School is back in full swing and it is so nice to have students back on campus. Although the break from the summer is nice, I do find that I begin to miss the students towards the end of the summer. The energy is just completely different when they are here.
I've been thinking a lot about the subject of this blog post. It is mainly based on my observations and has no real scientific merit what so ever. Having said that though, I'd like to say that I think I'm a pretty good observer. Of course, my observations are just based on about a week of watching new incoming first year students but I can already tell you with a fair amount of certainty...they're different. They aren't quite like the Millennials who have preceded them. They're engaged, involved, and most importantly SERIOUS GO GETTER'S. I'm not joking here. They really seem to be on the ball. Already in a week and a half and I've talked to several first year students who are interested in having an internship. They seem eager to make a difference. I know our on campus Center for Service Opportunities has seen several students who are interested in volunteer work. This class is not like the others I have seen over the past few years. They may be entitled, but this group seems to see the value in working for what they are getting. Maybe the recent resession has affected the way they look at the world and at work. Maybe now they see that to get what they want out of a job, they have to be willing to get the experience and wow employers. They can't just sit back and wait for a job to come to them, they have to go out and get it!
Now I'll be the first to admit that a week and a half isn't a lot of time to observe and get a feeling for how this class will really turn out, but my first impressions have been very positive. I am expecting big things from this group of young people and I am excited to see what they can do. I will likely write more about this group as I get to know them better. These are exciting times and the young people I have met make me love what I do!!!!
The Future of the Workforce
So it's been a while since I last wrote anything and if you waited and waited for a new blog from me I am so sorry. Between going to Mexico (I'm definitely going to share my experiences with young people there soon) and work, it's been hard to get time to write. I decided to post this for you just so there was a new blog from me this year :-) Hopefully it's not that bad.
Here's an article I submitted for a magazine. Not sure if it will get published but it was sure fun writing it!
Ask anyone who works with young people about their thoughts on this generation of workers, sometimes referred to as Generation Y or Millennials, and you are bound to hear about all the things that they find frustrating. Millennials come into the workforce expecting too much. They ask for too much money and need too much attention. They are easily distracted, never without their cell phones, and are egocentric. The list of negatives goes on and on but has this generation gotten a bad rap because that’s how they really are or because they are just different from every other generation?
Let’s see how different they really are. Read the list of qualities and see if you can decide who this is describing;
• Looking for meaningful work
• Seeking challenge
• Chance to prove themselves and show they can perform well
• Enjoys contact with people
• Desire to be in a position of responsibility
• Resents being looked at as though they have no experience
• Tends to be more job mobile
• Less respectful of authority
Sounds like Millennials, doesn’t it? They want to know that their work means something. They need to be challenged and want the chance to prove themselves to others. They like working in teams and want to be the CEO of the company the week after they are hired. Of course, we’re already seeing too just how mobile they are in their jobs. Now here’s the kicker, would it surprise you to know that this information was taken from an article in the November 1970 edition of Training and Development Journal? That’s right Baby Boomers, it’s talking about you!
Let’s start with the understanding that Millennials are different, at least on some levels. They think and act different. They have grown up unlike any generation before them. Technology has always been a regular part of their lives. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Google…these are all second nature to Millennials. Their parents taught them they could do or be anything and they believed it. Growing up, everyone got a ribbon just for participating. They were raised to be confident, to ask for what you want and expect to get it. Reality for them has been whatever they saw on TV or the Internet. Millennials don’t know anything else and now as they enter the workforce, they are incorporating how they grew up into how they work.
Of course, Millennials want what everyone else wants in a job. According to four Fortune 500 case studies, when asked, "What influences you to join an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Mission, values, ethics
• Pay and benefit package
• Challenge and interesting work
• Opportunity for career development
When asked, "Why do you stay with an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Challenge (the work itself: interest and variety)
• Being treated with respect by managers and co-workers
• An ethical organization
Clearly, we all want the same things to be satisfied in a job. The difference for Millennials? They ask for it. They want higher entry level pay and more vacation. They want a flexible work environment that allows them the freedom to work from their office or a coffee shop (who doesn’t want that). Our biggest difference is that we feel like we have earned those things. We’ve paid our dues and worked up to our fringe benefits. Millennials haven’t but push to get what we get. This can be frustrating and discouraging to other workers who may feel that Millennials don’t deserve what they ask for. They should have to earn it, right?
