In many ways, the Millennial generation has become something of a scapegoat to Baby Boomers. It’s not exactly innovative for an older generation to critique a younger one for being lazy, thoughtless, graceless, and more, but Millennials are often blamed for the entire breakdown of our modern society.
Particularly in the workplace, Millennials are critiqued for always being on their phones, being too concerned with “identity politics,” and not sticking with a job for long enough.
Instead of blaming either generation for these differences, let’s look at some of the things that have changed in the workplace in the years between the Millennial and Boomer generations.
Diversity Of Background
In the Boomer workplace, the vast majority of office workers were white men. Now, Millennials are the most diverse American generation. There are more non-white Millennials, and more multiracial Millennials, than there have been in previous generations.
This, when combined with the increase acceptance of LGBT folk and religious diversity in the Millennial generation, means that this generation of workers expect their own marginalizations to be respected, and expect their workplace to look out for the human rights of its employees.
Connected Technology
Millennials are often defined by their attachment to technology. They were the first generation to grow up with the internet at their fingertips, and many Millennials had cell phones and smart phones before they were out of high school. Millennials therefore are very fluent in social media, and are comfortable manipulating information in a digital environment.
Many Boomers had little to no exposure to technology outside of their workplace until very recently. Unless they work in the tech industry, they tend to be late adopters, and are often less familiar with the ins and outs of many pieces of social media and tech etiquette.
Nontraditional Experience
For many Boomers, their path to work was very clear. They graduated high school and went to work in a factory; they graduated college and went to work in an office. Maybe they went to business school or law school. But most people in an office would have had relatively similar experiences on their way to the workplace.
Millennials have thrown that idea out the window. Between the impressive feats necessary to get noticed at the very best colleges to the new statistics showing that Millennials go through four jobs by their early 30s, these workers often have deep areas of expertise while also having noticeable gaps in other areas.
Customer Connections
The online world has created an entirely different set of ways for customers and companies to connect. Before the Internet, companies basically relied on a variety of print and media advertising to get their message across. The system was fairly set. The Internet has dramatically disrupted how customers and companies communicate. More customers than ever expect their favorite company to be online, to be responsive on social media, and to be available by internet chat.
Thought Leadership
Two generations ago, thought leaders in an industry would probably speak at conferences, and the most noticeable CEOs might get a biography or a business written. More commonly, executives might publish articles in trade journals or other media. But more often than not, executives were really only speaking to other executives, and often only in their industry.
Now, with the expanded and more democratic playing field of the Internet, thought leadership isn’t just a way for executives to connect with each other, it’s also a way for companies to show their customers that they are a professional company with an interest in supporting their customers and clients.
Expected Benefits
One of the biggest changes in the workplace between Boomers and Millennials is the benefits that are expected. Boomers expected to go into the workplace and work the same job for years, eventually earning a retirement. Millennials expect to change jobs several times in their lifetime, and aren’t planning on being anywhere long enough to earn a gold watch. Instead, they want good healthcare, flexible leave time, the ability to work from home, and an understanding boss who wants to see them learn and excel in their field.
Understanding the difference between the Boomer and Millennial workplace would go a long way towards resolving the frustrations that tend to occur between Boomer bosses and their Millennial employees. Instead of assuming that the fault lies with one party or the other, if you’re seeing disagreements and problems in your work place, see what you can do to help both parties understand the other’s perspective.
What are the big differences you see between Boomer and Millennial workplaces?