The Internet is chock full of articles about what’s holding back Millennials (or Gen Y) in the workplace. Authors like Inc’s JT O’Donnell insist on using the pronoun “they” to describe us (born in 1981 I’m a stalwart ambassador of this generation). Two things about how this word is being used concern me: first, it implies that the person expertly writing about Millennials isn’t actually a member of the generation; and, second, it grossly lumps all of us together according to the shortcomings we apparently share, which are captured in this video that was, I think, ironically shared by a colleague of mine. I need, therefore, to set the record straight on behalf of the world’s largest, smartest and most important generation in the history of the universe – here are seven reasons that Millennials are your community’s greatest asset.
We want to be great at everything
That’s right, everything. For example, the Deloitte Millennial Survey results suggest that I’m a typical Millennial male aspiring towards executive leadership. And I want to be an awesome dad. And I expect to be a loving partner and great friend, too. Basically, my generation wants to blend work and life so that we can have it all. And I’m willing to work 100 hours per week to do it (I just won’t be in the office for most of those hours). As Stephanie Vozza points out, my career isn’t the greatest measure of my success. Hobbies, jobs, passion projects, and relationships all make up what many Millennials call our “livelihood” and this is perhaps the thing that we most want to be known for.
We are really smart
Granted, this is a pretty arrogant way to advocate for Millennials. Let me explain. According to the New York Timesand Globe and Mail, Millennials represent the most educated generation of human beings in the history of everything. While this doesn’t make us more experienced than senior leaders or twenty-year-veterans, I do think we should be tested more in the workplace; many innovative companies seek insights from younger employees by including us in big decisions. Inc magazine’s Peter Economy argues that this trend will send “ripple effects that will last long into the future.”
We are really, really fast
To be fair, this Forbes article argues that the perception of generational work ethic is in the eye of the beholder – unsurprisingly, Baby Boomers think Millennials are lazy. To be subjective, more than90% of Millennials I know have incredible work ethics. They rock it at work while creating value in their communities and for their friends and families, too. Our generation has an incredible work ethic, which is important because we have to work two part-time jobs and an unpaid internship in order to advance our careers and save for the future (more on that in a few paragraphs).
O’Donnell – and many others – criticizes Millennials for “clock-punching” and bringing their personal life to work through social tools like Facebook and Instagram. In my experience, such behaviours occur because we get through our work faster than anticipated and don’t always feel comfortable asking for more (sometimes this upsets our colleagues). It’s also pretty common for managers to not have enough work and/or for leaders to resist new ideas. Finally, when you solve problems or generate ideas through networks like we do, well, things just get done faster. Millennials are the generation that intuitively thrives in The Networked Age.
We see work differently than our bosses
From my perspective, work and life aren’t to be balanced. They’re to be blended. According to Fast Company’s Lisa Evans, most Millennials think this way, too. I have no problem reading documents, writing emails or updating project plans at 10pm on a Wednesday so that I can edit a blog post or meet a friend for coffee during the outdated workday hours of 9-5pm. Reports from Deloitte and PWC have also found that Millennials believe work should be purposeful and that businesses should make communities better, not just increase shareholder value. We expect our workplace to facilitate flexibility when it comes to work and life. And we expect the outcomes of our jobs to do good in the world. Our values are part of our livelihood and we don’t think that there should be trade-offs between where we work and what we care about. Why other generations would expect anything less of companies should be the thing we write articles about.
Fortune magazine’s Katherine Reynolds Lewis argues that workplaces are already changing now that Millennials make up over one-third of the workforce:
Companies on Great Place to Work’s Millennials list are more likely to offer flexible scheduling (76% vs. 63% for other companies), telecommuting options (82% vs. 74%), paid sabbaticals (15% vs. 11%) and paid volunteer days (46% vs. 39%.) More winning Millennial-friendly companies offer perks like massages (65% vs. 26%) and fitness classes (70% vs. 24%) to their workforce.
We respect experience and wisdom
We dislike hierarchy. A lot. A Pew Research study found that the majority of Millennials respect their elders and acknowledge that older generations have superior work ethic. Having respect for our elders and wanting to share our insights with – and learn from – them is why we want to have direct access to senior leaders. So when we come up against gatekeepers, such as managers, or an outdated, hierarchical process for communicating ideas we feel pretty disengaged. Over 80% of Millennials would prefer to work in an organization with fewer layers of management and even more of us like working in teams. Innovative companies are partnering senior leaders with younger, high-potential employees to run projects, which presents a powerful recipe for overcoming stifling hierarchy.
We grew up with technology
Don Tapscott says that Millennials are a generation “bathed in bits” of technology and that becoming comfortable and/or literate with the next, next gadget comes naturally to us, which is helpful in a world where technology is disrupting workplaces, classrooms and other communities every day. We also expect to get our information instantly. In addition to being fast and preferring to get things done across flat networks we love to collaborate with social tools, too (note: email is not a social tool; it is a necessary evil). Something that frustrates me about the world of work is that very few organizations actually know how to use technology to get the best out of their Gen Y talent. My hunch is that this is why Millennials are drawn to tech and telecom companies, as they’re the ones making the cool tools.
We are pretty pissed at the state of the world
Millennials are the youngest members of what’s called “Generation Squeeze” – this is the name given to people under 45 who are experiencing mediocre job prospects, struggle to afford housing, unequal spending compared to folks over 55, and who will inherit a muchmaligned planet. Understandably, Millennials are not happy that we are less likely than our parents to find good jobs, afford our homes, retire with enough money in the bank, or live on an Earth that is healthy enough to support our kids (many of whom aren’t in affordable daycare, by the way). According to Fast Company’s Adam Smile Poswolsky, we want to “create shared value, make positive social and environmental changes, and increase opportunities for disadvantaged populations.” Companies can’t fake this stuff, either, which means that one of the reasons that thirty-something managers are leaving work at 5pm on the dot is probably because they are feeding their soul with values-aligned work beyond your business.