There is nothing new happening here. Every generation enters the workforce and causes a ripple. Many of you would probably say that Millinnials have made more of a hurricane rather than a ripple, but I remember when Generation X was going to destroy the workforce with their laid back and lazy attitudes. Guess what, we assimilated. Each generation will always have different ideals and sets of values that shape them as people and as workers. That’s not a bad thing. It just means that we all need to adjust some to what is happening, and yes I mean Millennials too. We sometimes have to compromise and sometimes in the end, the workplace changes for the better.
As Baby Boomers ready themselves for retirement…eventually, Millennials will need to step into the open positions that are created. To do so, they must be prepared for the work environment. This can be accomplished in many ways but generally this happens best when Millennials are provided opportunities to gain experience while they are still in school. Internships can allow young people to learn solid work habits and understand the reality of what the “real” working world will be like. This can be critical to their success and may eliminate some of the issues that employers see from younger employees. Now it is important that you and your employees set good examples for these young people so be sure to provide good mentors for the students to learn from. Internships can be great but if students are provided experiences that teach them bad work habits then they may struggle to be successful and that can be counter-productive. Once you have Millennials trained, remember to use their strengths. Technologically savvy, multi-taskers, team players, task-oriented and enthusiastic and spirited, are all phrases you could use to describe many Millennials. If you can harness their energy and keep them engaged in your company, you will have young person who can shaped and molded into the kind of employee that makes you and your company successful.
Ultimately it comes down to one basic rule; treat others the way they want to be treated (notice I said they not you). Get to know all your employees, not just the Millennials, and know how they want to be managed and incorporated into the workplace. Don’t assume everyone fits into the stereotypes you read about. Every individual is different. Whether you are thrilled about it or not young people are the future of your company and by helping them be great employees you are helping your company be great.
Here's an article I submitted for a magazine. Not sure if it will get published but it was sure fun writing it!
Ask anyone who works with young people about their thoughts on this generation of workers, sometimes referred to as Generation Y or Millennials, and you are bound to hear about all the things that they find frustrating. Millennials come into the workforce expecting too much. They ask for too much money and need too much attention. They are easily distracted, never without their cell phones, and are egocentric. The list of negatives goes on and on but has this generation gotten a bad rap because that’s how they really are or because they are just different from every other generation?
Let’s see how different they really are. Read the list of qualities and see if you can decide who this is describing;
• Looking for meaningful work
• Seeking challenge
• Chance to prove themselves and show they can perform well
• Enjoys contact with people
• Desire to be in a position of responsibility
• Resents being looked at as though they have no experience
• Tends to be more job mobile
• Less respectful of authority
Sounds like Millennials, doesn’t it? They want to know that their work means something. They need to be challenged and want the chance to prove themselves to others. They like working in teams and want to be the CEO of the company the week after they are hired. Of course, we’re already seeing too just how mobile they are in their jobs. Now here’s the kicker, would it surprise you to know that this information was taken from an article in the November 1970 edition of Training and Development Journal? That’s right Baby Boomers, it’s talking about you!
Let’s start with the understanding that Millennials are different, at least on some levels. They think and act different. They have grown up unlike any generation before them. Technology has always been a regular part of their lives. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Google…these are all second nature to Millennials. Their parents taught them they could do or be anything and they believed it. Growing up, everyone got a ribbon just for participating. They were raised to be confident, to ask for what you want and expect to get it. Reality for them has been whatever they saw on TV or the Internet. Millennials don’t know anything else and now as they enter the workforce, they are incorporating how they grew up into how they work.
