Are Millennials that Prepared?

I came across an article by Matt Rowe on entrepreneur.com (originally published on Due) that discusses how Millennials know how to be prepared (https://apple.news/AmLALmQHsSGmQ3P8UuaXV1Q). This interesting perspective sticks out for me since Millennials were shaped by the Columbine shooting leading to metal detectors and fear in schools, to 9/11 bringing us into domestic conflict as well as foreign wars. Just as Millennials were starting their careers, the Great Recession hit. After recovery, the Pandemic...

I do believe that there is a representation of Millennials who this article is about, but I don’t want it to overshadow the challenges this generation has had to overcome. Rowe says “We seek challenges and obstacles to overcome. We know that these won’t be fun, but we know that they make us better. Millennials know how to be prepared because they are motivated to get better — and get better, now.” It is possible that this is how Millennials have weathered the challenges they faced.

Maybe participation trophies haven’t hurt this generation, but helped us persevere.

They Aren't That Different

Tell me if this sounds familiar: People older than you don’t understand what it’s like to be you. They haven’t gone through what you are going through. And people younger than you don’t know how good they have it. These, and other common themes are our bias towards groups of people that we perceive as being older or younger than us. But are we that different?

Many different generations like the Beatles, but not everyone loves Dua Lipa. Is that because of their age?

Some people pay with credit cards, while others still pay in cash. Is anyone wrong?

We make passing judgments based on our own perspectives. These judgments add to the subtle ageism and discrimination we play a part of each day. Regardless of age, people are at different stages in their lives and have seen and experienced the world in different ways. Let’s learn to appreciate each other for what makes them unique instead of finding fault in their differences.

In Case You Were Wondering... It's Gen Z

After reading Dr. Jean Twenge’s book, iGen, her argument convinced me that this would be the name to stick. But after several years, it hasn’t stuck. Gen Z is and appears to remain Gen Z (for better or worse). Michael Dimock explores the idea of labeling and identifying generations, and the formation of generations in his article Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/ ).

As a Millennial, I am constantly surprised at how quick many people are to assume that my generation is lazy, or expects participation trophies. Historically, my generation played a large role in many of the technological innovations we take advantage of today. Thinking about how your generation is viewed, what do you want others to recognize about your generation that gets missed?

Gen-Z, and Others Just Want to Be Treated Fairly

People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. While I don’t know who is owed credit for this phrase, it shouldn’t be a surprise that as we transition into a post-covid world, employees are in a position of power and they are using it. With high numbers of resignations, companies are either adapting to the new world, or blaming the people who are leaving.

A study was completed on what Gen-Z looks for in an employer (the results and discussion can be found here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90659243/rip-ping-pong-the-era-of-wacky-office-perks-is-dead?partner=rss&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss&fbclid=IwAR06ep2zUWRPkugsBfcdKjjKv7JA8R4ql6RlPPoAZyCT8Mpv5v_0OdqYuqc ). It points to Gen-Z expecting respect from their managers. While more research will need to be conducted to identify if this is shared with other generations, I think it is fair to assume that many employees of varying generations will be more willing to stay at a job where they feel respected over not. So if you are having trouble keeping employees, ask yourself this question: “What am I doing to show my employees that I respect the needs and wants of them?” I fear that the wrong people will agree with this, and the rest will continue to go down the road of "our industry/department operates this way and we need employees who are willing to adjust…”

I’ll stop you there. Gone are the days that employers can dictate the terms to their employees while underpaying them. While this may be temporary, these winds shift like a pendulum. The companies that can balance pay with respect will come out on top.

Gen-Z Wants a Hybrid Workforce. What are the career benefits?

The Wall Street Journal featured an interesting op-ed including testimony from several Gen-Z professionals (https://www.wsj.com/articles/gen-z-remote-work-hybrid-in-person-office-zoom-meetings-recent-graduates-11629840686). The concerns and ideas echo many of the concerns other generations have about this transition to more work from home opportunities.

There are clear advantages to working in the office, especially for young professionals. Having the opportunity to be visible, network with others, and build strong teams are critical, especially for people looking to start their careers. This doesn’t mean that they don’t want the flexibility of a hybrid office. They just don’t want to lose the career benefits of the in-office experience. The follow-up question is who is responsible for ensuring equal career opportunities within an organization? If a company is mostly remote, is it fair that employees who show up in the office have more opportunities than those who are not?

What's Your Sign?

Even though the science doesn’t support it, I am always curious about my horoscope. I find astrology fascinating, and always hold a glimmer of hope that there is some truth to it. After all, there is something comforting about feeling like a part of a larger group.

The group I belong to is Scorpio. I am also a millennial. Two labels that are assigned based on when one is born, and both carry a stereotype or generalization placed on them by other people that influences their personality, life outlooks, and more. When combatting ageism, it’s easy to identify groups based on these names, but is it doing more harm than good?

