What's it like to be a Millennial in the Workplace?
What is it like to be a millennial in the workplace? Well, coming from someone from the most studied generation itself, I know this answer from first-hand experience. It is difficult, but easy. Boring, but exciting. Tedious, but interesting. Most of all, in my opinion, I would say it is extremely rewarding. I like to see positive things happen to the company I work for because of something I contributed. I aspire to do more than what is required of my job and move up in the company, which is a very basic goal of most millennials in the workplace.
However, not all millennials feel this way. A recent study showed only 29 percent of millennials are engaged while 55 percent are not. Surprisingly, 16 percent are actively disengaged. These types of millennials also change jobs more than any other generation; I believe this is due to their obvious disengagement from the workplace. Most millennials work very hard, but they value feedback, meaningful work, development opportunities, and recognition just like everyone else. The age gap between millennials and their seniors can cause differentiating views, but there are many similarities. This is something that can be easily overcome with communication.
In conclusion, the way this could be solved is with employers engaging with employees more. This includes trusting them with more assignments while occasionally, giving supportive feedback on specific pieces of work, being accessible and approachable, and the list could go on. At the end of the day, it is not only up to the employer, it is also up to the employee to have a good work ethic, good listening skills, a will to learn, and many more qualities. In conclusion, being a millennial in the workplace can be complicated, have its ups and downs and be very confusing moments, but millennials are next in line to take over the workplace industry. So, the only option is for us to step up to the plate.
About the Author
A student at Northern Virginia Community College, I am not a stranger to the non-profit world. I interned at the American Gear Manufacturers Association where I assisted the education, membership, and technical departments with various projects. Here at IACET, I am the Special Projects Assistant where I primarily work with the Marketing and Operations departments. I am the primary contact for social media and assisting or directing our stakeholders to the appropriate person to discuss their needs.