What Is a Millennial?

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  legalista05/20/08 Report as spam
  1

  You are making a huge assumption here

  that the baby boomers will retire immediately once they reach retirement age. Nothing is further from the truth. Every single boomer I know wants to continue working when they reach retirement age, although they are usually interested in flexible hours, part time work, or job sharing.
  
  As usual, I am afraid that in the usual rush to court youth, employers in the US are losing a very valuable resource - the older worker. Older workers generally have more experience than younger workers, have a stronger and more permanent work ethic, and they approach problems with more wisdom, and come up with more reliable solutions to problems than younger workers.
  
  Now that the myths that "older workers easily tire, and will not work at the same pace"; "they are more expensive than younger workers" and "older people cannot learn" have been exploded in part due to psychological and medical studies, I wonder what the new excuse will be for age discrimination amongst employers - I am sure they will come up with something new. However, they will be making a great mistake if they fire or encourage older workers to leave their employment, just to hire sexy, young, "cheaper" employees.
  
  I am a member of the boomer generation, and my son comes to me when he has a problem with the software or hardware on his computer, or indeed with any electronic device - he is not technical, and I am (I am also an older woman, another myth destroyed). I frequently tire him and his friends when we are on vacation, because I can keep going for miles without a stop, and they are all whining that they need a rest long before I do. I get up earlier, and go to bed later than they do, and have more energy. And yes, I do put in 12 hour days often at work, or what ever hours my high-powered job requires.

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  asellers4@...05/20/08 Report as spam
  2

  What is a Boomer?

  Generalizations about individuals lumped into a 20 year band are fairly odious and often inaccurate, and I rarely find an article detailing them that is remotely true.
  Especially regarding those born between 1946 and 1966.
  I agree that some Boomers are tech savvy and hardworking, and that they frequently have no plans to retire.
  I've even known a few that will mentor, though not many. Most would no sooner delegate a task than take a direct order, suggestion, directive, or even a recommendation from someone under 50. (The exceptions being, in my experience, physicians, scientists, and the occaisional Ivy Leager who can recognize a valid reason or argument.)
  Most Boomers seem to have some sort of reflexive resistance against a younger manager. Most need extremely polite hand holding to complete a complex task.
  Most are almost entirely unable to listen. Most Boomers are horridly undereducated in content or in the classics or in anything theoretical that doesn't involve Marx or Keynes, though they act as if they're Jeopardy champions.
  The majority of them I've met are decidedy not.
  Millenials may own neither a tie nor an alarm clock, and some WWII's need help turning on a computer. But they're entirely willing and able to contribute, and, perhaps most importantly, to play well with others.

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  Dr_Zinj05/27/08 Report as spam
  3

  Hey! I happen to be a boomer.

  It's odd how the "boomer" years keep expanding. At one point in time I was considered to be the very tail end, being born in 1959. Now I'm practically in the middle of the range.
  
  Tech savvy, not afraid of hard work (white or blue collar, doesn't matter), and not so much no plans to retire as insufficient financial security to allow it.
  
  People talk about mentoring as if it were some new-fangled idea. The concept was in constant use by the U.S. military for decades before the rest of the populace "re-discovered" it. I should know, I'm "retired" military; and the lack of a mentoring ideology in the civilian workforce was one of the things they briefed us on before discharge. The big deal was that if you mentored the person in a civilian job, they ended up not needing your services anymore; mostly because you're an older worker and supposedly cost the company more than you gave it.
  
  I have no problem with younger managers who are willing an able to listen to older workers. What many fail to realize is that a lot of those "new" ideas were already tried 2 or 3 times in the past. They seem to cycle through every 20 to 30 years. When corporate documentation is lacking or ignored, it's the older workers who remember those attempts; which worked, which failed, and more importantly, why.
  
  And yes, a vast majority of boomers are ignoramuses. Partly because of the bread and circuses fixation on sports of most Americans, partly because parents would rather see their child as a candidate for an athletic scholarship rather than a valedictorian bookworm who can think circles around any jock. Just turn on the TV to watch, "So you think you're smarter than a fifth grader?"

