You’ve heard the refrain, “These kids today!”, maybe from your grandmother or someone you work with – or perhaps you were the one to use the refrain. It’s a popular way of deflecting older generation’s bewilderment with the younger generation. And it’s especially true today in the case of Millennials. The 20-to-early-30 somethings, also known as Gen Y, are now striding confidently into the workplace with an entirely different attitude than their Gen X (mid-30s to late-40s) and Baby Boomer (55+) colleagues. This Gen Y attitude can rub some the wrong way – they seem indifferent to the seniority of older figures, for example, and many don’t believe in working behind a desk for eight hours. But what seem like implausible habits for workplace success to their older contemporaries, are actually a developed response to the world around them. The world of 2014.
At closer inspection, the way Millennials approach the workforce, and their position in it, may be significantly more efficient and progressive in the fast-paced business world of today. So, the next time you get frustrated by the millennials’ lack of tact, take a minute to put yourself in their pumped up kicks and see the view from their perspective. Just because it’s different doesn’t necessarily make it wrong. But if you can look past their brazen approach and find the reasons behind it, you just might learn something. And the time to start is now, because it’s expected that by 2020 there will be 86 million Millennials in the workforce, making up 40 per cent of the working population. Here are 10 of their potentially annoying approaches to the job, and the illuminating truth behind their motivations.
10. Absence of Fear
There’s a new kid at work, and he’s not only dressed casually, but he’s making himself coffee like he owns the place and is already friends with someone in accounts – you don’t remember her name. In the staff meeting he’s throwing out brainstorming ideas like it’s no big thing, talking to the boss like he’s an equal equity partner. Who does he think he is? Millennials. Are. fearless. The more you fight it, the harder it’s going to be to accept. This fearlessness stems from a lifetime of developed confidence socially, technologically and academically. They aren’t afraid to challenge tradition, and they possess an unwavering sky’s-the-limit confidence.
This shouldn’t be frowned upon; it’s the way we would want our own children to tackle life, and it’s the way many older generations tackled life once upon a time. The difference is that Millennials’ unique ability to accept and adapt to change is going to help them maintain this fearlessness as they grow.
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