Will Uncle Sam Appeal to Gen Y?

Stephen Barr, Federal Diary columnist for the Washington Post, has written an article on whether federal jobs are appealing to Generation Y. As a federal employee, and one who is in Gen Y, I definitely can say that my agency is not going to appeal to most educated, talented, driven twenty-somethings. I don't want to speak for other agencies, as I can only hope they are more cutting edge than mine is. But, there are a number of things in most workplaces, especially the government, that probably will not appeal to younger workers. The lack of updated technology, too many old people with the "pay your dues" mentality, lack of real meritocracy, little opportunity for growth and training, a lack of activities that allow younger workers to feel a sense of belonging, etc. I could really go on and on. In my particular agency, there are no real systems in place to allow people to use their talents and skills and actually be rewarded based on meritocracy and ability. If a lot of younger workers are like me, and are not respecters of titles, positions, time in service, and age, and are expecting to be able to showcase what they bring to the table and to have work that motivates them, they may end up being sorely disappointed.

read more | digg story