Millennials In the Workplace: Not So Different After All

The millennial generation, unlike any before it, is receiving an unprecedented amount of media attention given the growing awareness that they will increasingly comprise a significant portion of the workforce over the next five to ten years. Despite the growing research touting how the generations are different and should be treated differently, have you ever wondered if they really are? If so, the results of the <a href="http://www.themillennialimpact.com/past-research" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">2014 Millennial Impact Report by Achieve</a> may help to shed some light because it highlights the attitudes about work culture, relationships and resources and their role across the work lifecycle (from hire to retention). However, if you have been reading the research on employee engagement or have read some recent bestselling business books, then you may have noticed that the so-called millennial differences are perhaps not so unique after all. We venture a little further in our hypothesis by proposing that the changes we are seeing are more a function of the now changed psychological contract between employers and employees. Gone are the days of climbing the corporate ladder on your way to a golden handshake. In their absence, today’s employees want continuous learning as a way to secure their futures. They are spending long hours at work with recent data from the <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/19/charts-showing-just-how-much-americans-work-compared-to-the-french-germans-and-chinese-are-very-interesting/#http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/19/charts-showing-just-how-much-americans-work-compare" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Federal Reserve Economic Data Report</a> (2013) confirming that Americans work more hours a week than any other industrialized nation. So while employees have come to accept that technology can blur the boundaries between personal life and work, they have also realized the value of meaningful relationships in the workplace as well as the importance of work that helps to make the world a better place. Furthermore, it is no coincidence that both of these factors probably also make the work itself and the continuous demands on their personal time a lot more tolerable or enjoyable. In other words, building deep relationships and contributing to “cause work” is likely a buffer against the stressors that might normally lead to decreased engagement, burnout or quitting a job. <a href="https://medium.com/@office_61824/millennials-in-the-workplace-not-so-different-after-all-45900ab9186d">Read More</a>