...Topic: Millennials at work: Should they be managed differently? Why? 1. Introduction In this day and age where change is a constant and where humans are considered the most valuable resource (Lepak and Snell, 1998), Human Resource Management is essential and vital to an organisation’s survival (Boxall and Purcell, 2000). This essay attempts to discuss on the reasons why Millennials should be managed differently as compared to Baby Boomers and some of the issues that organisations face in their efforts to effectively combine this generation into the existing workforce. The overall structure of the essay will follow in such an order where by it will start with the brief overall definition of Millennials and Baby Boomers for a clearer picture, followed by mentioning some of the defining characteristics of how Millennials behave in workplaces and the implications of it for Human Resource Managers. Lastly, this essay will conclude by reinforcing the stand that Millennials should be managed differently with the main points of argument highlighted as well as the future directions that HR managers can look to. 1.1. Millennials versus Baby Boomers To understand the significance of Millennials in the workplace, it is important to first define Millennials and its characteristics. The term ‘Millennials’ or more commonly known as Generation Y, is defined as any individual born after 1981 (Leyden et al., 2007). Other terms which refer to the same cohort include, Nexters, Echo Boomers...
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...Defining Millennials So how do you define the term Millennials? The term Millennials is usually considered to apply to individuals who reached adulthood around the turn of the 21st century. The precise delineation varies from one source to another; however, Neil Howe and William Strauss authors of the 1991 book Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069, are credited with coining the term. Howe and Strauss define the Millennial cohort as consisting of individuals born between 1982 and 2004. Overall, the earliest proposed birthdate for Millennials is 1976 and the latest 2004. Given that a familial generation in developed nations lies somewhere between 25 and 30 years, we might reasonably consider those the start and end points (techtarget.com). Millennials grew up in an electronics-filled, increasingly online, and socially networked world. They are the generation that has received the most marketing attention. As the most ethnically diverse generation, Millennials tend to be tolerant of difference. Having been raised under the mantra "follow your dreams" and being told they were special, they tend to be confident. While largely a positive trait, the Millennial generation’s confidence has been argued to spill over into the realms of entitlement and narcissism. They are often seen as slightly more optimistic about the future of America as other generations -- despite the fact that they are the first generation since the Silent Generation that is expected to be...
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...In the book “ The Trophy Kids Grow Up,” author Ron Alsop gives a broad visualization of how the self-centered, entitled, but yet dependent and generous millennial generation, shapes and changes the workplace, world, and educational fields as we know it. Mr. Alsop provides evidence of these beliefs by giving actual accounts from millennials themselves, feedback from companies, managers, parents, and teachers, and results from studies and researches. These millennials are looked down on by older generations and are believed to be headaches because of their sense of entitlement which forces them to lack common sense and reasonability. Despite their ignorance, millennials are very useful in the work field due to their ability to multitask and...
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...Millennial Generation in the Workplace Generational Issues in American Workplace To truly understand where our hiring focus should land, an appreciation of the different generations that are currently in our workforce in America is paramount. Betty Kupperschmidt defines a generation as an identifiable group that shares birth years, age location, and significant life events at critical development stages (Kupperschmidt). By undergoing the same experiences, these people are grouped together and share similarities that impact their work behavior. A cohort, known as a generational group, develops a personality that influences a person’s feelings toward authority and organizations, what they desire from work, and how they plan to satisfy those desires (Kupperschmidt). The Bureau of Labor Statistics believe that the projected labor force growth over the next 10 years will be affected by the aging of the baby-boom generation and, as a result, the labor force will grow at a slower rate (Toossi). The future participation rate projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the majority of those participating at ages 25 to 54, millennials and generation x, with 81.3 percent, and ages 65 and older with 22.6 percent, the baby boomer generation (Toossi). Although the prime age workers of 25 to 54 years old will still make up the majority, their rate is slowly decreasing. In contrast, the participation rate of workers aged 55 and older is increasing, and is projected to keep...
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...Entrepreneur article, “This is How Millennials Want to Be Managed,” Rob Reuteman explains how companies have to adapt Millennials, also known as Generation Y. The author uses surveys like from the Harvard Business Review and PricewaterhouseCoopers to explain what Millennials want from their employers. He also gives examples by using his interviews with other authors, a consultant and a CEO. This paper will analyze Reuteman’s article from the main points of who are Millennials, what issues the companies are facing by hiring Generation Y, and solutions for this “culture clash.” The first argument of the article is how to help minimize the frustration between older managers and Millennials. Lisa Orrell is the author of “Millennials Incorporated” and she advises companies on how to deal with Generation Y. She points out that Millennials do not feel valued or respected. One of the issues companies asks Orrell is “how to reduce the friction in the workplace?,” I could not agree more with her explanation that people will leave their managers, not the company. Companies need to adapt and “fire mediocre managers.” Reuteman mentions Dan Epstein to back up his arguments about the “culture clash” between Baby Boomers and Generation Y. Epstein is CEO of ReSource Pro, and 90 percent of his employees are Millennials. He sees a problem with mangers who expect millennials to respond well to the same training they received. This leads to a culture clash as millennials expect more accolades and faster...
