Issues that matter to Millennials Millennials as a whole also demonstrate more optimism about the future than the other generations. They are more passionate than the older generations, with 27.2% falling into the Passionate group compared to 14.2% of Baby Boomers and 18% of Generation X.
Strauss and Howe ascribe seven basic traits to the millennial cohort: special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, conventional, pressured, and achieving.
Millennials value experiences, personalization, authenticity, and transparency. They appreciate companies that are socially and environmentally conscious, and also value flexibility, communication, and collaboration.
Millennials are like all employees who may carry certain expectations for their place of work and have a strong desire to succeed. They may seek ways to connect with colleagues and managers and volunteer feedback so that their career goals are known.
Due to their independent nature, Millenials are not as interested in teamwork as other generations. Millennials do not have as strong a work ethic, with an average of 38.8 hours spent at work a week compared to previous generations who both average above 40 hours8.
Common stereotypes associated with millennials, roughly defined as the generation born since 1980, are well documented and mostly negative. Millennials are presumed to be lazy, entitled, delusional, narcissistic and unreliable.
According to a recent survey of 1,300 managers, three out of four agree that Gen Z is harder to work with than other generations — so much so that 65% of employers said they have to fire them more often.
Millennials believe in activism.
In 2017, voting topped the list of the most actions taken by millennials and the action they deemed most likely to be influential; 71 percent consider voting as activism.
Millennials: Work Ethics and Values
For Millennial employees, work experience is of utmost importance. They desire a work environment that fosters personal and professional growth, with opportunities to learn new skills and develop their careers. Flexibility is also essential for this generation.
Despite stereotypes endorsed by older generations, millennials are one of the hardest working generations. Over a quarter of them work 2 or more jobs. The number of weekly working hours is also astonishing for this generation, with 73% working more than 40 hours per week, and almost 25% working more than 50 hours.
They prefer written communication.
Most millennials would rather leave the telephone untouched and streamline their workload using written communication methods. Sending out a message via email or instant messaging is a quick, effective way to get in touch with someone.
Millennials are the most diverse, tolerant, connected, educated, and idealistic generation ever. Or the most narcissistic, lazy, entitled, coddled, distrustful, and disconnected. Or the most downwardly mobile, debt-ridden, unlaunched, unmarried, unchurched, and apolitical.
The millennials believe the order should be as follows: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. The major differences are the different valuations for extraversion and openness to experience.
Flexibility and Multitasking. As already mentioned, the Millennial Generation is able to accept different cultures. Hence, flexibility means that Millennials are able to work with new people, places, and situations. Although they do not expect to change, they are ready to accommodate to new things and people.
Baby boomers are typically more traditional than millennials in terms of lifestyle. They are more likely to be homeowners and to live in traditional nuclear families. On the other hand, millennials are more likely to put off getting married and having kids later in life.
According to a recent study by PwC, work-life balance is important for 95% of Millennials while being 'very important' for 70% of this generation.
According to Gallup, 6 out 10 millennials (57%) answered that work-life balance and well-being in a job are “very important” to them. As a result, they are more likely to leave a job as it doesn't meet their needs in terms of salary, benefits, or workplace culture. Let's dig deeper into these reasons!
Also known as digital natives, millennials are those born between 1982 and 1994 and technology is part of their everyday lives: all their activities are mediated by a screen. The concept of on and off is completely integrated into their lives.
Millennials are most worried about saving money, managing debt, and planning for retirement.
Gen Z has been called the 'most depressed generation' with the least positive outlook and diminished emotional and social well-being. They have more unmet social needs than any other generation. The statistics for their behavioural-health issues – mental and substance disorders – are alarming.
Over 50 million workers said goodbye last year, and it's a trend that's shown no signs of slowing, based on the latest months' data. The Great Resignation was increasingly dominated by Gen Z.
Generation Z (Gen Z) is currently between 10 and 25 years old, born between 1997 and 2012, and research suggests that they are the most anxious generation to date.