A Boomer to Millennials: Lessons I’ve Learned and Lessons I’d Offer

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

There is no question that the generation gap between baby boomers and millennials is dramatic. It includes a vast array of personal and professional differences that cannot be simply dismissed as so many boomers would like to do. I can’t even count the number of conversations I’ve had with boomer colleagues who complain about the millennials’ “work ethic,” and how difficult it is to manage them effectively.

In Forbes’ 3 Millennial Myths Debunked By a Gen X’er, writer Rachel Ritlop says:

The stereotypes about millennials are plentiful: they are lazy, entitled, narcissistic, tech-obsessed, job hoppers, and the list goes on. According to Derek Yoo, cofounder and CTO of Fuze, the myths about millennials aren’t totally accurate and their untraditional habits can actually benefit organizations and initiate a company culture with better work-life integration.

Yoo himself is a Gen X’er but has overseen employees and customers primarily from Gen Y. Yoo reports Fuze was founded with the “idea to help businesses move from traditional communication systems, like a phone on the desk, to software that can be accessed from your cell phone or computer as the main means of communicating with employees”. In developing the software to bolster communications within companies, he learned a lot about the generational divides and what can be learned from the often misunderstood millennials.

Here are the five of the biggest stereotypes, and why you shouldn’t believe them:

1. Millennials are entitled and don’t want to pay their dues. On the contrary, this generation graduated into one of the worst job markets in recent history. They have staggering student loan debt for degrees that were supposed to give them job security but didn’t, and many studies show that their lifetime earnings will never equal that of their parents.

Adding injury to insult, many millennials have been unemployed or underemployed since graduating and now must compete against waves of more recent graduates whose skills seem fresher.

2. Millennials need special hand-holding at work and are high-maintenance. We’re told that millennials want a constant stream of praise, that they break under criticism and that they require more guidance than generations before them. The reality? They’re far from the first generation to need some adjusting when transitioning into the workforce, and they’re not the first to find the work world harsher than expected after the more nurturing approach of academia. Having a learning curve when it comes to figuring out how workplaces work is pretty normal; it was true of 20-somethings several decades ago, too.

3. All millennials are great at social media. It’s easy to think that because they grew up with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, all millennials are great with technology and social media. It can be easy for managers to think that their millennial hires would do a good job managing the company’s Twitter strategy. Perhaps they will, but making those assignments based on age is as wrongheaded as making them based on, say, what cars the employees drive or where they grew up.

Even millennials who are truly skilled at social media often won’t have the maturity or judgment to figure out the best content to use, how to frame it, how to handle sticky dynamics with misbehaving followers and other higher-level issues. Millennials are no more inherently equipped to excel at your social media work than they are at your public relations or accounting work. They need training.

4. Millennials are job hoppers. Much has been written about millennials’ alleged propensity for job hopping. They won’t stay at any one job for very long, we’re told. And having seen waves of layoffs affect their parents and older siblings, they don’t feel any loyalty to their employers or expect much loyalty in return.

However, the reality doesn’t back that up at all. In fact, according to the recently released 2017 Deloitte Millennial Survey, a new trend is underway. According to the report, millennials are increasingly loyal to their current employer:

38% plan to leave within 2 years, compared to 44% in 2016
31% plan to stay beyond 5 years, compared to 27% in 2016
7% plan to leave soon, compared to 17% in 2016

5. Because millennials grew up with the Internet and social media, they have no concept of privacy. On the contrary, the majority of millennials don’t splash their private lives all over social media, according to a study from Communispace and Google Consumer Surveys. The survey found that half of millennials say they keep the majority of their “real” selves private, with nearly one-fifth saying that none of their real selves is reflected in social media.

As a boomer who has managed several millennials, and as a parent of one as well, I must reluctantly admit the very real truth of these stereotypes. My bad.

So what’s a boomer to do? Refusing to accept the differences, or attempt to understand what motivates millennials, is not an option. In Manpower Group’s Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision, stats show that by 2020 millennials will comprise a third of the global workforce.

I believe that boomers and millennials have much to learn from one another, and that it benefits both groups to embrace their differences and take advantage of what they each have to offer. Some of the lessons I’ve learned from millennials include:

1. Digital Aptitude: Millennials are the first generation to be raised with online media. As young adults, these digital natives quickly adopt new technologies, then adapt them to fit their lifestyles. If something that suits them better comes along, they are quick to move on. Indeed, 24% of respondents in this age group chose “technology use” as the trait that sets them apart from previous generations, according to the Pew Research Center. Cases in point: A millennial staffer showed me a full three years before it was the norm why social media was important to our organization, and then showed me how to set up our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Because of this, we were way out in front on the medium nationally in the industry. And my millennial daughter has taught me many lessons about how to effectively market a business as I watch her use apps to shop online and check in with her pizza maker on the progress he’s making on her pizza real-time. Cool stuff.

2. Workplace Development: According to the 2020 Vision report, rather than one long job for life, Millennials understand the need for continuous skills development to remain employable. Ninety-three percent want lifelong learning and are willing to spend their own time and/or money on further training. Four out of five say the opportunity to learn new skills is a top factor when considering a new job, and 22% intend to take an extended break from work to gain new skills and qualifications.

1. Lack of Loyalty: Although perhaps not “job hoppers,” there is an increased frequency in the number of jobs millennials take which can elevate the level of distrust by their boomer employers about loyalty to the organization. Companies invest signficant resources in hiring and training them, and are hoping for their strong performers to continue with the company to maximize this investment.

2. TMI – Total Transparency: There is a lack of awareness around privacy issues with many millennials. We have all heard about issues (and seen the lawsuits) relating to the practice of millennials posting inappropriate information on social media sites. This can be in the form of posting inappropriate personal information on their social media pages that are open to the public or posting personal views when acting on behalf of their employer. These types of activities can not only cause embarrassment and PR problems, but can actually cost the company money. It’s understood that millennials have never known anything else but online transparency, but with responsibility must come an understanding of appropriate uses and how too much information can negatively affect a company’s brand.

3. Personal Relationships: Because they have been born and raised on technology, communication by millennials via this medium is standard and preferred. According to Bruce Tulgan, author of Bridging the Soft Skills Gap, managers have the following concerns about their young employees:

“They just don’t know how to behave professionally.”

“They arrive late, leave early, dress inappropriately and spend too much time on social media.”

“They know how to text, but not how to write a memo or a letter.”

“They don’t know what to say and what not to say or how to behave in meetings.”

“They don’t know how to think, learn or communicate without checking a device.”

“They don’t have enough respect for authority and don’t know the first thing about good citizenship, service or teamwork.”

So, the ability to connect with people on a personal level and build social aptitude is even more important today as it is now a differentiator for hiring managers. Millennials must learn how to communicate effectively both online and face-to-face in order to build professional relationships that are based on trust and credibility.

There’s no question that millennials have a lot to offer the workplace, and to engage them should be top of mind for managers. As Wes Gay said in his Forbes article 7 Executives Share How To Effectively Lead Millennials, “…increased engagement has a direct impact on revenue, it is a great investment. Employees who are engaged and connected to their work are more productive, focused, and stay longer.”

That’s a win-win for both boomers and millennials.

Posted in [categ]