As a millennial myself we’ve heard it all before: we are the entitled, spoiled and self-serving generation. Gen-Y is the youngsters typically born between 1982-1999.
But could we also be the workplace savior? Maybe so says Emily Matcher. She is a freelance writer for the Washington Post.
She’s written an article outlining how this “pampered” generation might actually be the workplace savior. She told me on the DorobekINSIDER what makes a millennial.
“Millennials are a bit jaded, they’ve seen their parents betrayed by jobs, grown up in a bad economy and are unwilling to tolerate what older workers take as par for the course,” said Matcher.
Millennials are asking?
- Why should I work a 9-5 schedule when those aren’t the hours when I am most productive?
- Why should I fly across the country when we could do the meeting via Skype?
- Why do I need to defer to an older person, when I have a great idea that should be listened to?
Millennial Myth: “It’s a myth that millennials are lazy,” said Matcher, “they are willing to work very very hard as long as the project they are woking on is interesting, has a purpose, they can see the ultimate goal and they have their opinions taken seriously.
What Millennials Want: “They want to be mentored,” said Matcher, “they are a generation that wants and is willing to listen and learn from feedback as long as it’s presented in a constructive manner.”
Millennial Mistakes: “Sometimes is takes awhile to be inspired on the job,” said Matcher, “Millennials need to do a better job of sticking with a project.”