You're Never Too Old to Change Your Ways

It is heartbreaking that more experienced employees feel they need to hide their age by removing dates , as well as removing experience to prevent them from being too experienced. What drives an organization to choose younger people with less experience? Are younger people better workers? Do they grind more? Are they cheap enough? It seems like for every article about how terrible young workers are, there is a similar article about how older people can’t find work. It’s as if companies want to hire an employee that is reasonably mature and trained, then cut them loose before they are too experienced or require too much pay.

Organizations can be better. Diverse thought and practice benefits both the organization and employees. Teams and departments should seek people of varying gender, race, and age diversity. If candidates are too qualified, rebuild positions to take advantage of their expertise. If candidates are too inexperienced, build a training program to help them catch up. The pool of talent is largely driven by local demographics and government programs. Design your organization to take advantage of the people who want to work for you, not the people you wish existed…

Ageism Is Exactly What It Sounds Like

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Ageism refers to the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age” (https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/ageing-ageism). Oftentimes, we think of older generations in the workforce not being able to keep up with the changing times, or avoiding hiring the same individual because they are too experienced, or too stuck in their ways. Other times we see the inverse, with younger generations lacking experience, maturity, work ethics, and more. It’s as if our own bias forgets the value experience brings, or that we were all once new.

Regardless of the demographic targeted, it is wrong. There is no supporting evidence that you can predict a person’s ability or personality based on their age. If we aren’t careful, this, along with all of the other biases such as gender, race, etc., will prevent our companies, and thus our society, from reaching its full potential.

When a Smile Isn't a Smile: Emoticons and Evolving Dialect

In My Fair Lady,  Henry Higgins transforms Eliza Doolittle by teaching her how to speak in the proper dialect. Dialect is not only particular to different cultures, regions, and classes, but ages as well. What was hip became cool or rad. A modern day Henry Higgins could tell your age by how you text, what social media platforms you use, or how you use emoticons…

Yes, emoticons. Aiyana Ishmael writes in the Wall Street Journal, a smiley face emoji “means happy… to most people over about age 30. But for many teens and 20-somethings [it] is seen as patronizing or passive-aggressive“ (https://www.wsj.com/articles/sending-a-smiley-face-make-sure-you-know-what-youre-saying-11628522840). This language barrier continues, if not amplifies, the arms race that each generation plays to differentiate itself from the previous groups. This forces older generations to stay with the times or risk being alienated from groups as close as five to ten years their junior.

How are you adapting to this evolution? Are you sticking with the original intent of emoticons, or are you aligning with the new sarcastic meanings?

Moving Away From Credit: Millennials and Gen Z Are Trying Other Options

Recently I ran across an interesting article by Samantha Subin of CNBC discussing how Millennials and Gen Z are utilizing alternative credit. She states that “some experts say in the wake of the financial crisis, younger generations are steering clear of traditional credit and debit.” They are instead utilizing payment plan companies such as AfterPay and Klarna, which cut out the high interest costs and allow users to know up front what their monthly installment plans will be. While they share many similarities with credit cards, these methods of payment appear to provide more freedom and have built more trust with generations who witnessed people fall behind on their credit card payments or themselves have fallen into this trap. Check out the article to learn more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/07/why-millennials-and-gen-zs-are-jumping-on-the-buy-now-pay-later-trend.html

Would you consider a payment plan over a credit card at your favorite store?

COVID Upends College Student Plans

While generations are typically marked by world events and trends, segments of generations are defined and impacted by socioeconomic events that strongly impact how a particular age group generally operates. While defining generations is a lot like defining astrology; it’s too general to be accurate. Its benefit to us, however, is to provide a tool to gauge a group of individuals and identify possible correlations.

Even before the financial crises, Millennials lacked trust in established companies and long term loyalty. They witnessed their Boomer parents work overtime at the same job for decades, coming home a little more stressed and gray every day for decades, only to lose their benefits, pensions, and even their jobs. Seeing this, many Millennials view companies and company loyalty as a means to an end, instead of a lifelong career. Many exited college during the financial crisis, carrying “a mindset of an anxiety-ridden job search… where they are forced to keep one eye open for fear of job security” (Nathan Peary, What Does Millennial Loyalty Look Like in Today’s Workplace, https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanpeart/2019/10/30/what-does-millennial-loyalty-look-like-today-in-the-workplace/?sh=56464bdb28f4). Even with this anxiety, it was found that Millennials were less likely to job-hop than Gen X (Kathryn Dill, Millennials Show Loyalty to Employers, https://www.wsj.com/articles/millennials-show-loyalty-to-employers-11582118467).

For Gen Z, they are about to graduate college in the middle of a pandemic, . Their lives upended just as they breached young adulthood. While it’s too early to know for sure, there appears to be a significant impact at the collegiate level. In a survey of 1,500 students, “13%… have delayed graduation, 40% have lost a job, internship, or job offer, and 29% expect to earn less at age 35… typically based on socioeconomic divides” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7451187/). With Millennials being impacted by two major crisis, the following generation is starting their working life following a similar setback. 

How do you think Gen Z will react? Will they favor choosing to make the most of life over work and career?