Essay on Generation Differences: Millennials in the Work Field

In the article “A Generation of Slackers? Not So Much”, by Catherine Rampell, the author analyzes and challenges the popular stigma that Millennials are the laziest generation to have ever existed. Rampell begins her article with a staggering fact: “The unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is a whopping 17.6 percent” (Rampell 388). And according to seventy-five percent of Americans, “Today’s youth are less virtuous and industrious than their elders” (Rampell 388). This may seem like an incredibly high percentage of Americans, but you might be astonished to learn that even “Two-thirds of millennials said older adults were superior to the younger generation when it came

Why should Millennials be ridiculed with the feeling of entitlement towards their career? They have spent their entire lives building a strong foundation for this specialized career that is intended to make them both successful and happy. It’s not a dumb move either, to find a elite job and enjoy it is a very strategic idea in order to create the lives Millennials intend to carry out. Millennials are being raised in an economic recession similar to that of the Depression era. They have the same mentality to work hard and save money, unlike the spendthrift Generation X (Wright). Millennials are bringing a new work mentality, rather than working to make a living and being unhappy they are choosing a career that they love and adjusting it to make it enjoyable and be productive at the same time (Freisse). Probably the biggest, most important factor is that with this new attitude of Millennials, work is going to be evaluated by performance not attendance (Jowett). This is going to increase productivity and weed out those who are not working hard. Today’s generation, Millennials, isn’t a bunch of sensitive, can’t do it, dummy’s like is believed. But an intelligent, hard working, compassionate group of people.

Millennials have a different point of view on what they expect on their work experience. Most

To start, this shift towards a shared economy is giving Millennials a bad reputation. Instead of focusing on their spending habits, Huffington Post blogger, Tim Urban, targets the work ethics of the younger generations in his article, “Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy.” In fact, Urban believes that younger generations were too spoiled in their childhood, so by the time adulthood hit they were destined to be failures. In addition to

It is important to keep in mind that each generation sees the world through a unique lens that forms as a result of the events that were taking place in the world as these individuals grew up. Brenner focuses on the different events that have shaped their values and their perception of work. For example, the Veterans went through World War II and grew up with a strict regimen. As such, quality, respect and authority are important to them. Baby Boomers embraced the value of having to sacrifice to get ahead. All that sacrifice makes them very loyal. Generation X workers were the latchkey children who watched their Boomer parents forge a new workplace. They were also the first generation to grow up with technology. As such, this generation cares more about productivity and less about the number of hours spent on the job. Millennials are a generation entrenched in technology and therefore urn for instant gratification. They bore easily. Because they best understand how to maximize technology, they value a balance between work and

Millennials are categorized in many differ ways. Some people believe Millennials are lazy and narcissistic while other people believe they are more open-minded confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and receptive to new ideas and ways of living. This starts different disputes between individuals. For example, Hasan Piker argues Simon Sinek statements made in the video, “On Millennials in the Workplace.” Sinek uses his motivational speaking skills to persuade the audience that Millennials, people reaching young adulthood in the early 21st century, are catered to and entitled. He uses four examples that back up his reasoning: parenting, technology, impatience, and environment. In contrast, Piker responds differently, believing that Millennials work for their status. Piker argues Sinek’s views about Millennials in the video “Young Turks on Millennials.” Both Sinek and Piker use different rhetorical strategies to entertain and persuade their audience about Millennials.

Most Americans are very opinionated on all topics i.e. religion, politics, sports, etc. It has been made pretty clear that the Baby Boomers think that they are always right compared to what they consider the future generation, Millennials. We are now in the year 2014 and what they used to consider the future generation has become the current generation that is taking over. “By 2025, Millennials will account for three out of every four workers globally (Zent).” As the Millennials start taking over the work force it is important for the Baby Boomers to accept them and show them how to successfully do their jobs without judgment. The other generations look at Millennials and

“Young people have no work ethic these days “. This is a common statement that I hear all to often. Especially, when people are talking about millennials. Which is wrong just because someone is younger does not mean that they are not dedicated to their work. Furthermore, it is wrong to paint everyone with the same brush.

