WORKFORCE DIVERSITY
The Risk of Ignoring Millennials By Terri Klass and Judy Lindenberger
O
ne of the biggest challenges for busi- nesses today is integrating the Millen-
nials or Gen Y twenty-somethings into a Baby Boomer culture. They are the new- est generation to enter the labor market, arriving with their distinct ideas about what they expect from their jobs. They are our future leaders and our next generation of revenue-generators. So who are the Millennials and how do we manage their expectations while maintaining high per- forming organizations? The Millennial Generation was born between 1977 and 1998. They are 75 mil- lion strong in size and were raised by “he- licopter parents”, who doted on them, giv- ing them an ample supply of attention and validation. Because they were heralded with high expectations, Millennials tend to display an abundance of self-confidence and believe they are highly valuable to any organization from day one. They are extremely focused on developing them- selves and thrive on learning new job skills, always setting new challenges to achieve. They are also the “can do” gen- eration, never worrying about failure, for they see themselves as running the world and work environments. Unlike other generations, the Millenni-
als are overly connected to their parents. As they move through their twenties, they still speak to their parents frequently and turn to their parents for personal and ca- reer advice. Some are still even living at home, not uncomfortable with the ar- rangement. Organizations must remember the parent involvement factor when deal- ing with this group. These parents are still micro-managing their children’s careers and personal lives. When it comes to work life balance,
Gen Y is not willing to give up their life- style for a career. They have traveled ex- tensively and value having flexibility in their daily lives. They choose careers that allow them to live the life they desire, busy with after-work activities, including philanthropic involvement. Multitasking is their way of life. This generation grew
24 PROFESSIONALWOMAN’S MULTICULTURAL MAGAZINE
cally savvy is their greatest skill contribu- tion. They are constantly connected as they listen to their iPods or send text mes- sages, all while working on a critical proj- ect. Social media is at the heart of their world. This allows them to connect with co-workers and friends around the world at great speed. The electronic capabilities of Gen Y are extraordinary. On a recent twitter chat, several Millennials partici- pated at lightning rod speed, sharing their thoughts: One even commented: “Social Media has expanded my network tremen- dously. More people to talk and learn from.”
Another characteristic of the Millenni-
up with little unstructured time as their parents carefully selected their life choic- es. The result of their minimal “down time” is that they are highly comfortable going from activity to activity in their adult world. When their workday ends, Millennials charge out into gyms, volun- teer positions, classes and social events. Millennials are team-oriented, banding
together to socialize in groups. In school, this generation was taught lessons using a cooperative learning style. Therefore, they feel comfortable working on teams and want to make friends with the people at work. They believe that a team can ac- complish more and create a better end re- sult. They also grew up in a multi-cultural world which enables them to work well on a team with diverse co-workers. They communicate in snippets through instant messaging, texting, Facebook and e-mail. Quick and efficient communication is the way Millennials choose to interact, not necessarily face-to-face. They are typi- cally unaware of their non-verbal cues. As a result, this generation tends to have more miscommunications between friends, co- workers and bosses. They forget that words only account for a small part of the communication. Additionally, spending time on the phone is not their number one choice. Of all of the talents that Millennials bring to the workplace, being technologi-
CELEBRATING 11 YEARS OF DIVERSITY
als is their need for constant feedback and in particular, praise. They were reassured daily of their achievements and were rec- ognized with stars and trophies for those successes. Whether or not the trophy was deserved for each individual, the entire team received the positive reward. It is a generation that needs to continue feeling valuable, while adding their opinions and ideas to every company decision. They want to be heard. In giving critical feed- back, managers will need to first compli- ment Millennials before they will listen to any criticism. They also have little pa- tience for ambiguity, so directions during feedback sessions must be clear and spe- cific. Organizations will be more success- ful in delivering performance milestones on a more frequent basis than once a year. Once a week might do the trick. The feed- back sessions must be interactive, so that the Millennial is presented the opportuni- ty to share their feelings and ideas. Brain- storming together could be a very effec- tive technique. So how do you integrate and manage
the youngest generation within the work- place? Here are some key tips and in- sights.
Work environment
Provide flexible work schedules and a relaxed workplace.
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