The concern with ethics is not limited to the fundamentals of authority. In recent times
there has been a growing support of themes such as corporate social responsibility
(CSR), the importance of personal realization in work, and work-life balance. Beyond a
certain opportunistic advantage, it seems there is a genuine concern with such issues.
The claim for greater balance between professional demands and family life results, to
a large extent, from the increase in female participation in the work force. It is based
on the quest for greater balance between the roles of men and women, both in the
work place and in the family, and on the improvement in the quality of family life.
On the other hand, those values correspond closely to the ideas of the "Y Generation".
The attitudes of this generation (see e.g. Pew Research Centre, 2007) reveal a
somewhat paradoxical reality. On the one hand it is a rather narcissistic generation,
raised in a strongly paternalistic and protective environment that made it believe it is
truly special. Since it grew up during the boom years of the 1980s and 1990s, it
benefited from far better consumer standards and education than their parents'
generation did. It is also contemporary with the advent of competition based on the
quality of service and the affirmation of client rights. It is used to demanding and has
an acute brand sensibility - to the extent of excelling in personal branding.
On the other hand, many of these young adults witnessed their parents losing their
jobs amidst the turbulence of the restructurings that took place in those decades.
Furthermore, their entrance into active life coincided with the successive crises that
shook up the early times of the 21st century and with the uncertainties related to the
advent of a new world order marked by the symbolism of the September 11 attacks.
Mainly in Europe, weak economic growth and unemployment are making difficult their
access to sufficiently gratifying work and is delaying their moving out of their parents'
homes.
The combination of these events lead them to rethink their life priorities and to place
free time for personal life, the intrinsic nature of work, personal satisfaction, and
professional growth at the top of their list. They desire to become part of organizations
whose values are aligned with their own personal values and believe those
organizations must be socially minded.
In the realm of politics and traditions - for instance, regarding issues like
homosexuality, non-conventional families, immigration and intercultural relations - they
exhibit a more cosmopolitan and tolerant attitude than any previous generation.
At work they are impatient and posses a high degree of self confidence, are strongly
inclined towards innovation and technologies, and enjoy team work and interaction
through informal networks. They display intense reluctance towards activities whose
added value they cannot unveil. They do not understand or accept restrictions in access
to information and contacts outside the organization.