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lookingonthebrightside

Millenials in the Workplace

texanjana
10 years ago

We have frequent discussions at my office about the challenges of managing our millenial employees. Thankfully, we only have a few of them because they are difficult to manage. However, a conversation I had with one of them today took the cake. First of all, this employee never arrives to work before 11 am (but that's another story).

Anyway, today at about 11:45, she came into my office and proceeded to tell me that she wasn't used to working on her birthday and was going to go home. She just couldn't focus on work with all of the distracting text messages from her friends wishing her a happy birthday. After I picked up my jaw (which had dropped to the floor), I reminded her that she needed to check in with her supervisor before leaving. She then said, "I am going to be working from home so I don't need to do that."

God help me.

Comments (19)

  • Elraes Miller
    10 years ago

    My son is having a difficult time dealing with the ambivalence of the employees you are describing. Some have worked there for years and just meander about doing their job. They have no interest in great training offered to expand skills or in reality changing anything. Way too much time on their hands which becomes overload for those who are committed.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    10 years ago

    I will be the lone voice of dissent.

    I am so impressed with the kids I meet just out of college or grad school today. They are far more sophisticated then my generation and wiser too ... not just focussed on materialism, but with a nuanced understanding about balancing traditional goals with their own lifestyle goals, as well as their role in the global community. I'm encouraged by what I see.

    Now, granted, these are kids from very competitive schools ... but so are the people of my generation to which I am comparing them.

  • juliekcmo
    10 years ago

    I see both sides.

    I am 49. My boss is 31, and 2 other department co-workers are 24 and 34.

    My department is very hard working, and really rewards hard work and good results, but also rewards risk taking and new ideas. That being said, they also understand that balance is essential. All of us I think feel that we are trusted to work hard, and take time for ourselves when needed. It is a truly special place to work.

    My department is sales-based, and therefore attracts more of a go-getter type. Other departments at our company have had some of the issues you expressed. They seem to be more of a problem for job functions that have employees with less drive and more of a job vs career outlook.

  • runninginplace
    10 years ago

    I'm glad Mtn made her rebuttal, because I was worried this was going to be yet another 'kids today are so bad' conversation. I work with college kids (career advisor) and as she says, many are amazingly dedicated. Having been in this field for 20+ years, what I have seen in the past few years is an increasing drive by them to do work and projects that make an impact for the better in the world.

    And as long as there is some bashing to be done :), I'll chime in and say that I don't particularly always enjoy dealing with cohorts of my same middle age; who wants to listen to all that talk about aches and pains, plans to retire or angst that they can't, griping about all that new technology, being tied to working only 9-5 and doing just what is asked and no more because hey, they're not getting paid for that, etc.

    I think being sub par workers isn't a generational issue, it's a sub par worker issue!

    Ann

  • 3katz4me
    10 years ago

    So far I haven't noticed too much of a problem with them. We are selective in who we hire and are maybe hiring from the portion who are high performers who want to work hard. I do think there may be a tendency of this group to expect a promotion and big raise every year whereas other generations realize that not everyone gets big promotions and it takes years to earn one, they don't come along every year. Some things you learn with experience. That might be a hard lesson for someone who was raised where everyone's a winner and there are 30 valedictorians in the class.

  • gsciencechick
    10 years ago

    I would also chime in that with respect to our students, this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Many of our students are very goal-oriented and motivated. But we have had some students who have had difficulty. We had a student like the one first described, and we had to take her out of her internship because she was showing up several hours late every day despite us sitting down with her and drawing up a contract of what were her expected hours. If this had been a real job, she would certainly be fired.

    The only thing I do see more commonly even in very bright students on internship is sometimes they need to be told what they need to do, in that they don't take the initiative to ask. Some of this also could be we have a lot of students who are lower-income/first generation, and they are not used to working in a professional environment and have few role models for doing so. They've also been raised in a "testing" environment through high school where they have been told exactly what they need to know.

  • graywings123
    10 years ago

    If we are assigning blame, some of it has to go to the people supervising these employees and the businesses that don't have clear and defined rules of behavior.

    I remember starting out in my first job after college. People took the time to tell me when I was doing something wrong. I remember I was delivering a typed report to my supervisor and apparently I tossed it onto his desk. A kind, older woman took me aside later and explained that I should place - not throw - papers into an in-box.

    I see a real difference in corporate cultures in retail. A pet peeve of mine is employees for whom customers are invisible. They will walk in front of you as if you don't exist. In a well-run company, the employees are taught to be polite, so the guy sweeping the floor will stop sweeping when you walk by. These employees didn't necessarily know that when they started work. It's behaviors they were taught by management.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    I agree with both sides as I think what we're seeing in a widening of the gap between the best and the worst. The best are getting better (ambition, education, knowledge, worldliness) and the worst are deteriorating (language skills, math skills, work ethic). This is not surprising given the widening of the income gap.

    For fun, here are 2 sides of this generation gap from a humorous POV.

    Millenials in the workplace training video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz0o9clVQu8

    Millenials: We suck and we're sorry
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4IjTUxZORE

    The last one was stunning to me as the mobile phones and computers were far to modern for what I grew up with...I grew up with landlines, rotary phones and dial up modems to a mainframe!

    Here is an interesting article which may help one gain perspective on this generation gap.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Millennials at work

  • joaniepoanie
    10 years ago

    I work in the administrative offices of a large public school system. We had a young girl (college grad) working with us for about 6 weeks on a part time basis...she had been working in another dept. and due to some reorganization there was not enough work so we got her. Well, she was a disaster. She would walk in late complaining about traffic with a McDonald's bag in her hand. Everytime we walked by her desk she was watching soccer. She ended up being fired (pretty hard to get fired from a govt. type job) because she lied about a meeting--told 3 different stories about not attending a meeting. Same thing with a summer worker--he was looking at videos most of the day.