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...Leading Intergenerational Groups The modern workplace is largely comprised of three generations working alongside each other, with two generations, the Baby Boomers and Gen X making being the vast majority at this point (50 percent and 39 percent respectively). [ (Gesell, 2010) ] The generation that built and shaped the modern environment in the post WWII years, ‘The Traditionalists’, have nearly entirely phased out of the workforce, but the echo of thier institutions and culture will be felt for years to come. The upcoming generation, the Millennials, have only begun to have an impact – and the impact they have as a generational cohort will increasingly dominate in the coming years. As a generation, the Millennials are 95 million strong. [ (Gesell, 2010) ] The 78 million Baby Boomers in the workforce now have long been accustomed to being the biggest generation with the most cultural clout, but they will inevitably have to cede the workplace (and society) to the Millennials, who are entering the workforce en mass now, and will be hitting their mid-career stride as the Baby Boomer generation retires. Managing the interaction and transition between the influence of these two massive generations will largely fall to Generation X, which is by size a smaller generation, but is sandwiched between the two massive groups, and is the generation to that the Baby Boomers can better relate to, and the Millennials will look to as more experienced elders. In “Generations at Work”...
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...MGMT 591: Leadership and Organizational Behavior Course Project The Impact of the Lack of Generational Diversity within a Small Company 1.0 Introduction & Overview Edge Solutions, LLC is a majority woman-owned IT solutions provider delivering superior customer service and support for impactful IT solutions that meet our customers’ business challenges across the mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Edge’s corporate headquarters office is located at 7 Old Roswell Street, Alpharetta, Georgia. This company was founded in 2008 at the kitchen table of Julie & Michael Haley. Julie’s professional background is corporate and legislative law and Michael served as Vice President and General Manager for a Fortune 500 hardware distribution company. Within a very short time, Edge started receiving notary in IT industry and business awards and professional accreditations for its business growth, level of service and expertise. In June 2012, Edge was named the 3rd fasting growing company in the nation by Inc. 500/5000. And the URL for the online site is http://www.inc.com/inc5000/profile/edge-solutions. At Edge, our team is dedicated to delivering the right solution with specific expertise in data center management, server and storage virtualization, storage management, data protection information management, eCommerce procurement solutions as well as asset and services contract management to small and midsize businesses. I am Edge Solutions’ rising Chief Information Officer (managing...
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...have decided to research on is based on the productive work environments for millennials. I shall focus on this topic by looking at how managers can manage and retain the millennials in the workplace. I find this topic interesting and relevant to research in the business context because as a millennial, I find it interesting how; based on the numerous research articles (which shall be further explained in this paper), there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding managing and retaining millennials and due to the research I discovered that managers can use Theory Y; also known as the behavioral theory approach (more people centered) to manage millennials. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRPAHIES 1- Kilber, J., Barclay, A., & Ohmer, D. (2014). Seven...
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...terms. In the first box I typed Millennials, in the second box I put workplace traits and in the third box I put generation x. When I searched I had over 1,000 hits so I narrowed it down by, using academic journals, then I narrowed down the years to 2008 threw 2013 and to make it even smaller I put I wanted full text which left me with 32 articles. After that I went threw about 15 before going back to the second article I came across and used. When I clicked on it, it gave me a description and all the information I would need and then rerouted me to ERIC to view the full text. 2) Summarization of the article LEADING THE CHARGE FOR CHANGE by: Susan Emeagwali Millennials, also known as generation Y, and the Net generation is someone born between 1982 to 2004. The Millennials are a generation like no other, with our love for technology, social networking, collaboration as well innovation, Our generation is forcing people to take us seriously in corporate America. The Millennials are asking the baby boomers as well as generation X to reevaluate how they do business in order to accommodate our generation; this is because we are the first digital generation in recorded history. Each generation has a persona, with core traits, the seven core traits of Millennials are: • Special: Older generations have done much to protect and nurture the Millennials, instilling in them their importance to their parents and to the nation. • Sheltered: Millennials have been the focus of the most...
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...different. Kids grow up thinking their parents are lame and then when they have kids of their own their kids think they are lame. Everything from the music we listen to, to the clothes we wear, to the activities and events we occupy our time with change from generation to generation. Generation X and the baby boomers do not understand rap and hip-hop music while generation Y doesn’t even know who the Beatles and the Bee Gees are. In this report you will discover what generation Y thinks of their work-related skills and if they have an accurate perception of what skills are necessary in the workplace. So just who is generation Y. Generation Y, also known as millennials, are a group of 80 million Americans born between the early 1980’s and early 2000’s that began entering the workforce almost 15 years ago. “Experts say by 2020 that half of the U.S. workforce will be comprised of millennials” (Reuteman 2015). With the generations before retiring from the workforce it is no secret that generation Y is quickly becoming the face of America’s workforce. It is essential that those in generation Y get an accurate perception of the work-related skills needed for jobs today. There are many work-related skills needed in our every day jobs. Obviously with the emergence of new technologies faster than we can blink using social media is an important skill to have. The ability to work with teams is becoming ever more important because we want...
