Gen Y'ers are disloyal.

Myth. They're loyal but not blindly loyal as were their Baby Boomer parents when their parents were in the twenties. Gen Y'ers are loyal but expect to be fairly compensated for the work they put in. If employers aren't willing to be loyal to their Gen Y employees, then that lack of loyalty will be returned.

Gen Y'ers don't want to pay their dues.

Myth. Gen Y'ers will absolutely do grunt work but they need to know what the payoff is and not just in the vague terms that placated their Baby Boomer parents when they were in their twenties. Although the Baby Boomer managers of Gen Y'ers may be resentful of the changing reality in the workforce, the fact is that the reality has changed and Gen Y'ers understand the new paradigms. Unlike the reality facing Baby Boomers when they were in their twenties, today's twenty-somethings understand that today's employers no longer are inclined to award status, prestige, authority, flexibility and rewards on the basis of seniority. Instead, rewards are meted out on the basis of short-term measurable goals.

Gen Y'ers need constant praise.

Myth. There is a significant difference between "need" and "want." Does this generation need constant praise? No. Do they want it? Yes. They are more high maintenance than previous generations because their Baby Boomer parents have raised them to want constant praise and many of them have been protected from experiencing any real failures. In a world when every child is above average, it is no wonder than some struggle when they enter the workforce and discover that they will sometimes fail and be told that they have failed. Yet some managers fail to understand that the overwhelming majority of all employees, including Gen Y'ers simply want to be treated courteously and honestly. If they succeed, praise and reward them. If they fail, critique their work and point them in the right direction.