( CNN ) -- Last year , 27-year-old Grant Gadoci declared that he needed a year off of work . `` I love traveling , '' said Gadoci , who works for the software company HotSchedules . `` So here , if you need to take time off , you send an e-mail notification , and they say , 'have a good time ! ' `` Gadoci took his boss up on an offer for a leave of absence and moved to Italy . He 's now back in the office , working in sales , after his year off . `` They recognized that work-life balance , for many people , is just the definition of being a happy worker , '' Gadoci said . Unlimited paid vacation -- as long as you still get your work done -- is one of the many perks Gadoci enjoys at Austin , Texas-based HotSchedules . The company also provides its young staff members with a massage chair , a pingpong table , a tricked-out gaming suite including `` Rock Band , '' and a monthly cookout served by the boss . Gen-Y'ers : Delaying adulthood . HotSchedules CEO Ray Pawlikowski , who founded the company in 1999 , says that catering to Gen-Y workers is smart business . Thirty-nine of his 65 employees are under the age of 32 . `` If you create an environment like we have here , which is a fun place to come work , and you engage them and you really capture their attention , they 're fantastic employees , '' Pawlikowski said . Who is this new breed of worker , and why do companies like HotSchedules pamper them ? Generation Y , or millennials , make up roughly 50 million 18- to 30-year-olds . According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study on social trends , this generation is on course to become the most educated in history and , in a decade or so , will account for nearly half the employees in the world . Dr. John Butler , a University of Texas professor , has conducted extensive research on innovation and millennials . He says one defining characteristic of millennials is their short attention spans . `` I think that Gen-Y does not expect necessarily to be tied to a job , '' Butler said . That 's a gutsy decision for a generation with 13 percent unemployment . `` The big one I hear about , and I 'm guilty too , is a sense of entitlement , '' said Gen-Y consultant Jason Dorsey , who rakes in up to $ 25,000 per speech teaching Fortune 500 companies how to work with his generation . `` It 's showing up and just feeling like people owe you things , '' the 33-year-old says . Dorsey adds that some millennials also have a hard time dealing with negative feedback . He says it stems from the way many were raised . `` The reality is , we 've had parents who have told us how great we are since we were kids , you know . We listen to Baby Einstein to get smarter . We go to school and suffer from grade inflation , and if we did n't get an A , we went and negotiated . We 've built up our self-esteem , and the result is , we ca n't deal with adversity , '' Dorsey said . Millennials : Marriage ideal but parenthood the priority . Why would anyone even want to hire millennials ? Are they worth the trouble ? `` We want to make a difference from day one , which is totally huge . We show up , and that 's why we think we should be vice president , '' joked Dorsey . `` Gen-Y brings a lot of valuable skill sets in terms of thinking outside the box . We do n't know what status quo means , but we know that if something does n't work , we 're going to speak up about it . '' Dorsey has words of wisdom for companies like HotSchedules that employ a multitude of Gen-Yers : `` When millennials show up at the office , you have to provide specific examples of what you expect . And the reason is , we often lack real world experience . So we may have degrees and big expectations , but we do n't necessarily know what 'business casual ' means . `` You have to give feedback to millennials at least once a month . Other generations were taught if your boss is talking to you , you 're doing something wrong . Millennials were taught the exact opposite : If your boss is n't talking to you , you 're doing something wrong . '' HotSchedules boss Pawlikowski swears by his staff . `` I think the biggest thing is that they bring a new level of dedication that we have n't seen in the past . '' And his Gen-Y employees , including Gadoci , may have a better perspective on life than generations before them . `` I want to make sure I 'm doing things that make me happy , '' Gadoci said . `` So if it means maybe starting a little bit later down a long career path , then I 'm absolutely going to take that opportunity to enjoy life . '' Perhaps Dorsey sums up the Gen-Y work attitude best : `` The truth is , millennials just want something they can put on Facebook ! '' CNN 's Poppy Harlow contributed to this report .
HotSchedules gives workers unlimited paid vacation -- if they get work done . Generation Y , or millennials , account for roughly 50 million 18- to 30-year-olds . Gen-Y could be the most educated in history and make for half the world 's employees .