Generation Y and working from home

Why working from home delights Generation Y employees

Have you come across the phrase ‘Generation Y’? It refers to the generation born between 1980 and 1999 who want to live their lives very differently from the way previous generations did it. Ryan Gibson is part of Generation Y and has started working from home. It has inspired him to start a blog to help others balance work and home life:

Hi Ryan, how long have you been working from home, and how did it come about?
Hey Judy. I have been working from home for close to 4 months now. My previous role allowed home working once a week however the current role is pretty much home working full time. A previous manager of mine took a role with a Singapore based business where a few other roles were available. I jokingly asked him if they’d consider remote workers and he said ‘yes’ so I applied for my current role and here I am today 🙂

Tell us a little bit about the day job


I’m an SEO by trade but have branched more into the link acquisition side of search marketing. My day job is to manage and build relationships with key influencers within our sector to improve our search rankings.

What made you start the blog?


This was an entire new experience for me one which scared me slightly. The office is such a comforting place as there’s always someone to turn to when you’re having a tough time.
Working from home and making this lifestyle change was a big deal to me and I wanted to document everything for myself, my family and anybody who was interested in reading.

I also genuinely believe that ‘home working’ should be an option for all and I’d love to continue to spread the word to make this less of a taboo subject to raise with your manager.

What’s the significance of Generation Y to you?


I worked in an extremely corporate environment previously and the term ‘generation y’ was used way too much. ‘We need to retain Generation Y’ was a term I heard far too often. I think the generalisations used about our Generation are just that….generalisations.
I believe that ‘Generation Y’ is more of a movement. A movement towards smarter ways of working, emphasis on family, health and fitness and a move away from the traditional. Generation Y are really simple to understand. Make work/life become one and you will delight those within your organisation.


How would you like the blog to develop?


The blog began as somewhere to document my trials and tribulations of working from home but has become more of a lifestyle blog to me. Most lifestyle blogs concentrate on quitting the cubicle and living a life online. It’s an attractive proposal but these ‘make money online’ schemes are running old and do not work for everyone.


I think the originality around my blog is that I don’t hate my day job, I’m not telling you to quit your job, nor am I giving unrealistic advice. I just want people to lead the best lifestyle they can and the most realistic they can.

What is your ideal lifestyle? Can we assume it involves working from home?


You’re absolutely correct. Although there are some negatives around working from home the changes it’s made (for the better) to my life far outweigh the negatives. Home working does just that…feeds my lifestyle. My ideal lifestyle is one which lets me work the times I want to work, eat well, work safely and still have time for my family and friends. I am also a huge fan of exercise so this has to be part of my lifestyle. 



Read about Ryan’s experiences of working from home and his tips on creating your own ideal lifestyle by combining work and life at Generation Y.