Millennials in the Workforce

Millennials.

Everybody has an opinion about them, especially when it comes to their work ethic.

You’ve heard – or perhaps, given — the ol’ chip-on-the-shoulder response:

They’re lazy. Disloyal. Entitled. Tech-hungry.

Whether you’re older, more experienced, or one of the kids born between 1980 and 2000, you’ve got an opinion.

News flash: we’d all better wise up to the generation that – at 53.5 million strong – comprises the largest segment of the workforce.

Jennifer Deal, a researcher with the Center for Creative Leadership and author of “What Millennials Want from Work,” is no stranger to the study of generational trends; she’s devoted more than 15 years to researching tens of thousands of people around the world about Millennials in the workforce. And, according to her research, chances are, your stereotype of Millennials is wrong.

“So, yes, we find that Millennials are entitled. And so is everybody else,” smiles Deal. “A lot of these things that you might say about Millennials might be true, but not if you’re claiming that they’re different than everybody else.”

Hold the presses. What?

Deal says, really, there’s not much different about this generation of up-and-comers.

“One of the differences is that Boomers married young. Another substantial difference is tattoos,” says Deal.

Tattoos.

But what about the complaint that Millennials are needy, and require coddling?

Deal says, when a newcomer to the workforce asks for feedback, it shouldn’t be translated as such.

“When they’re asking for information, what they want is what they need to do to be successful,” responds Deal.

She does have this advice for employers:

“It’s much more effective to actually pay attention to the individual and address the individual, instead of assuming the characteristic of the years they happen to be born.”