The sneering narrative that is directed at Millennials is disappointing and wrong. Painting this entire generation as lazy and entitled has seemingly become career choice for some talk radio hosts, comedians, and anyone with an internet connection and desire to pander to the lowest of low hanging fruit. In the workplace, Millennials are painted as being lazy, entitled, and in constant need of handholding.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, they have a different approach to work, but in many cases that approach makes sense. Whether you are a Millennial or just work with them, a little more understanding is due. Let’s talk about the positive changes that Millennials are bringing to the workplace.
They Approach Work with a Sense of Purpose
Even those who are critical of Millennials cannot say that they phone it in. This generation is simply not interested in doing their time at work and then going home at the end of the day. Instead, they want their work to matter. Millennials are interested in developing their skills, pursuing goals, and doing work that is meaningful.
The problem is that employers aren’t providing them with opportunities to do this. Most Millennials want to work with a purpose. They want to know that their actions contribute to a better workplace, and truly help the companies they work for. Unfortunately, this need isn’t being met. This could be because perception doesn’t match reality. While Millennials want to work hard and contribute, members of other generations often believe otherwise. However, when they are given a chance to work to the level of their goals and ambitions, they can contribute great things.
They Speaking Openly About Compensation
For a long time, it was considered improper for people to speak about their salary. In fact, some corporation specifically barred employees from discussing how much they made with one another. The motivation behind this was quite simple. Keep people quiet, and discrepancies in pay that are based on factors like age, race, and gender go unnoticed.
Perhaps driven by frustration that they are paid significantly less than previous generations, Millennials are kicking this concept to the curb. They are research salaries and comparing notes on compensation. Because of this, businesses who don’t pay living wages are being publicly shamed.
How is this a positive in the workplace? By forcing the conversation, members of all generation can begin talking about compensation. In the near future, this could result in more fair compensation for members of all generations.
They Are Disruptors
Millennials don’t feel obligated to do things in a certain way, simply because that’s the way they’ve always been done. They question the status quo. They have no qualms about using technology to make work easier, faster, and more effective.
Unfortunately, these efforts are often met with resistance. One area where innovation and questioning is encouraged, however, is marketing and promotions. This is because the art of reaching out to customers is constantly changing. There is ongoing pressure to engage with customers in ways that are relevant. This is especially true since it’s easier than ever to simply ignore marketing content.
This means when challenged with tasks like email marketing, Millennials are often first to innovate tasks such how to create a newsletter that has impact while not dedicating an exceptional amount of time to the job. Millennials are often first to ask:
- Why are we doing it this way?
- Is there a tool we can use to do it better?
- How can technology help in this situation?
- Who is the best person for this job?
- How can I make this work better?
When Millennials are given two things in the workplace, they can often prove themselves to be quite innovative. The first is effective training in their jobs as well as established policies and procedures, including the reasoning behind them. The second is the autonomy to find better solutions that can improve productivity, safe money, and simply make things work better.
They Seek Flexibility
Millennials often question the logic behind where and how they are required to work. This is why so many seek the freedom of location independent work when they can, and why others are drawn to jobs where they are given flexibility and autonomy. The challenge they face is that while this is an area where Millennials’ advocacy can benefit all workers, it is often a topic where they face significant challenges.
In spite of the fact that research shows that allowing workers to telecommute improves morale and productivity, a commonly expressed attitude is, ‘if I had to come into work for eight hours a day for 20 years, so should they.’ Fortunately, these attitudes are beginning to wane. In recent years, more companies than ever are allowing telecommuting and flex time.
They Work Well in Multicultural Environment
Not only do Millennials embrace diversity, many believe it is key to success. Part of this may be that growing up in a connected world also means growing up in a smaller world. Many members of this generation have regular contact with people from different countries, religions, backgrounds, and belief systems. Because of this, they are more comfortable with diversity in the workplace.
This characteristic makes Millennials a great choice to work on teams working on projects involving outsourcing and global expansion. Their cultural sensitivity also is great preparation for careers in fields such as language translation services.
They Are Loyal and Hardworking When Motivated
Millennials aren’t blindly loyal to employers. They have seen their parents and grandparents show that same loyalty only has little to show for it. They will job hop to gain experience, and they demand quite a bit from their employers. However, when they find an employer that treats them well and shares their values, they are extremely loyal. If they are engaged, they will work hard. They will put in extra hours. They will go the extra mile to keep customers happy, and they will actively promote and support their employer on social media.
They Juggle Multiple Responsibilities Well
While multitasking isn’t the best way to work in any situation, sometimes it is unavoidable. It’s also something that Millennials have been doing by choice for a large portion of their lives. They are used to managing multiple tasks at once, switching priorities, and staying on top of things all the while. Even better, because doing these things is so familiar to them, Millennials can often keep this pace without being overly impacted by stress. However, bosses should be careful. This isn’t an ideal work pace for anyone, and it can become overwhelming.
They Collaborate Well
Millennials are constantly connected. They crave feedback and are eager to give it themselves. This may be exasperating at times. However, it also makes members of this generation great collaborators. They see the value of communicating, sharing ideas, and problem solving as a team. Because they often take a democratic approach to collaboration, this leaves them open to multiple perspectives and potential solutions.
They Are Open Minded
By nature, Millennials tend to be open to new ideas, beliefs, and processes. When they are faced with new information, they are very good at incorporating that information and then changing their outlook and approach based on that new data.
Conclusion
The traits that earn Millennials labels like upstart, entitled, and troublemaker are often the same traits that make them great contributors to the workplace. Millennials start difficult conversations. They have strong values and opinions, and they stick by them, even on the job. They want to work with companies that share their values and will help them reach their career goals. When they get what they want, they are extremely loyal
When they are successful, Millennials can influence workplace changes that benefit everyone. They can cause companies to be pressured to pay fair wages. They question ways of doing things that can result in changes to procedures that benefit everyone.