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  DarrylHuffman06/01/08 Report as spam
  4

  Generation X

  I am meneber of Generation X.I work with kids just out of highschool. They come to us all I here is complaints of how thier backs are hurting and the break room with cell phone is due them. I think this generation has not had to work and played video games so much they have calluoses on thier fingers.

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  tym@...05/20/08 Report as spam
  5

  RE: What Is a Millennial?

  Just a small nit to pick here. Not working overtime is hardly an unreasonable demand. In fact, working overtime is mostly an American affliction. Frankly, I find that people who understand this have a much better balanced life and are typically better employees. I tend to think of it as a sign of higher intelligence.(of course there are always just good ol' slackers who won't work the hours either) Overtime is a symptom of a poor plan or a poor execution, or simply a poor business, nothing else. Maybe I'm ahead of my time? I just know that my free time has always been priced much higher than any employer I worked for could pay. Now that I'm older and higher up the food chain (VP) I respect people who get this.

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  Edsahara05/20/08 Report as spam
  6

  Where will they all find jobs?

  "There are more millennials than baby boomers, and there are more than 50 percent more millennials than Generation Xers. If that makes you wonder where all these kids are going to find jobs, think again. We?re on the brink of a pronounced talent shortage as the baby boom generation nears retirement."
  
  I do wonder where all of these kids are going to find jobs. I agree with a previous poster that a lot of the Boomers are not going to retire at 65 and neither will the Gen Xers. The less talented millennials may have a tough time finding their "meaningful" work.

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  Nascent2605/20/08 Report as spam
  7

  Millenials will create jobs

  If everything written here is applicable then Millenials who can't find a satisfactory job will create their own. Many of them will become entrepreneurs or work at home.
  
  I am also part of this generation and I have felt time and again the need to work for myself, be my own boss. It's an urge that comes and goes. It gets stronger whenever I encounter some conflicts at work, disagreements with the upper management on how the workplace should be managed, for example.

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  tctwood05/21/08 Report as spam
  8

  A Parent's View

  I agree with the positives pointed out in the article however the reasons for the negatives need a bit more exploring.
  
  This is the first generation to have grown up taking computers and VCRS/DVD players in the home for granted. The cumulative effects of the entertainment choice overload from watch-at-home movies, video games, instant messaging and downloadable music ought to be considered. This leaves Millennials too easily bored, too often lacking in creativity and too easily frustrated when gratification is delayed.
  
  The aggressive of targetting of children by marketers with increasingly adult-oriented products and the over-involvement of parents in increasingly smaller families in the last decades of the 20th century has robbed them of parts of their childhood. As a result, too many enter adulthood as overly world-wise half-children prone to immature behavior as they try to compensate for what they missed out on.

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  ntillyer@...06/14/08 Report as spam
  9

  Couldn't agree more.

  Rather than the generations before criticizing the Millennial - how about accepting that a large part of their behavior is a product of our 'progress'. We created these kids in one way or another, good or bad and that is just the way they are.
  
  Who can remember their grandfather or father commenting on 'the youth of today' in a derogatory way?
  
  It is just another link in the chain of social evolution. Probably the biggest difference in this chain to that of our forebears is that the technology has driven forward at a frantic pace making the gulf seem greater than ever before.
  
  Accept and move on - did anybody stop to listen to how whiney 'we' sound when we complain about them versus how whiney they sound to us?

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  barbara@...05/23/08 Report as spam
  10

  The Millenial Advantage

  Interesting article. Born in 1977, I can completely relate to it. I have left 2 high-paying jobs in search of a better quality of life, not necessarily associated with making more money.
  
  I believe however, that as the baby-boomers are not necessarily retiring when expected, this surplus of labor could create a glut, unless my peers show their entrepreneurial tendencies. Indeed,generation Y is proving to be highly entrepreneurial, with the concept of the 30 year old (or less) business-owner becoming pretty common over the past 10 years.
  
  Millenial are highly effective workers, with a strong sense of quality of life. This makes us very perceptive managers and business owners, with a good grasp on successful HR management and a view to lead our business not only towards higher margins, but mainly, towards a better service for individuals, society and the environment.

