It may surprise you to learn that more than one and three employees in the American workforce is under the age of thirty-four – placing them squarely within the “Millennial” generation. Like the Gen X-ers before them, Millennials have been the source of a lot of media discourse in recent years. Everyone wants to know, what motivates them? What will their future be? And for goodness sake, why are they so entitled?
Some recently released data from Pew Research reveals that Millennials now make up the largest chunk of the American workforce. With more people born between the 1980s and 2000s entering the workforce, this cohort will only continue to grow. It’s important for leaders to be aware that the expectations of this generation will be fundamentally different than those of Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers.
On May 21, as part of CultureWizard’s Culture Day festivities, RW3 Master Trainer, Jamie Gelbtuch, delivered a webinar called Generations Are Cultures, Too! to shed light on how changing generational demographics affect the global workplace.
Here are some key points for understanding this unique generation:
Their experiences are fundamentally unique. Like all generations, the Millennial generation is defined by experiences and cultural changes they have experienced together. That being said, older leaders may find it hard to believe that they are managing people who are so young that they barely remember 9/11 and other pivotal historic events of the last two decades.
They are digitally integrated. It’s no secret that this generation loves mobile technology but what many don’t realize is that that their use of smartphones and tablets can actually heighten and enrich their experience of the world. Leaders are advised to leverage this trait in their Millennial workforce to help increase engagement and learning on the job.
They are a generation on the move. Previous generations typically defined their life stages as childhood, adolescence and adulthood. It may surprise you to learn that experts believe that Millennials actually go through seven distinct phases of life – childhood, “tweens”, young adults, “kippers”, adulthood, career changers, and downagers. Throughout their lives, Millennials will hold an average of fifteen jobs and live in seventeen places.
And to better navigate the nuances of working with any generation, Gelbtuch makes the following recommendations.
- Do your research
- Be prepared to embrace change
- Develop your “generational competency”
- Focus on being relevant
What would you add to this list? How have you found success leading Millennials?
If you would like to learn more, click below to download a recording of Gelbtuch's webinar.
