It’s all about the simple pleasures in life – and for me, I love to explore new cities and learn about cool, innovative topics. Last week at REX 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas, I had the opportunity to do both.

As a Gen Y’er myself, I had to attend the breakout session, “The Gen Y Equation: A Formula for the Future,” led by
Charlie Young, president and CEO of ERA Franchise Systems and panelists Mark Joyner, office manager of Napier Realtors ERA in Richmond, Va. and Gen Y expert Diane Spiegel.

Generational humor aside (yes, we really only check our voicemails to clear the notification), there’s a lot to learn and adjust in your business if you want Gen Y to LOVE working with or for you.

Whether you’re their boss or co-worker, here are four reasons why a Gen Y’er would love working with you:

  1. You Provide Coaching & Feedback – “Gen Y grew up with constant feedback and coaching from their parents and teachers. They expect the same in the workplace and want the levels to reach success laid out for them,” says Diane Spiegel.
  2. Your Company Gets Social – “Gen Y wants approval from their friends, basically validating a decision they’re making,” says Charlie Young, citing the hundreds of friends and followers on social media sites. Make your company visible on these platforms and showcase its innovation and community involvement.
  3. There’s Work/Life Balance – “Unlike Baby Boomers who see life fitting into work, Gen Y’ers see work as only one part of their life,” says Mark Joyner.
  4. You Focus on People – “Gen Y is all about relationships and they expect to have connections with others” says Diane Spiegel. This is a fabulous quality that transfers well to business and clients – prune it with some coaching and you’ll have a self-made networker on your hands!

With a birth year range bridging from 1981 to 1999, there’s still a whole second Gen Y group to join the workforce. And if you have successful, happy Gen Y employees, recruiting and retaining the remaining half will be that much easier.