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  EqualTIme05/23/08 Report as spam
  11

  Generation Whine

  I agree with much of this analysis on their strengths and weaknesses. I may have been the first to make the soccer trophy observation - all got the same trophy whether they were the goal scorer or couldn't run in the right direction. Schools made an effort not to cut high achievers out of the pack for fear of making the "C" students feel inferior. What a shock for them that an employer expects a days work for a days pay.
  
  I also see much of this in my 22 yr old son, a recent Big 10 grad now working for a biotech startup. I'd like to think he has an advantage of the "baby boomer work ethic" to the extent he could absorb it from his parents.
  
  In any event, I have received three seprate communications from three millenials working for my startup firm (40 employees). They have called my correction of one's error "harsh criticism"; told me I'd get more support if I said "please and thank you" more often (I do, on every email, they just don't read it"); and have criticized me for putting too much pressure on them for asking them to do the job they are paid to do.
  
  I can only hope this too shall pass as they mature. I saw a "consultant" on 60 Minutes' Millenial discussion say "having 4 jobs in your first 12 months out of college just isn't the stigma it used to be". OMG. Why would I want to hire someone who has a propensity to leave just as he/she is making a contribution?
  
  Still the greatest country in the world - but we need to help the next generation of workers by adjusting our K-12 education to better prepare them for the working world.
  
  Thanks for listening.
  
  ET

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  mmcguire@...05/23/08 Report as spam
  12

  Bridge the gap quick!!!!!!

  Before the baby boomer generation leaves the work force, there's something that must be said for all the hard work and effort this generation has accomplished in order for these millenials to even have the jobs. Many baby boomers should be thanked, while others should be smacked and placed in stupid camp for the rest of their lives.
  
  While most are strong driven individuals whose lives have passion and meaning, there are those groups of HIPPIES! that need to just go away for good. Sure some have come up with great ideas, fought government, and even changed the entire american lexicon, but a certain majority of them continue to preach devastating rhethoric to their millenial children which leaves them open to inevitable destruction. Case in point,...Can you name one young up and comming individual in today's society that you would consider a strong person that was not influenced by the "Peace and Love...man" mentality of their parents? I think not. If you can,... good for you. Have you done anything to educate the american public about that person? If not, shame on you. Go write a blog, or better yet, post a you tube video. If you don't know how,...ask a millenial.
  
  The gap must be bridged from the previous baby boomer generation to see what stong balls of steel, no nonsence, take no crap, give em hell attitude from the late 1940's can do for the millenials generation. That and the combined learned experiences from past generations all need to be emphasized in everything they do. From religion to politics, education and morality, we as a society can not afford to repeat the horrors that most of us have seen throughout our lives. If you havn't done enough to educate and mentor the milenials, then we're all doomed.
  
  In an age where information is available in an instant, and the knowledge to know what to do with that information rests largely with the judgements of the millenial generation, it goes without saying that they are the future, and like it or not, the baby boomer generation created them. If their judgements, attitudes, ideas, views on life and morality are not what you like, then you only have yourselves to blame. If you don't like it, I hope you're rich enough to go buy your own little island, because that's the only way you'll get away from it.
  
  Justice and fortitude are invincible. -McGuire Clan (Ireland)
  It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. - Frederick Douglass

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  kohlkf05/26/08 Report as spam
  13

  RE: What Is a Millennial?

  Gen Y's expectations are similar to gen boomer with the exception of personal space and structure. They have been brought up on questions and more questions and have been allowed to explore and find answers for themselves. This is't too different from their parents' except that they have had the benefit of internet and mobile which help speed up the discovery process. All these and many other factors (including wealthier parents and the spin offs therefrom, fading influence of institutional religions etc) have led to the present profile of gen y.

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  Miss Cybernaut08/09/08 Report as spam
  14

  RE: What Is a Millennial?

  Millenials that didnt create their most wanted top dream job are probably fighting with X-ers in their oldest and the most unproductive stadium - in their 70 years, still dont want to retire.
  
  But indeed they somehow figured out that retaining status quo is their very best managerial strategy. Stadium of old bears according to young tigers - bridge the gap quickly, as mcmacquire suggested, or they will continue to suffer and waste gift and potential!

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  emilyalys08/15/08 Report as spam
  15

  RE: What Is a Millennial?

