What you should know about “Millennials” in the workplace!

Posted by on Jan 24, 2014 in Generation Y, Millennials | 0 comments

According to a recent study, Millennials – aka Gen Ys – have two distinct generational characteristics that seem to be in conflict in the workplace.

While millennials, or Gen Y (as they’re also called), may be known as the tech-infused generation, a recent study found that the majority of them crave more in-person collaboration with colleagues and less of what the current workplace paradigm serves up: a culture of emailing, texting and telecommuting.

The study overlooks the fact that Millennials are, as are all generations, multi-faceted. The more of their generational characteristics you know, the better you can manage their strengths and their challenges.

So:
1. Millennials ARE digital citizens. They are lost without their smartphones, their tablets, their earbuds;

and,

2. Millennials ARE social creatures. After all, they were raised being team-taught, team-graded, and participating in team sports.

These two characteristics are not in conflict, they are complementary. A generationally-savvy workplace – one that wants to keep its best Millennial workers – offers them a bit of both.