you manage lots of young employees, here is what I believe you can learn from their use of video games.

1. Instant feedback – a game gives instant feedback; you do something wrong, you die! You do something right, you move up a level, go further into the game, etc. Young employees want instant feedback, not a Sit down, how are you doing? once a month thing, but after the moment it happens. Ensure your on the ground managers know what to look for and how to correct and praise in an instant.

2. In a game the players know the objective, they know what they are supposed to achieve and when they reach that they get set another very clear task or goal. Make sure objectives you set youths are clear, concise, short-term, achievable goals and if you can link little perks to them, so much the better.

3. I know we all have this image that game play is very individual and people compete against each other or themselves, but that is simply not true anymore. Games are social and achieving something as a team or getting rewarded for helping another out are commonplace. How can you encourage collaboration rather than competition in your workplace and how can you reward helpful behavior?

4. Most games have rewards for achievement so, for example, in the popular Farmville when you gain more points and move up a level more options are open to you, such as things you can buy and how big your farm can be. How can you emulate something like these levels, which open up more privileges?

5. Above all see how you can install some fun into the day. It doesn’t have to mean that the work environment or day has to be interrupted, but the best way to get the most out of young employees is to keep it light, fun and exciting. Innocent in the UK do a great job of this and are seen as an aspirational company to work for. Their canteen has astro turf and their employees are encouraged to blog and share funny pictures. While this might not be appropriate for your company, I am sure that there is some way you could put some youthful energy into your everyday that will make everyone feel happier.

Tell me what you think the profile of generation Y is. Born starting in the year 1984, we are technology lovers, video game obsessed, passionate about science fiction, nerds with pride, and simply ecstatic about every form of virtual communication out there. Now, what if I told you that besides for a certain level of appreciation for technology, I don’t have any of these characteristics, which are supposedly so typical of generation Y?

Around me, I see a lot of people forcing themselves to fit into a certain role, simply because they want to fit the box they are supposed to be in. The predetermined place, standard, profile, or generation. Taste is personal and the year in which you were born has nothing to do with it. Being part of Gen Y, I would never trade my classic horror films about serial killers for any Matrix movie!

What characterizes my generation is our behavior and not our tastes. Listening to rock from the 70’s and the 80’s I notice that I don’t have the faintest idea of what bands my generation is currently listening to. Still I have the rush of urgency that is said to typical of Gen Y. And although I think video games are a total waste of time, I hardly recognize myself after participating furiously in any sort of work-related challenge.

I don’t have the main fault my generation is often accused of. This probably stems from not being constantly rewarded in my childhood, especially if I didn’t deserve it. Thank God! I feel lucky to have participated in a competitive sport ever since I was eight years old. This made me see that you don’t always get a medal, and that medals have different values. To win the gold you have to be the best. And yet, this consciousness didn’t make me less daring than any of my classmates or coworkers.

I’ll always trade online chats for a real face-to-face chat with laughs versus those cartoon smiley faces. Still, I call my friends from my smart phone to plan our face-to-face gathering, and while I get ready I make a play list for my I pod, which I listen to on the way there.

I stay far away from campus parties and anime festivals. I’ve never read a Harry Potter book or seen a Harry Potter film. I think the weirdest thing is seeing people play cosplay. Still, I challenge all hierarchies, because I don’t believe in them. If you want my respect, you have to earn it, and no name or position gets you a free pass.

Of course, it’s important to know what Generation Y listens to, watches, and wears. But I need to find the mediums that motivate us in the corporate world, especially because we will soon be taking over the businesses created by our parents and grandparents. Perhaps because Gen Y is just starting to enter the workplace, I only realized the bomb was exploding when I started working and faced the inevitable culture shock. If businesses aren’t ready for us now, imagine what they were like six years ago…

*Julianna is a journalist, who majored in Journalism. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in Corporate Social responsibility. She is working on developing corporate sustainability and green business. To learn more, check out her blog: www.sustentabilidadecorporativa.com