Bentley University’s Millennial Preparedness research study raised a number of issues about millennials in the workplace. In the coming weeks, PreparedU, in a series entitled Generational Voices, will present opinions from millennials and non-millennials alike on a wide variety of these issues. These views may contrast or coincide, but each will provide perspective designed to enhance insights resulting from the PreparedU data.
The Millennial Point of View
Katelyn Campbell, Account Manager, Pan Communications
I don’t think this flexibility is millennial driven. With technology now available and more mobile, the working model has shifted quite dramatically. We work from home, from anywhere and everywhere — and we’re always on, always connected. Our clients can always reach us. And we can always reach our clients.
The 9-to-5 job structure is disappearing for everyone. And it’s based on trust, productivity and collaboration, thanks to technology. No one works 40 hours anymore. You sign on when you wake up, and you sign off when you go to sleep.
This technology revolution may feel more natural to millennials, because we’ve grown up with the Internet. But the workplace changes are sweeping, and they’re affecting people of all ages.
The Baby Boomer Point of View
Jill Thacker, Director of Marketing Communications, CollegeNET
Lazy, self-centered, undisciplined — our parents said all of that about us, in much the same way their parents once disparaged them. So it’s no surprise that, as the millennial generation comes of age, it’s now hearing essentially the same criticisms.
It’s tempting to find fault in unfamiliar behaviors. From our parents’ perspective, rock and roll, discarded sexual mores and redefined gender roles marked us as a generation of self-indulgent societal dropouts. And yet, the vast majority of us managed to complete our education, establish careers, raise families, and even make some remarkable contributions to science, technology and the arts. So, when we shake our heads at those perpetually plugged-in twentysomethings, whose attention spans seem tailored to the typical YouTube clip, maybe we should remember our youthful transgressions and hold our judgmental tongues for a few years.
If millennials are lacking anything their parents possessed, it’s the assurance that their hard work will lead to decent-paying jobs after college, reliable wage growth throughout their employed years, affordable mortgages, and a viable source of financial support for their retirement — all things our generation took for granted.
Faced with social and economic prospects far less promising than those of their parents, most millennials are not throwing up their hands and dropping out in despair. Instead, they’re voting and volunteering in greater numbers than their predecessors. And they’re postponing marriage and parenthood while they establish careers.
The young adults I see entering the workforce today are goal-oriented, financially strategic and generally determined to transcend the economic predicament for which they hold us responsible. I think they show great promise.