Generational Stereotypes

Brittany Ballenstedt, with whom I've co-written stories about generational differences, points out that younger workers may have adapted to the new economy, and changed some of the expectations older workers assume they hold:

But are younger workers still perceived to hold these expectations in the workplace, especially given the down economy that has left many of them desperate for a job? I'm sure a digital divide still exists and will continue to exist among generations in the workplace, especially as new technological advances create mini gaps within the generations. Are younger workers still perceived to have high expectations of work at your federal agency? What issues continue to divide the generations?

I've always thought that many stereotypes of younger workers have some inherent contradictions: for example, young folks are supposed to be malleable, adaptable, and seeking change, and yet not observant enough to adapt to new expectations or proper workplace protocol if that's the challenge set in front of us? And with the worst economy in decades confronting both young workers who have seen their chances of advancement quashed, and recent grads who are struggling to find work at all, it's not as if folks have just blithely missed or ignored that the game has changed. Young people see this happening, and most of them aren't going to play around with the chances they've got.