Part 1: Millennials are… Millennials are.. what does it mean for you professionally?

“I don’t expect anyone in my team to do anything I wouldn’t do myself” - Richard

Over the last couple of weeks, I have come across several articles and videos discussing what millennials are or have become in today's workplace environment. So out of curiosity, I decided to dive more into the topic.

First I tried to think broadly about defining who "Millennials" are. Nowadays, this is a term that is being used to generally refers to the generation of people born between the early 1980s and 1990s, and some others born in the early 2000s. As it stands, this generation is viewed to be unique in many ways. For one, they’re (or we are - because am also a millennial 😉) the first generation to grow up in the digital age and also one of the first who like to post pictures of all our experiences online - mostly on #Instagram.

On a deeper level, they (we again) are described as - entitled, lazy, not focused, unorganized, narcissistic and prone to jump from job to jobs - to summarize some of the popular narratives. To be quite fair to the critics, this is just one side of the coin. There are also a few positive descriptions and opinions that perceive millennials as confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and receptive to new ideas and ways of living. They say (we) are more open-minded, digitally oriented (compared to the previous generations), and more likely to support equal rights for minorities. 

As I began to think more about the practical implications of these stereotypes and reputation for many millennials in today´s workplace, I decided to speak with Richard (not real name), an HR manager in a large corporate organization. Here is what Richard had to say on the subject. As usual, enjoy!

Question: What is your perception of Millennials in the workforce, and what has been your experience with this group?

Richard: My perception of millennials is no different from my opinion of any other generation. Every person is different, and age is just a number. As a very simple example and to comment on your above point, you could have a baby boomer who is more progressive digitally than a millennial. In HR you quickly realize, age is not important – what is more important in today’s extremely fast-paced environment is someone who is agile, adaptable and has a growth mindset.

 What would be your advice to Millennials on how to achieve workplace success?

 Richard: A manager once said to me, “I don’t expect anyone in my team to do anything I wouldn’t do myself” – so my advice for millennials is to be aware of what their manager is doing and seek to support them in achieving their goals. Time is on your side, so use this period to gain as much experience and knowledge as possible. Life is a learning experience – not one person has all the answers, so embrace each day from this perspective and try to learn something new at every opportunity. You can do this through daily self-reflection – i.e. ask yourself at the end of every day, “is there anything I could have done better today” or “could I have approached X or Y in a better way”? – this is where true development comes from; that is, having a strong sense of self-awareness!

Are you a millennial or have an opinion on millennials in the workplace? Glad to learn about your thoughts...

Recommended Book: Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change

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