Of course, Millennials want what everyone else wants in a job. According to four Fortune 500 case studies, when asked, "What influences you to join an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Mission, values, ethics
• Pay and benefit package
• Challenge and interesting work
• Opportunity for career development
When asked, "Why do you stay with an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Challenge (the work itself: interest and variety)
• Being treated with respect by managers and co-workers
• An ethical organization
Clearly, we all want the same things to be satisfied in a job. The difference for Millennials? They ask for it. They want higher entry level pay and more vacation. They want a flexible work environment that allows them the freedom to work from their office or a coffee shop (who doesn’t want that). Our biggest difference is that we feel like we have earned those things. We’ve paid our dues and worked up to our fringe benefits. Millennials haven’t but push to get what we get. This can be frustrating and discouraging to other workers who may feel that Millennials don’t deserve what they ask for. They should have to earn it, right?
There is nothing new happening here. Every generation enters the workforce and causes a ripple. Many of you would probably say that Millinnials have made more of a hurricane rather than a ripple, but I remember when Generation X was going to destroy the workforce with their laid back and lazy attitudes. Guess what, we assimilated. Each generation will always have different ideals and sets of values that shape them as people and as workers. That’s not a bad thing. It just means that we all need to adjust some to what is happening, and yes I mean Millennials too. We sometimes have to compromise and sometimes in the end, the workplace changes for the better.
As Baby Boomers ready themselves for retirement…eventually, Millennials will need to step into the open positions that are created. To do so, they must be prepared for the work environment. This can be accomplished in many ways but generally this happens best when Millennials are provided opportunities to gain experience while they are still in school. Internships can allow young people to learn solid work habits and understand the reality of what the “real” working world will be like. This can be critical to their success and may eliminate some of the issues that employers see from younger employees. Now it is important that you and your employees set good examples for these young people so be sure to provide good mentors for the students to learn from. Internships can be great but if students are provided experiences that teach them bad work habits then they may struggle to be successful and that can be counter-productive. Once you have Millennials trained, remember to use their strengths. Technologically savvy, multi-taskers, team players, task-oriented and enthusiastic and spirited, are all phrases you could use to describe many Millennials. If you can harness their energy and keep them engaged in your company, you will have young person who can shaped and molded into the kind of employee that makes you and your company successful.
Ultimately it comes down to one basic rule; treat others the way they want to be treated (notice I said they not you). Get to know all your employees, not just the Millennials, and know how they want to be managed and incorporated into the workplace. Don’t assume everyone fits into the stereotypes you read about. Every individual is different. Whether you are thrilled about it or not young people are the future of your company and by helping them be great employees you are helping your company be great.
Millennials in the workforce - Understanding Generational Influences
Presentation given at the IMIA Conference in Indy, June 4, 2010:
And We Say Millennials Have a Short Attention Span???
I'm sure at one other time I have written about the bad behavior of other generations in this blog. I have noticed that everyone is always so quick to point out the flaws of Millennials and very slow to consider their own. Last night I had an experience which once again reminded me that maybe we are a little less than accurate about our interpretations of Millennials compared with other generations.
Case in point...I was at an event yesterday giving a presentation. The audience was made up of young Millennials (high school seniors) and their parents. Also in attendance were a few other professionals. Safe to say a majority were young people but other generations were certainly represented. Here's what struck me. At one point I looked around the room to see all of the Millennials fully attentive and listening to the speaker. They weren't distracted by cell phones or each other. Then next to me is a gentleman who was in the Baby Boomer generation sitting playing games on his blackberry throughout the entire presentation. Now I could understand a little if he had work to do but he was playing solitaire. Not discretely but quite obviously. Now Boomers please don't think that I believe that everyone is just like that, although I would argue that we stereotype Millennails into one grouping so why would it be unfair to do the same to other generations? This isn't by any means the first time I have seen Millennials behaving in a totally appropriate manner while other generations have behavior that is less than desirable.
So what does all this mean? Well the moral of the story is DON'T GENERALIZE AND SAY ALL MILLENNIALS ARE DISRESPECTFUL AND DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE PROFESSIONAL!!! Clearly there are people in other generations who can behave poorly too! We all have our moments, but the key is we have a tendency to be more critical of Millennials because they are so different from us. Maybe it's time we started looking at ourselves and asked what kind of role models are we?