  I am a Gen X and if you research the Gen X and Ys you will understand that mentoring and development is high on the list. We do want to experience fruition of our career (tomorrow), but we need the help of the Boomer and even the Vet to help us be the leaders of tomorrow. There is no need for the Boomers to leave so quickly. We can use our diversity as a strength of growth and overall development, together as one.
  
  The situation whether it is in the next 10 or 15 years is clear, retirement is inevitable. Grooming should begin now without any fear of replacement. The wisdom of the experienced senior employee is the missing link we need to bridge our education to leadership for tomorrow. Boomers should embrace the strengths of the generations, but at the same time, our cultures need to change for the new gens, just like the business model changed for the boomers with retirement accounts and pensions. Determine what motivates the Gens and the Gens won't leave. This is flex time (it's possible and is happening in Europe), a greener environment, succession planning, challenges, critical thinking processes, the ability to make a difference and mentoring. The changes need to occur now, so that the Gens stay in the company long enough to be wise when the Boomers do decide they want to retire. The Gens are even more educated than the Boomers, due to more opportunities. Use this to your advantage!
  
  Diversity and communication are the keys to success! Let's transition to a multi-cultural society.

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  klwhi44810/20/08 Report as spam
  16

  RE: What Is a Millennial?

  I am a Gen Y, this article is very interesting and really made me thinking where will I be in the next ten years? Currently I have been at my place of employment for the past 11 years, started as a part time gig to get through college, but ended up full time career. I guess what I am seeing as a Gen Y is the older generation being threatened by my age and my talent, I have been through many negative interactions with the older generations who just dont want to give the Gen Y credit when deserved, this is absolutely frustrating and really makes me wonder how is my future going to pan out when I am continually fighting to prove myself...if any of the other generations are reading this, take a look at how you treat the younger crowd, are you making a assumption that they are young and know nothing, or do you really give them a chance to shine?

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  stiggz11/11/08 Report as spam
  17

  RE: What Is a Millennial?

  What a crock of ****

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  stiggz11/11/08 Report as spam
  18

  RE: What Is a Millennial?

  There is no disadvantage to being tech-savvy in todays' fast paced online world. It's the Gen-Xers who are lazy, and unproductive.. I really hope that they do retire before 70 because the last thing any of us need going into the workforce is a bunch of grumpy old men telling us the way business should have been done 20 years ago. Everything has changed. And what hasn't changed is destined to fail.

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  lilygreen03/23/09 Report as spam
  19

  seller tools

  i do not think so

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  herryalbet03/31/09 Report as spam
  20

  RE: What Is Real buy guide

  The wisdom of the experienced senior employee is the missing link we need to bridge our education to leadership for tomorrow. Boomers should embrace the strengths of the generations, but at the same time,Millenial are highly effective workers, with a strong sense of quality of life. This makes us very perceptive managers and business owners, with a good grasp on successful HR management and a view to lead our business not only towards higher margins, but mainly, towards a better service for individuals, society and the environment.

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  Ansaroff07/17/09 Report as spam
  21

  Higher Level Millenials, To An Extent!

  The vast amount of consultants and close-by advisors are
  necessary to any young businessman. Commonly, the Millenial
  would boast of their innate need to be on top. Yet, if it was
  not for the years and decades of decision-making skills-which
  are required on every level to become successful-then the
  agitations of the Millenials would not exist.
  Conventional wisdom is key to any successful business. In
  any entrepreneur's field of expertise, countless situations
  have already forced them to make the more ethical,
  universal, and productive decision. To the Millenial this is not
  something that they could ever normally find. There would
  have to be vast self-denial of the 'strong sense of quality of
  life' that I hear so much.
  Completing the high-level college class does place any
  Millenial at a higher level of thinking. However, the higher
  level of a Millenial's mentality is completely different from their
  level of decision-making abilities. It is too difficult to even
  imagine, much more explain: how can a Millenial ever be faced
  with enough dilemmas where they would be forced to make
  the more ethical, universal, and productive business decision.
  

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  estetik10/23/09 Report as spam
  22

  RE: What Is a Millennial?

  Overtime is a symptom of a poor plan or a poor execution, or simply a poor business, nothing else. Maybe I'm ahead of my time. gogus buyutme estetigi, gogus diklestirme estetigi, estetik