“Millennials are just plain lazy.”
“How do you manage a group that doesn’t want to do any work, and expects rewards for just showing up?”
“I just won’t hire them.”
Do these statements sound familiar? Millennials have gotten a bad reputation from popular media. But, you’d be surprised at just how much of your current workforce is made up of Millennials.
The Center for Generational Kinetics defines Millennials as those born between 1977 and 1995. Those employees of yours that are in their 30s and early 40s are, in fact, Millennials. Would you apply the statements above to them? Probably not.
At 80 million strong, Millennials now represent the most influential generation in the marketplace. They are quickly making up the majority of consumers and employees. So, for those of you saying that you don’t know how to manage this new generation, I have good news for you. You already are managing them.
Contrary to popular belief, managing Millennials isn’t that different from managing other generations. It just takes understanding their key motivators.
Millennials are motivated by having a work-life balance, a clear path for advancement and growth, and recognition for achievement. They are also more motivated if they believe in the value of the work. Does that really sound that different from Gen X, or even Boomers?
