It seems to be the habit of every generation to in some way criticize the following generation, and this is true in spades for today’s millennials. Millennials are mercilessly subjected to jokes and teasing on social media, on YouTube and other online venues, and certainly in the workplace. However, some of the very criticisms which are leveled at those workers born between 1981 and 2000, may actually be some of the qualities which can potentially make them excellent employees. Some of the most common critiques of millennials are described below, and in each case, they will be accompanied by a defense which just might make them the right people to hire.
Millenials are job-hoppers
On the surface, this criticism would seem to be justified, since recent studies have shown that during the past five years, millennials have switched jobs at a rate of approximately every 26 months. Conducted with more than 7,000 millennial participants, the survey showed that the average millennial held 2.3 jobs during the previous five years covered.
However, what’s just as important as the frequency of job changes, is the reason for the job-hopping during that time frame. Survey participants described this as a powerful desire to be personally fulfilled at their chosen workplace, wanting to receive full value from the job, and wanting to deliver full value to their employers. The takeaway from this is that any employer who can create an environment which is both advantageous to the business and personally fulfilling for millennial employees, could very well have a powerfully motivated workforce, driven to help the company achieve success.
Millennials don’t respect older generations
While this is one of the most common criticisms applied to the millennial generation, it could just as well be applied to any other generation throughout history. Critics who persist in their belief that millennials are especially deserving of the accusation, may not be aware of the reasons behind any apparent lack of respect.
Many millennials questioned about the subject say that their lack of respect is really aimed at job titles rather than the person behind the title. They can’t respect a person who just rose through the ranks to the title by putting in time, as opposed to having actual ability and the powerful motivation to achieve success. Millennials are just as likely as anyone else to truly respect an executive who engages with staff members sincerely, is willing to work hard toward stated company goals, and actually has a clear idea about where the company should be headed.
Millennials are slaves to electronic devices
Criticizing millennials for being slaves to their phones and other devices is just a little bit unfair, given the fact that virtually everyone from the age of 12 on up is similarly enslaved by their smartphones these days. In a survey conducted on the prevalence of technology in the lives of millennials, over 91% confirmed that technology did play a huge role in their lives.
This especially spills over into the workplace, where the millennials proficiency with technology provides tremendous benefits for an employer. Millennials are commonly very adept at achieving efficiency through high-tech devices and processes, and those smartphones actually come into play prominently in terms of maintaining good office communications. Workplace meetings aren’t nearly as necessary for millennials, because they’re in constant contact through texting, instant messaging, and Skyping. Millenials may indeed be strongly attached to their high-tech devices, but these days, that’s one of the most powerful supports for good business.
Whatever your hiring needs are, we’re here to help. Lowcountry Business Advisors in Greater Charleston, SC strives to use our experience and passion to help business people achieve their goals. Let’s meet for coffee and see how we can work together.