    The flip side is.....a lot of these smart, young people are breathing new life into tired, old, outdated systems like the one I work at. Heck, I am not even allowed to telework when the weather is bad. And these large govt. type systems need to get away from "seniority" and be more "performance based." It's absolutely ridiculous to watch deadbeat employees make more $ just because they have been in the system longer. I have high hopes the younger generation will find ways to change these antiquated, rigid practices.

    My son works for a large non-profit and he is passionate about the work of the organization....no 9-5, punching a time clock mentality.....he is committed and fully engaged. He just spent a month in another state working with the state legislators to get a bill overturned that had been vetoed--working weekends, etc..

    I hope this is the wave of the future for the American workforce.....having employees who are happy and engaged and not just putting in time until retirement. And we can take a lesson from Europe and other countries about more annual leave, shorter work days, etc...---the norm of 2 weeks off a year is crazy!

    I hope we will see more companies adapting the business models of Zappos, Google, Wegmans, etc...

  • daisyinga
    10 years ago

    I agree with Annie D that the best are getting better and the worst are deteriorating.

    I am blown away by the hard work and drive of the younger generation I come into contact with. Many of them are engineering students in grad school. I have also worked quite a bit with students who have dropped out of high school, so I can certainly see the flip side.

  • texanjana
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I wasn't meaning to say that all millenials are like this by any means. My three children are all millenials, and two out of three of them are very hard-working.

    I have also encountered other millennial employees in the workplace who would never think to say something like this one employee said. BTW, she was educated at private schools and holds a degree from an Ivy League college.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    I've always said, just 'cause you went to an ivy league doesn't mean you're bright...I've known too many who did and didn't know their S from their elbow. Some were too bright for common sense...others just weren't too bright.

  • patty_cakes
    10 years ago

    IMO, it also depends on which state you live in. When I lived in CA, it was obvious most of the kids were working mainly for the money. Getting into a training program or moving up, wasn't a place many even thought about. It seemed most wanted to earn money only to able to afford more material possessions, and even more expensive brands.

    In TX I don't see too much of that sort of thinking. School seems to be more of a priority, and the kids more level headed and mature. It may be the parents didn't give them everything, and getting an education is more valued because of that.

  • marlene_2007
    10 years ago

    AnnieD said:

    "I've always said, just 'cause you went to an ivy league doesn't mean you're bright...I've known too many who did and didn't know their S from their elbow. Some were too bright for common sense...others just weren't too bright."

    That has been my experience as well, Annie.

  • marlene_2007
    10 years ago

    patty_cakes said:

    "IMO, it also depends on which state you live in. When I lived in CA, it was obvious most of the kids were working mainly for the money. Getting into a training program or moving up, wasn't a place many even thought about. It seemed most wanted to earn money only to able to afford more material possessions, and even more expensive brands"

    That's an interesting observation, patty_cakes, one that I do not share having lived in California most of my life (the LA area).

  • maddie260
    10 years ago

    Wow, tell me that's a generalization patty cakes! I live in the Bay Area and have three millennials, two working and one in an ivy league pre-med program. My kids work hard, have the promotions and salaries to prove it! And, their friends do too. Just not my experience! I know you love Texas and all, but come onâ¦.

  • patty_cakes
    10 years ago

    I lived in San Diego, a beach community, and not 'citified' like LA or SanFran. I worked in retail, not in a professional environment, and this was 'my' personal observation with many of the young people I worked with. To not have enough respect for co- workers and make a phone call when they are going to be late or not come in at all I can't understand. And to 'have' to work a schedule, as well as possible weekends?

    Marlene, you folks in LA are much different than San Diegans. If you were to ask many of them, they would tell you, 'we're more laid back', fact.

    Maryanne, you're very fortunate to have ambitious children. I also have a close relationship with two millenials, two grandsons, both having been raised in SD. While they are respectful, they fall short in motivation and ambition, but it could partially be their parents, who I always felt were too lenient, and had no expectations of them. I believe the environment of living in a beach community definitely has a downside, but maybe that's me generalizing again.

    And yes, I do like TX, quite a bit. I have yet to hear the F'bomb' dropped while walking thru the mall, and i've been here 5 years. Again, i'm basing it on location, the difference being the laid back environment, as well as a liberal mindset.

  • maire_cate
    10 years ago

    Here's a slightly different look - I try to remind my 3 millennials that work isn't everything and that they need to have some time for themselves. The hours they put in at work (and at work from home too) pains me. I'm not advocating that they only do the minimum but I fear they're giving all they have to work.

    My DH probably set the example, but when you own your own business that puts a slightly different take on the job. When I was still working I tended to go in early or stay a little late or bring work home. When we started a family I became a SAHM and between the two of us managed to balance work/life.

    The kids do have demanding jobs but I wish our culture wasn't so focused on business and the bottom line.


    DD worked 70 hours last week with several 14 hour days.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    In anyone else's experience, does it seem the girls are together, ambitious, goal-oriented and hard working, while the boys seem to be more aimless?

    I don't know how many people I meet who say I haven't seen in awhile. I ask how are your kids and I get "Jane is doing great... graduated from yadda U and is now working on Wall st.....etc." "Joe, well, Joe seems happy. He works at the pizza parlor."

    I suspect that there is something toxic to the male ego in our society. Somehow women's lib seemed to empower women, but it seems to have neglected to define a strong role for men. DH believes we should go back to single sex education as boys and girls mature differently and at different rates, leading boys to give up at an early age as they feel they can't compete. Perhaps it has to do with the break down of the American family and the loss of a strong father figure. I don't know, but it's worth an investigation. We can't afford to lose so many young souls to apathy for so many reasons.