Winning Entry - Illias Mohd Iqbal, Special Operations Command

Yes, we’re impulsive. We can get unfocused at times too. Emotional? Very. But we live in an age where information is pushed out and captured in a snap. Companies fight it out with their competitors with speed-of-deliver y as their weapon of choice. Our generation is ‘Built for Speed’. The issue of us being emotional might be a case of misunderstanding. Blame it on our ability to voice out our opinions on so many platforms – they make it seem like we decide with our hearts. But I’m certain when it comes to decision-making; we try to draw the line between being objective and looking out for our needs. We have been crafted to meet the needs of our time. I can assure you that upcoming Gen Z will have their differing attributes. While we’re on this topic, might I add that Gen Y are also quite the creative bunch?

Congratulations Illias for sharing your views with us. We love how you’re proud of being Gen Y, and what better way to show it than to buy yourself some tech toys with $100 of Challenger vouchers!

Gen Y

Yes and No! Gen Y are Internet-savvy multi-taskers who’ve just entered the workforce and want to prove their worth! But we don’t make decisions based on emotions. Gen Y work on the principle that “older people have eaten more rice than the young”. In fact, we respect colleagues and will always seek their opinions. Due to the communication between Gen Y and the ‘aunts and uncles’, there is always office harmony! The sight of BOSSES will make Gen Y scramble back to their seats.

June Zhou, CPF

I spend ¾ of my day on the Internet, checking emails and drafting replies. On my computer screen, there are an average of 10 tabs opened, comprising chat windows, PowerPoint documents and Excel files. My boss sits next to me – it is a great thing as I can easily ask her for her opinion on matters. I prefer this to drafting unnecessary emails. When I get excited about something, I give my best even if my management is not keen. Unfortunately it is the same the other way around. Speaking of which, I’m actually in the middle of re-working a set of PowerPoint slides. Looks like I got distracted again. Oops.

Joanna Hor, MinLaw

Gen X

As a father of two Gen Y kids, I agree they’re more Internet-savvy and capable of multi-tasking. During my time, our education was more rigid and we were discouraged from asking questions in class. Gen Y have access to the Internet and they communicate instantly with email, SMS and new media. From my personal experience, Gen Y are task oriented but sometimes make decisions based on their immediate emotions. They prefer to be consulted and are unafraid of speaking up. No matter which generation we are from, we must all learn to accept each other with our different needs and wants.

Tan Yian Beng, Energy Market Authority

Yes, I totally agree! I thought I was a multi-tasker till I met my ‘match’ in the Gen Y workers who are very Internet-savvy, workaholic and can complete many tasks in a short frame of time. Bosses are like friends to them but sometimes they do ‘cross the line’ thinking that they are very ‘big’, and when they make mistakes, they don’t admit it. I’m still a traditional worker and believe that bosses are Number One! I just hope the number of Gen Y workers remains the same in my department. No more, no less!

Mdm Jennifer Teo, HDB