EVERYBODY is pretty hard on young people.
People think they are a selfie-taking, social media-posting generation that wouldn’t know hard work if it hit them in the face.
But maybe Generation Y deserves that reputation because they just got even lazier.
A Gen Y-er is used to living the easy life.
Many have even refused to move out of home because their mothers shop, cook and clean, freeing up time for them to do what they really want to do.
But what about those who have no choice but to move out of home?
Turns out they too can have somebody who can do all their menial tasks.
Gen Y-ers are the future and developers say they make up a huge portion of people who are purchasing apartments and new housing developments are taking the steps to cater to this generation that is often referred to as lazy.
Lifestyle managers, similar to concierges who work at New York City apartments on the Upper East Side, are now being hired at inner city apartments in Melbourne to take on all the boring tasks Generation Ys just can’t be bothered to do.
Lifestyle managers will look after young people’s dry cleaning, sign for deliveries, and even pack their groceries into a cool room — giving them way more time to socialise.
Lifestyle managers can even micromanage parts of a Gen Y-er’s life, booking personal training sessions and even organising monthly drink catch-ups.
Oliver Hume Property Funds has created an apartment building called Nord in North Melbourne, one of the first to hire a lifestyle manager.
It’s an enticing place for young people to live, there’s a rooftop, a community vibe and even electric bikes tenants can borrow to ride to the markets on the weekend.
Oliver Hume development director Jason Wood said they were creating an environment for young people to thrive.
“We are looking at ways to try and make things easier and more efficient for people,†he said.
“Today’s generation are about doing things now and having it done so they can move onto the next thing, they don’t want to be stuck doing chores, they want to be out there socialising and spending time with friends.
“We are looking at ways we can alleviate the burdens in their lives and make them more efficient and I think our lifestyle manager concept will resonate with them quite well.â€
Mr Wood said creating community vibes in apartments and creating roles for lifestyle managers was paramount and it was something London and the US have been doing for quite some time.
Oliver Hume Executive Chairman Michael Duster told Apartment Developments young people were creative people who sometimes worked 17-hour days because their minds were always going, and they’re connected to work through their phones.
“For them, apartment living is all about the location and the convenient services on offer,†he said.
In the next three years, about 43 per cent of home buyers will be young people and Mr Duster said young professionals dominated the housing market in North Melbourne.
“Providing these conveniences and benefits has been a key priority for Nord, as we want our residents to be free to enjoy their lives without excessive errands,†he said.
Roy Morgan research says there are 4.9 million Gen Y-ers in Australia and social analysts stereotype them as being self-confident, self-absorbed, self-important, lazy, easily bored, spoiled and constantly in need of positive affirmation.
Young people get a pretty bad rap, but even they admit their faults.
A group of them even got together and created an apology video admitting to being lazy and immature.
“We’re the worst, if only we could be more like our parents,†one said.