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Misunderstood Millennials
When asked what they think of millennials, the youngest generation of workers who were born between 1980 and 1995, older demographic groups typically label them as lazy, disrespectful and self-absorbed.
Indeed, the results of the new survey, Millennials at Work: Myths vs. Reality, released by New York-based advertising agency JWT, indicate that 20 percent of today's older generations cite millennials' lack of respect for older people, institutions and even, themselves.
"While previous generations have also been derided for lacking respect and a serious work ethic -- Generation X, after all, was labeled the 'slacker' generation -- millennials face more than just a conventional generational divide," says Ann Mack, the agency's director of trendspotting.
Mack says millennials are facing a potential blowback from other generations in the workforce because of technology.
"They're bringing Web 2.0 technologies with them, so the social networking, the wikis, the twitters, they're applying these tools to the workplace," she says, "and older generations are forced to adopt [them] or else be rendered obsolete."
But the survey also finds that misperceptions abound, that the youngest workers hold some interesting, and sometimes surprising, ideas on their role in the marketplace that don't necessarily match up with conventional wisdom.
The survey, conducted through SONAR, the agency's research arm, polled 1,250 full- and part-time workers between the ages of 21 and 64 to find where the perceptions of millennials diverge from other groups. The groups were divided into millennials, 30-somethings, 40-somethings and a 50-plus group.
According to Mack, one of the surprising findings involves millennials' views on workplace attire.
While the perception is that millennials are too casual about their appearance at work, the survey finds that two-thirds (67 percent) of Gen Yers agree that a formal appearance on the job is important for career success. That's higher than the responses by 30-somethings (65 percent), 40-somethings (54 percent) and the 50-plus group (56 percent).
Formal appearance may be more important to Gen Yers than originally thought "because they're new to the workplace, they're sort of donning a costume in order to act a certain way and be treated a certain way by their superiors," she says.
Another misperception addresses the issue of company loyalty: 66 percent of Gen Yers surveyed agree that an employee owes loyalty to his or her employer. That figure is higher than the 30-something group's response rate of 60 percent.
"That is a large majority and it goes against the thinking that [millennials] job-hop until they find the equivalent to professional nirvana," she says. "This shows that they definitely think they should be loyal to their employer."
Perhaps one of the most surprising revelations is that surveyed Gen Yers have more respect for corporate America than all the other demographics.
"Forty-two percent of [millennials] say they have respect for corporate America because they're new and haven't been jaded," says Mack. "They're trying to figure out the rules of the road when it comes to the workplace, so perhaps they aren't as cynical as their elders."
So how can HR executives make sure millennial workers don't become too jaded and cynical?
"Their voices need to be heard," says Mack, "but at the same time, they need to learn from their elders and superiors ... . HR should learn how to bridge the best of the future with the experience of the elder generations and you can make for a really smart, efficient workplace."
Lisa Orrell, founder of San Jose, Calif.-based The Orrell Group, which consults on generation relations, and author of the book Millennials Incorporated, says companies must engage these youngest workers any way they can.
"If you don¿t have a fun work environment, create one," she says. "If you don¿t have a mentor program to provide handholding and guidance, create one. If you don¿t offer flexibility to work from home, offer it. And if you don¿t have a culture that offers consistent rewards and recognition, create one.
"Millennials are loyal and great employees if companies take the time to make adjustments within their cultures to engage them and understand their needs," she says. Too many in the older generation believe millennials are unmotivated because of the perception that they return home to live with their parents after college. But according to the study, only 15 percent of millennials reported living with their parents.
"When you look at some the post-college surveys, it shows they are moving back home for a short period of time to get their feet steady," says Bea Fields, president of Bea Fields Co. Inc, a Southern Pines, N.C.-based leadership and Gen Y consultancy, and co-author of the book Millennial Leaders.
"Some Gen Yers are waiting much longer to make the traditional decisions that baby boomers made right out of college, like buying a house and starting a family," she says. "They want to do a few things before they settle down."
But, in the end, Fields' advice for HR executives dealing with millennials is rather simple: "Start working and talking with them now, or else you can wait until they are in charge and they will change things anyway."
September 23, 2008 Copyright 2008© LRP Publications |
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