What Millennials truly want
No, Millennials are not entitled. But they do want more.
Like everyone else, they want to be heard. They want to be allowed to share their voice and no, they don’t want to work a 70hr week – who does?
I have had the privilege to work with many Millennials over the years and have to say that they have helped me understand them better. I could even say that they have enabled me to take a step back and focus on my purpose – my end game! Taking the time to listen, so that I too could understand, what drives our future generation (deep down).
So, let’s take the time to reflect and see if you too might be able to see them through different lenses.
We all know that we can sometimes misinterpret part of a picture or a conversation and I believe this is what has happened over the years with our perception of our next generation – Millennials and Gen Z but, as a Mentor and Coach to several, I can assure you that our perceptions may be flawed!
As an aging generation, we were raised to respect our elders and to listen – not to speak up – especially as a female. So I encourage people to shatter this pattern, to share their voice, to stand up and be heard. That is when the innovations occur, when we have a brilliant idea or concept.
Millennials have been encouraged from a young age to have an opinion and to share them, to ask questions. But, as they enter the workforce, this is then discouraged. Why?
Are we uncomfortable listening to what they have to say?
Is it because they may just have a different perspective - one that is new and we feel uncomfortable with change?
These are all questions we can benefit from asking ourselves. Having a different opinion is not about our opinion being rejected – it is simply that someone has an alternative suggestion. Often, we tend to interpret someone questioning something that we have said or done as a direct criticism but there is we need to learn to not make it “personal”. They are not rejecting you or your idea. They simply are doing what they have been asked to do – their job!
So, here are the things that Millennials truly want from their job.
They want to contribute
When the way we are used to doing things is challenged, we tend to take it as a personal attack. This has always caused misunderstandings between generations.
Millennials just want to contribute – they want to know that they are there to serve a purpose and, if we are not prepared to listen to alternatives, then they see no value in sharing a voice. They simply don’t feel valued and become disenfranchised.
Being valued and trusted
In February this year, I was speaking at a National Conference across each of the major cities and one key message was about flexibility for our workforce (change in many ways for the industry). During this conference I had several CEOs advise that they did not see the need to become flexible – they did not want to have people working shorter weeks or to allow staff to work from home. Why? Well, that is not what they did and they could not monitor what their staff did if they worked from home.
What I heard in that message was – they did things one way and it worked so they did not see the need to change. More importantly, I also heard in that message that they lacked the trust of their staff if they could not see them in the office.
From experience, no matter if my staff worked from home or in the office, I trusted them wholeheartedly. I did not need to see them to know if they were working. Their values were aligned with mine and I know that that they would undertake to complete the work at hand irrespective of where they were. After all, I travelled all the time for work, and I trusted them in the office without me there. If I was to look at myself – I too could fall into the category of not working as I was seldom in the office but my Board/ Directors trusted me!
Working with Purpose
Our future generation will stay on track, perform, and excel when we value them and they feel like they are contributing. If they can see that the company that they are engaged with has a purpose – they can share your vision and take part in that end game!
I know that at times it feels like they keep pushing. But, as I see it, they contribute to change and growth by constantly asking “what else?”. I see it as them expanding our lenses.
Maybe we simply aren’t hearing them in the way that they are delivering their message. So, is it simply that their message needs to be delivered so that we can accept it for the way it is intended? To help!
Shifting control in the workplace
There’s a thing called life/work balance that we have been hearing about for several years. Yes, well they want that, and let’s face it so do we! So why do we begrudge them for wanting the same thing?
Nobody wants to work 40 hours per week anymore let alone a 70h week! We have been seeing the pendulum swing over the past few years and the early adopters are already moving to a 4-day week so again why do we begrudge the Millennials for asking for more downtime? Isn’t it about productivity or output?
I predict that by 2040 we will see more contractors enter the workforce and Millennials will take the reigns in this regard. There will be more people becoming self-employed and taking charge of their own destiny. They will be working remotely and perhaps as they travel across the country. No matter what, the working week will be somewhat different and the workplace will be filled with contractors.
This was the message I started to share in February 2020 and now, well, let’s face it 2020 has enabled everyone to see just how simple it really is.
The future: a better work-life
As the confident Millennials step into their own path, taking charge of their destiny, no longer fearing being self-employed and living in the shadows of an employer who cannot display purpose, value, and flexibility, the workforce will see a shift to what I call a better “work-life”.
Contributing to a vision that is beyond themselves as individuals forms part of their purpose, they simply want more not just for themselves but for all across the world. Staying with an employer that drives a long week and gives excuses as to why it is necessary will be part of our history.
And for that, 2020 has been a wonderful year that has brought about clarity and enabled everyone to reflect and gain insight on what they truly want. If it is not today, it will be in the immediate future. Don’t accept what is now – reach out for want you want and what you deserve no matter who you, how old you are.
I am sure that no matter where you sit on this topic, you will be able to appreciate that there are always two sides to a coin just as there are to any situation (perhaps more than 2 sides at times). But unless we are prepared to flip and see (or listen) to the other side, we will live within our own thoughts and perhaps remain part of history instead of creating the path forward so that others may follow.
Are you prepared to keep surging forward? What does that look like for you?