Millennials: The Hope for Businesses
Ah, millennials. This generation, those born between 1981 and 1996, has indeed taken over the world — the workforce included. A majority of the labor force in America composes of millennials, accounting for over 35% of the entire workforce. This generation is now considered as the largest generation to make up the employment scene.
Criticism from older generations
Despite their vast numbers, millennials have taken hits and criticism from older generations. People under this age group, particularly those ages 24-39, were seen as lazy, entitled, and were branded as “norm breakers.” This misunderstanding between generations can be explained by gaps in culture, personalities, and strengths. By nature, millennials just do things differently, hence ending up breaking the status quo. In the eyes of Gen Xers, the new majority generation are rule-breakers causing chaos in the workplace.
But the truth is, millennials see and act upon things differently. They have their own way of moving towards success. They possess characteristics that may seem unfamiliar and iffy to Gen X workers but are very beneficial to the growth of a company. For instance, they are creative, innovative, and practical, which is why they fit in well in careers in interior design, multimedia arts, and the like. All it takes is for business owners to appreciate what they can do and to welcome millennials in their rosters. This will help them reap the advantages of technological innovation, creative thinking, and more.
What can millennials bring to the table?
Millennials possess many strong characteristics that make them assets in the workplace. Here are some of them.
Technological skill
Millennials are very tech-savvy, considering that they were born in the age of technology. They don’t know what the world was like without the great invention of mobile phones and the development of the Internet. So they carry with them an inherent knowledge and skill in technological devices.
Studies show that millennials have become obsessed with technology, with nearly 100% of their entire age group admitting to using the Internet frequently. But instead of seeing this as laziness, businesses must change their perspectives. This technological know-how, in fact, makes millennials the key to technological innovation. Survey shows that millennials prefer working in businesses that are spearheading tech innovation, such as Apple, Tesla, and Amazon. A job where they can put their technical knowledge and skills to work is more appealing. Hence, you’ll find that millennials are more likely to work in the fields of digital marketing, business video production, graphic design, and the like. With the assistance of millennials, companies can mold their digital approaches and stay more relevant and competitive in the modern era.
Individuality
Business, before the millennials took over, went by processes and procedures. These were strictly followed by employees, and everyone was thinking and doing the same things on a daily basis. That’s one of the reasons why Gen Xers think that millennials are rowdy and lazy — they disrupted the processes and instead, thought out of the box.
Millennials have a strong sense of individuality. They don’t think like the other employees in an office. They set different goals and have fresh visions on how to approach them. Hence, a company that fosters the individuality of their millennial workforce can stay competitive in the modern age. When businesses learn to recognize the uniqueness of each employee, the latter will be happier and more motivated in the workplace.
This goes without saying that millennials are definitely assets to organizations, given that they have a more modern and creative approach to working. Their characteristics, molded by the modern age and the advent of technology, help them think outside the box. Hence, they are able to open doors of opportunities for any company they work for.
