Employer Attitudes Toward Millennials / Gen Y'ers
We've been involved in the world of college recruiting since 1995. In those 14 years, I've heard time and time again that the current crop of college students and recent graduates are poorly prepared for the workplace, they're job hoppers, they're an entitled generation, they don't show up on time, they leave early, they spend too much time texting with friends instead of working, and employers don't want to hire them for those and other reasons.
Only a third of the Class of 2009 has found employment, which is far lower than past years, but most of that decrease is due to the recession rather than to a reluctance by employers to hire Millennials / Gen Y'ers. There are certainly some misgivings expressed by some hiring managers and human resource professionals, but the reality is that every generation exhibits similar traits as they enter the workplace.
Gen X'ers were labeled the Me Generation and so were the Baby Boomers, so the feeling by some that this generation is an entitled generation simply doesn't wash as so were the previous generations. This generation is notorious for texting and using social media while at work, but the previous generations were notorious for making personal phone calls during work hours and they likely would have been using Facebook if it existed.
The reality is that these behaviors are just that: behaviors. They are indicative of the age of the employees rather than being specific to their generational. The vast majority of employers understand that they must hire, train, and retain members of this generation if the employer is to survive and thrive. This generation is already the largest generation in the workforce and that percentage will continue to grow as the number of Baby Boomers who exit the workforce continues to increase.
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