Millennials are Unmanageable, High Maintenance, and Have a False Sense of Entitlement
Interesting (and seemingly bitter) blog article at Hodes Q Trac about Gen Y / Millennial workers. The author, Jasmine Flowers, takes issue with stereotypes of this generation as being flip flop wearing, illiterate, hypersensitive, and unable to think critically.
Perhaps I'm biased but my experience with Millennials has been quite the opposite. For example, I find them to be incredibly literate but in a different way than Boomers or Gen X'ers. Millennials have an incredible ability to converse through cell phone text messaging and instant messaging with several and even dozens of people simultaneously. How can someone who regularly converses in writing like that with so many people be accused of being illiterate?
Are they hypersensitive? Are they unable to think critically? Sometimes, sure. But who wasn't at the age of twenty?
Do they wear flip flops too often? Well, yeah. But even with that issue I find it amusing that foot attire criticism is being leveled by the very Boomers and Gen X who absolutely adored such fashion statements as super wide ties, acid washed jeans, bell bottoms, burning bras, and leisure suits.
There's always a "generation gap." There are also attitudinal choices for the elders:
You can widen it by acting like an inflexible oldtimer; ponificate, speculate, and write about it endlessly and unhelpfully; or you can do your best to ignore age differences and meet young people right where they are, working together to merge into the workplaces of the future.
Guess which option will leave you least vulnerable to age discrimination a few years down the road?
You are right in your remark here Steven - But who wasn't at the age of twenty?
The accusations have been all over the place and it is a similar kind of insecurity we feel when I see a car full of teenagers next to mine and I slow down, letting them pass first (the neurons are stimulated instantly - "oh reckless drivers better let them pass by" :). So yet again a general opinion on the Generation Y.
At the workplace they need some career guidance and direction and once companies are able to integrate this approach they can fully harness the Millennial potential. All they have to do is to take this step to a process integral to company policies.
I hope the HR and upper management are listening - after all they are more experienced and mature - aren't they :)
I think that most large employers do have people who are listening but unfortunately most of those employers haven't come to grips with the changing needs and wants of this generation. You can't treat a 22 year old Millennial the same as you did a Baby Boomer when they were 22 years old. Their brains work differently, they have different strengths and weaknesses, they're simply different. Employers that intend to survive and even thrive need to adapt. Those who don't will perish.