The Millennial Point of View
Isabel Runge, College Junior
As a junior in college, with many friends in their senior year, and others already a couple years beyond school, I have to admit that my main priority for the next couple of years is to be employed after graduation. With the employment and unemployment rates what they are, most of the people I’ve talked to are terrified of not being hired.
After graduating from college, there is a period in time where you don’t have much work experience, and it’s completely OK, because no one expects you to have a lot of time in the seat. But after a couple of years, this “window of understanding” shuts, and, if you haven’t taken advantage of it, you might really struggle to get your career started.
I predict that, until I have had a lot of experience, and have gained some expertise in my field, social responsibility will have to take a back seat. After a couple jobs, when I feel like I really have a good foothold in my field, I can start to pick and choose where I spend my time and effort based on social responsibility.
That said, I know that I would never work for a company that is outrageously irresponsible and doing direct damage when it comes to social good, the environment or minority groups.
While I think this decision represents individuals in my age group pretty well, there are so many factors that might go into a decision like this that differ dramatically from person to person, like financial stability, area of study, personal values and education. For someone studying chemical engineering, for example, social responsibility might not be a consideration, because working for an oil company might be one of the only choices that is best for his or her career. Alternatively, for those studying environmental policy, it might be more important for their employers to have ideals that are similar to theirs.
From my perspective, millennials are very aware of the conversation around social responsibility, and I think we factor that in maybe more than previous generations. On the other hand, the economy we have grown up in has also made us very practical. And, as I mentioned above, we are very motivated to get into our careers and make an impact in whatever way possible — even if that means setting aside social responsibility until we have the luxury of picking and choosing.
The Gen X Point of View
Robert Damigella, Principal, AmericaVest CRE
Millennials are generally focused on social responsibility, and that can be seen in the companies they want to work for and in the products they buy. So I think it’s critical for employers today to be aware of this, and to be focused on this, too. After all, the millennials are the largest demographic group coming through the pipeline.
Looking ahead, if a company isn’t fully committed to social responsibility, I believe it will have a hard time attracting and retaining talented people from this all-important group. And, by fully committed, I mean it can’t just be window-dressing.
Having said this, the baby boomers running many companies today are profit-driven and bottom-line oriented. So a commitment to social responsibility has to be demonstrated carefully and thoughtfully, because many shareholders or investors might possibly view this as an attack on stock price or financial performance.
That’s a short-term view, in my opinion, but a real consideration for many companies today. Long-term, social responsibility is essential. You have to do right by customers, the community and employees.
More and more companies are moving in this direction — and they’re following the lead of Starbucks, Google and others, which is good. So the challenge over time for millennials will be deciding which companies are genuine and authentic in their social responsibility commitments. Cultural fit and match-up will be a major component in deciding where these young people work and prosper.