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...DATE: 07/27/2011 Millennial Generation from hiring to training Student Name: SUJIN KIM Course Title: Leveraging Human Capital Introduction Millennial Generation in Korea, they are starting taking the lead in society. I am also same with them. My title is Millennial Generation from hiring to training. The reason why I chose as a topic is to share interesting information in way of hiring and training as though it is a short case study. I don’t know if how and what kinds of process other countries are carrying. I want to tell you current situation in workplace lively. I will describe current situation with a few examples focusing on new employees from my point of view as a work experienced person. I have organized my paper into two main sections. One is providing how to choose new employees and the second one is how to train for employees. I guarantee the following things are real Korean appearances now. Millennial Generation !? Hire like this ! I dreamed I could do significant projects perfectly and quickly in comfortable workplace when I get started my first job after graduation. As everyone knows, the high expectation comes great the disappointment. The companies should not leave as it is. They need to show reality of work environment to new employees. The young have a completely different set of values and expectations. If the companies do leave them, new employees would be frustrated and ready to leave their company. Here...
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...What are the challenges in managing a diverse age group of employees? Workplace diversity is productive for company to have and with the growth of the new generation entering the workplace brings along different thoughts, work quality and working ethics. The challenges faced by companies to combine employees from different age groups can mostly between Millennials, Generation X and the Baby Boomers. According to Karen Higginbottom (2016), one of the most notable difference between Millennials, Generation X and the Baby Boomers are, Generation X and Millennials placed greater emphasis on development generally and preferred to learn independently often using computer-based training or the Internet, whereas Baby Boomers and Veterans preferred...
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...through the use of technology. Nearly every human has access to a piece of technology. Even in remote locations around the world, technology is being used to bring people together (Macintyre, 2011). The workplace has also been significantly impacted through the adoption of technology. In a recent study published by the Corporate Leadership Council (2013b), globalization, economic change, and consumerization have created new realities for the workplace. These realities include the need for greater interdependence, frequent organizational change and flexibility, greater knowledge intensity, and more technology choices – all of which can be managed through the use of technology (Council, 2013b). With this increased demand for technology services worldwide, the information technology sector is projected to grow by 22% between 2010 and 2020 (Lockard & Wolf, 2012). In response to this demand, a higher percentage of college graduates are expected to earn a degree in the field of information technology and enter the workforce. The NACE Class of 2012 Student Survey Report (Koc, 2012) indicated computer science majors ranked highest - at 69%, to most likely to get job offers. The future success of organizations rests on the shoulders of tomorrow’s workforce. By 2014, millennials will account for 36% of the American workforce and by 2025, 75% globally (Schawbel, 2013). One of the most prominent challenges that leaders will face during this change will be to create and sustain cultures...
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...There are several ways to minimize the discomfort of power between new millennials and baby boomers in the workplace, making it easier for one to lead a baby boomer in a leadership role. One way is realizing that as a millennial we grew up in a digital world, something that a baby boomer is not introduced to till later in life. For a baby boomer, they may feel socially awkward talking with a millennial about technology, it could seem as a foreign language to them that will require time to become comfortable with. They may feel out of touch or lost at times but they are not helpless and we need to understand that in order to lead. Also it needs to be understood that we are all different and to stereotype a previous generation could be offensive and a dangerous occurrence in the workplace. For some baby boomers they could adapt very easily, some may follow your every command, and others may fight you every step of the way but it is important to not judge “Baby Boomers” as a whole. Also, as a millennial we need to know when trying to lead a baby boomer is that they grew up in an era of working, most put work over their personal life so trying to lead them may not be a difficult...
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...Generational Diversity in the Workplace Managerial Communications 10/14/2011 Today, the workplace environment is comprised of people, both males and females from all different cultures and generations. For the first time in U.S. history there are four different generations out in the workforce. A generation can be defined as a group of individuals born within a term years having similar ideas, goals, attitudes and experiences. It can also be defined as the average period between the birth of parents and the birth of their children. Resources differ as to when some generations start and end; a generation is usually around 20 years long. generational differences are based on broad variations in values that develop based on the contrasting environment and social dynamics each generation experiences as they come of age. In the workplace, these differences seem to be generating clashes around work-life balance, employee loyalty, authority, and other important issues.Generational differences are based on broad variations in values that develop based on the contrasting environment and social dynamics each generation experiences as they come of age. In the workplace, these differences seem to be generating clashes around work-life balance, employee loyalty, authority, interpersonal relationships and other important issues (Notter, 2007). Sometimes contradictions and problems arise when identifying the characteristics of a generation. Some studies in the 1980’s described...
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