Young Perspectives

Thinking Out of the Box Young Perspectives

We Need "Dis-entanglement"

The career goals of young people are often perceived as a little schizophrenic. They want job security but also a great deal of work flexibility at the same time. On the surface those two things may seem to contradict each other. When they say they want “balance” or work flexibility, older employees and employers tend to hear “work less,” when usually what Millennials are saying is “I want to work differently” not less. But unfortunately, that translates into the misperception the younger generation doesn’t want to work hard and the conversation shuts down. Millennials don’t understand why they have to be in an office space every day at the same time to do their job. This creative, flexible approach to the way work is done can be one of the great strengths of the younger generation. Yes, the often asked “why” when given an assignment. Again “why” is perceived to mean “I don’t want to do the work.” But what they’re usually saying is “tell me why because I don’t understand the value of this task and what I’m supposed to do.” Communication styles need to adapt. Employers should switch from the authoritative, command-and-control model and make Millennials part of the conversational decision-making as much as possible. Recognize that Gen Ys were brought up in a more peer to-peer environment, where their parents asked for and considered their opinions. The careers of Millennials will be deeply focused on creativity and flexibility. After all, Gen Ys represent change, and people are always slightly frightened of anything new and untested. What’s necessary for the future success of youths and organizations is to focus on developing new ways of communicating more efficiently so that we can learn from each other.•

A Fiercely Loyal Team

Over 70% of Millennials will leave their first job within the first two years--the costs of which are staggering. Understanding what motivates this generation of workers means incredible opportunities for employers to attract talent from those that don't while retaining the talent they've invested in. To Millennials, a career doesn't define who they are; it expresses it. Consequently, they place heavy emphasis on work-life balance. Employers can capitalize on this desire by demonstrating concern for what happens both during work hours and after employees leave for the day. The majority of an employee's life occurs outside the walls of an organization. A new style of management recognizes that addressing the problem of turnover is more than simply rewarding employees financially. Millennials desire new challenges, an opportunity to grow in their skills, responsibility, autonomy and, most importantly, the ability to live fully outside the walls of their careers. They deeply value their relationships with families and friends and believe a career should not impede those relationships but promote them. Employers who encourage those values through programs such as workplace flexibility, results-based work environments, summer camps for their kids, or social activities will enrich the lives of their employees at work and at home. Consequently, they will find themselves not just in the position of having more qualified applicants than they can accept, but in the unique position of having a fiercely loyal team in place.•

CALI WILLIAMS YOST is the founder of Work+Life Fit, Inc. and author of the critically acclaimed Work+Life: Finding the Fit That's Right for You,the first "work+life "fit" handbook for individuals. TRAVIS ROBERTSON is a peak performance coach and the CEO of The Don't Settle Group and author of the book, "The Millennial Revolution: How to Prepare Your Business for the New Generation."