The number five myth about Generation Y is that they somehow need work to be fun. You hear this from a lot of the so-called experts about Generation Y that you should try to turn your workplace into a playground for them or else they won't enjoy being there. I think this is nonsense.

If you want Gen Yers to take you seriously at work, you'd better take them seriously.

Don't get me wrong, they want to work in a comfortable environment. They want to work with people they enjoy, people they respect, people they can learn from, and people they can rely on. They want to do tasks and responsibilities that they find challenging and interesting. They like to have some control over their schedule. They want to learn marketable skills. Whenever they can they want some control over their workspace and location.

But that doesn't mean that you need to turn the workplace into a playground. Gen Yers don't want to be humored. They want to be taken seriously at work. If you take them seriously, they'll take you seriously.