Working Millennials in 2017

I nearly wrote several separate articles on this talk, I have just watched on line (link below) one for Employers, Millennials and another for those that don’t fit this bracket.  Millennials is the term used to describe the people born after 1984. The talk was brought to my attention by my daughter who fits this age bracket. 

I’ve chosen combine my thoughts because I think all sides need to be aware of the challenges the other has.

Millennials moving jobs within a year?

As an Employer, you may have seen people in this age group, leave your employment out of the blue or you cannot quite put your finger on it but they just don’t seem content in their roles.  You have invested time and money to train an employee, only to have them leave within 12 months or feel like they may do soon. Often just as you are feeling they are making an impact. 

Not feeling like you are making your mark quickly enough?

As a person in this age group, you may feel that now you are in the world of work - it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.  You may be frustrated and lacking in self-belief and confidence.   Leading you to think your only option is to give up in your current role and move on, as you try to find your perfect role that gives you a perfect life.

Not your fault!

Millennials have grown up in a fast paced technology driven world.  With Schooling and Parents telling them they can have it all, be who they want, that good things will come to you.  They were constantly rewarded by both as children,  when society told us that everyone was a winner!  There were medals for all on sports day - rightfully so for the winners, those that excelled worked hardest to come first.  However medals were handed out for everyone, devaluing the winner’s hard work.  What about everyone else, well in your heart as a child you knew that you weren’t worthy of a medal for coming last!

Lots of online friends?

We put value in the number of online friend we have, some we might see regularly.  However most will be distant, from the past and some we don’t know at all!  We see snap shots of these people’s lives, mainly in photographs; do we sit down and chat with these people face to face, do we truly know them?

We are all using Social Media to mask our real feelings and experiences.  To the outside world, we are fun, colourful, doing amazing things and full of life and laughs.  We all have times like this but if we are honest with ourselves our day to day life is a little different. 

We all need to learn to engage with people on a face to face basis, especially those people we work alongside.  

Hang in there!

I think as a Millennial you will recognise yourself in this talk.  It might help you recognise that to get what you want, you will need to learn patience and that there are joys and satisfaction to be had with sticking with things long term.  An employer could help teach this age group, that a quick fix is often not the answer and long term solutions will bring more rewards.  As a parent it might help your son or daughter communicate better with others, if you yourself make some changes.

As employers we need to find ways to address this, otherwise the constant churn of staff in this age group will continue and get worse.  We need to find a ways to show the Millennials that they are making their mark in our companies, they are appreciated.  That following things through long term can bring many rewards, job satisfaction and the happy fulfilled life we all desire.

Here is an example of a recent applicant; who qualified in 2012, has already worked for 7 different companies, will not accept a job title less than Marketing Manager, ideally Head of Marketing and a salary no less than £37k.  Now I admire the self-belief here, however most employers would look at the job churn and assume in 6 months this person would be moving on and therefore not consider this applicant as a serious contender for a permanent role.

Get the creative juices flowing!

Ideas happen when our brains are not doing other things, such as, when we are driving, waiting for a train, waiting for a meeting, walking.  Essentially we are more creative, when we are not filling our brains with stuff and social media or being online is now a huge part of this.

Love your Phone and Technology

I love technology, my phone, tech gadgets and being connected; I’m not giving this up or suggesting anyone else does.  However having listened to this talk, I’ve made some adjustments.  If you stand back just a minute and look at how technology and being connected 24/7 is affecting the very thing that makes us human.  It makes you realise we all need to take control of how we communicate with and encourage the people we are closest too. 

And what is even more concerning, Millennials still grew up with less technology than those born since 2010.  How will the next generation cope when they enter the work environment!

If you are Employer, Millennial, Parent or anyone else that doesn’t fit this bracket, take 15 minutes out of your busy day just to listen to this guy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hER0Qp6QJNU

Would love to hear about your experiences:  Email ann@greensr.co.uk