[annasuave]

Whether it's the norm for this generation, that generation, or any other easily identifiable segment of the workforce is irrelevant. You are the boss, so you set the expectations.

Why not simply state your expectations and insist they be met? You don't even need to be a jerk or a hardass about it. A short, matter-of-fact statement along the lines of "I've noticed you usally arrive at your desk a few minutes after the start of your shift. I need you to be at your desk and ready to work when your shift starts."

End of story. There's no need to make it into a confontation, or any kind of big deal. Just get it said and move on.

You can expect people to test you on it, to find out if you really mean it. So you might need to repeat a couple of times.

I don't see it as a generational thing at all. If standards aren't set and enforced, people will understand that there are no consequences to failing to meet standards no matter what their age. And if there's no consequences to poor performance, why make the effort?

For our generation, we could expect to get chewed out for it, written up for it, or ultimately dismissed for it. If I was 22 and had a boss who didn't seem to care what time I showed up, I wouldn't bust my hump to get to work 15 mintues early either.