Millennials are growing up in the information age and have many advantages that previous generations did not possess. Unfortunately, there are skills that these kids lack that are essential for today’s world called social responsibility. This can have the traits of perseverance through tasks, dependability, and work ethic. In the article, “Experts Zero In on Nonacademic Skills Needed for Success” by Sarah Sparks she explains in great detail of the faults in our generation.

Learning is something that defines the millennial generation. While some some may call us lazy, I’d say we care more about ourselves. We will question the social norms of working a job we don't like and job hop to find one that makes us happy because we know that the happier we are, the better we perform. That idea also shapes how we affect the world. We try to make entice change by having rallies, such as the Women’s Marches, and bringing awareness to issues, such as bullying and suicide, through our use of the internet because we know that happier people equal a better place for

The four major societal factors that caused millennials to struggle in today’s workspace is parenting.technology, impatience, and environment. First, failed parents strategies some parents always told their kids that  can have anything and never really have to work for it. Secondly, technology is that more kids are focusing more on what’s on social media than what’s happening in the real world. Thirdly, Millennials are very impatient if they see anything that they want they have to have it. Fourthly, environment everywhere we go there's technology. The effects social media have on millennials is putting filters on things to “prove” to people or make it look like you're living this perfect little life. It’s highly addictive. It’s so crazy how, that people go on social media to talk about their problems and look for solutions on the internet instead of talking to a family member or someone that totally gets them. When people are stress  they don’t turn to their peers or family member they turn to

In a work environment everybody wants to climb the totem pole. For Millennials, they want to rise to leadership without working too hard for it. They are trying to reach the leadership positions as fast as they can and at times they are unprepared for the position they enter because they have not experienced enough along the way. Where Millennials are too fast to rise to leadership, people considered to be Generation X, who are known for their hard work ethic and experience are often complacent in the workplace. Though they gained their experience (unlike Millennials) by working their way up the chain of command and gradually paying their dues and though they also do not expect to be handed a higher position, like Millennials who feel entitled to higher positions in the workplace, they are also not as motivated as Millennials. (Bresman)

Although many millennials are too absorbed in technology to work efficiently, the younger generation is a vital addition to any workplace. The modern society of advancement has raised millennials to believe that a higher education and a successful career are essential early in life. Society expects millennials to complete their education and pursue bigger aspirations, such as a successful career, without taking a pause for more philosophical actions. A fast-paced world has created a societal standard of hard work and long, conventional careers in most of the previous generations. However, the increasingly advancing world around the millennial generation pressures the job-seeking recent college graduates to live at a high societal standard and obtain success through a stable career. Due to the advanced society of high career-oriented standards and the effects it has had on millennials’ aspirations, the younger generation is determined to become successful soon after graduating from college, creating a strong work ethic that is beneficial to any company despite the generation’s saturation in technology and weaker endurance in the cutthroat world of modern business.

The workplace of today involves interactions among people from four different generations often causing much conflict for leaders and organizations. Each generation represented has its own set of different values and beliefs. These differences can easily lead to conflicting barriers within the workplace. This can pose a significant problem for those in leadership. In order to combat this issue, leaders and organizations can effectively deal with these issues by offering different programs such as executive mentoring, town hall meetings, and leadership seminars for those in leadership.

In “Millennials in the workplace”, Simon Sineks shows his empathetic and humorous side in his interview, describing Millennials in general, but pin points to the ones in the work force today. He does this by showing behind the scenes as to why Millennials are the way they are. He states his four main points of “Parenting, technology, impatient, and environment” (Sineks, interview, 2017, time). What Simon Sineks states throughout the interview is totally relatable to me as a millennial, I could see myself in action from my habits by the many scenarios he explains. So yes, I agree with his main points as to why Millennials is the way they are, but having two out of his four being a part of the cause more than the others. Technology and environment are huge in having children not fully develop their best possible selves. To understand this better you have to consider the individual who live in third world countries compared to the US. When Sineks gives his main point’s his purpose is to give it to anyone who uses their cell phones and social media. Many can accuse millenniums of this habit because yes, we are always on our phones, however, this could also be in effect on generation X.