Want behavior to change? BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL and live the kind of behavior you want to see from young people!!!
Case in point...I was at an event yesterday giving a presentation. The audience was made up of young Millennials (high school seniors) and their parents. Also in attendance were a few other professionals. Safe to say a majority were young people but other generations were certainly represented. Here's what struck me. At one point I looked around the room to see all of the Millennials fully attentive and listening to the speaker. They weren't distracted by cell phones or each other. Then next to me is a gentleman who was in the Baby Boomer generation sitting playing games on his blackberry throughout the entire presentation. Now I could understand a little if he had work to do but he was playing solitaire. Not discretely but quite obviously. Now Boomers please don't think that I believe that everyone is just like that, although I would argue that we stereotype Millennails into one grouping so why would it be unfair to do the same to other generations? This isn't by any means the first time I have seen Millennials behaving in a totally appropriate manner while other generations have behavior that is less than desirable.
So what does all this mean? Well the moral of the story is DON'T GENERALIZE AND SAY ALL MILLENNIALS ARE DISRESPECTFUL AND DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE PROFESSIONAL!!! Clearly there are people in other generations who can behave poorly too! We all have our moments, but the key is we have a tendency to be more critical of Millennials because they are so different from us. Maybe it's time we started looking at ourselves and asked what kind of role models are we?
Want behavior to change? BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL and live the kind of behavior you want to see from young people!!!
Millennials and Success - A New Recipe
We all know that Millennials are different. It's evident in the amount of information that is out there (both good and bad) about how they work, live, and play. Although we hear many horror stories about them, what we are seeing is just how successful they are as entrepreneurs. I recently read an article that talked about some of the most successful Gen Yer's and I have to admit I found myself a little jealous. Why am I not doing some of the things they are? Why am I not utilizing all this social media to promote my message or my brand? It made me start to wonder if part of the negative attention that Millennials receive is simply the rest of us being a little upset at the fact that we aren't doing these things. I mean, let's be serious, are there any of us who would say we wouldn't want to have a better balance between work and life? (although I have to admit I have a pretty good balance right now). We've talked about this before, the difference between us and Millennials, they expect it and get it. So we say, well they're lazy; they don't value work; they don't understand the work environment and how it's supposed to be. Well, let's think about it, what is it supposed to be like? Honestly, every generation that enters the workplace, changes it in some way. So they are only doing what every other generation before them has done.
So, to honor their potential greatness, I'd like to highlight a few Millennials who I think work hard, but more importantly work very smart. I think this is the defining element for Millennials. They use tools that help them work smarter (not that the rest of us don't but I have seen countless employers underestimate how quickly Millennials can accomplish tasks). Here are a few of my favorites...
Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen
http://www.internqueen.com/
I talk about this young lady all the time when I discuss internships with students. She has such an amazing success story. She turned her experience in 15 different internships during college into a highly successful consulting business. You can follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/InternQueen. What I love about her is she has great advise for both students and employers about internship success.
Dan Schawbel, Author of the book “Me 2.0”
http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/
Here is another very successful Millennial who has written a book about the importance of developing a personal brand. In a world that is driven by social media and having an online presence, I am reminded just how important it is to manage your identity and the brand that you (or others) will develop. His blog has some really great ideas and information about personal branding!
Need more convincing about just how innovative and successful this generation is? This article discusses 13 of the more successful Millennials out there http://www.lifewithoutpants.com/generation-y/13-generation-y-rockstars/
The key behind this months blog is just to celebrate and recognize that Millennials have a lot to offer and we need to look for ways to engage them and connect them to the mission in our companies. I'll talk more about that next month as we discuss strategies for keeping this generation involved.
So, to honor their potential greatness, I'd like to highlight a few Millennials who I think work hard, but more importantly work very smart. I think this is the defining element for Millennials. They use tools that help them work smarter (not that the rest of us don't but I have seen countless employers underestimate how quickly Millennials can accomplish tasks). Here are a few of my favorites...
Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen
http://www.internqueen.com/
I talk about this young lady all the time when I discuss internships with students. She has such an amazing success story. She turned her experience in 15 different internships during college into a highly successful consulting business. You can follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/InternQueen. What I love about her is she has great advise for both students and employers about internship success.
Dan Schawbel, Author of the book “Me 2.0”
http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/
Here is another very successful Millennial who has written a book about the importance of developing a personal brand. In a world that is driven by social media and having an online presence, I am reminded just how important it is to manage your identity and the brand that you (or others) will develop. His blog has some really great ideas and information about personal branding!
Need more convincing about just how innovative and successful this generation is? This article discusses 13 of the more successful Millennials out there http://www.lifewithoutpants.com/generation-y/13-generation-y-rockstars/
The key behind this months blog is just to celebrate and recognize that Millennials have a lot to offer and we need to look for ways to engage them and connect them to the mission in our companies. I'll talk more about that next month as we discuss strategies for keeping this generation involved.
Interesting Research
While working on my homework this week for school, I read an interesting article about job satisfaction during an economic downturn. The article surveyed employees to find out how they perceived their organizations and if they were happy with their jobs. What was interesting was that 65% of those surveyed indicated that even in this troubled economy, they are either actively looking for a new job or casual keeping their options open. What I found most intriguing was that the study found that Millennials reported the lowest job satisfaction of any other generation and were more likely to be looking for a new job.
These results are fairly consistent with some of the other research I have read on this topic which indicates that Millennials are more likely to be burned out on the job and dissatisfied with their work than other generations (and it's happeing at a very fast rate). I've been wondering why this is and in my response to my professor I wrote that in my opinion, Millennials are more likely to be dissatisfied because they have been taught to always want more. They have learned that they are special and have the right to be happy with their jobs. Is it possible that we have created an entire generation who may never be content in what they are doing? Is the grass always going to be greener on the other side of the fence for this group? It makes me worry about whether or not employers will ever be able to truly hold this generations attention in a job.
Of course, Millennials want what everyone else wants in a job. According to four Fortune 500 case studies, when asked, "What influences you to join an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Mission, values, ethics
• Pay and benefit package
• Challenge and interesting work
• Opportunity for career development
When asked, "Why do you stay with an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Challenge (the work itself: interest and variety)
• Being treated with respect by managers and co-workers
• An ethical organization
Clearly, we all want the same things to be satisfied in a job. The problem is, maybe Millennials have less of a sense of reality compared with other generations. Sometimes you don't always have these things. Sometimes your job isn't that interesting and you don't love what you're doing. The key is to find ways to keep yourself engaged. To make sure your expectations are realistic. I think internships and experience for Millennials helps but ultimately they may just have to suck it up and realize that the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, but that's only because they used that fancy green spray paint to make it look good!
These results are fairly consistent with some of the other research I have read on this topic which indicates that Millennials are more likely to be burned out on the job and dissatisfied with their work than other generations (and it's happeing at a very fast rate). I've been wondering why this is and in my response to my professor I wrote that in my opinion, Millennials are more likely to be dissatisfied because they have been taught to always want more. They have learned that they are special and have the right to be happy with their jobs. Is it possible that we have created an entire generation who may never be content in what they are doing? Is the grass always going to be greener on the other side of the fence for this group? It makes me worry about whether or not employers will ever be able to truly hold this generations attention in a job.
Of course, Millennials want what everyone else wants in a job. According to four Fortune 500 case studies, when asked, "What influences you to join an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Mission, values, ethics
• Pay and benefit package
• Challenge and interesting work
• Opportunity for career development
When asked, "Why do you stay with an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Challenge (the work itself: interest and variety)
• Being treated with respect by managers and co-workers
• An ethical organization
Clearly, we all want the same things to be satisfied in a job. The problem is, maybe Millennials have less of a sense of reality compared with other generations. Sometimes you don't always have these things. Sometimes your job isn't that interesting and you don't love what you're doing. The key is to find ways to keep yourself engaged. To make sure your expectations are realistic. I think internships and experience for Millennials helps but ultimately they may just have to suck it up and realize that the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, but that's only because they used that fancy green spray paint to make it look good!
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