I recently started my MA at Carleton, and my first elective course is Human Resources Management. It complements my current work as a volunteer coordinator quite well, since I do a lot of recruitment, hiring, screening, etc. We started the course by examining the work force and talked about the 4 different generations that are all currently sharing the workplace. It’s difficult to negotiate benefits, project and program structure, compensation, feedback and management styles that will suit and sustain 4 different generations. I found myself belonging to the Millenial group … which I have to say didn’t quite please me. Although I enjoy any and pretty-much-all reminders of my youth and fresh-faced perspective (ahem.) the Millenials don’t exactly have the best rep in the working world. If you are born between the years 1981 and 2001, or thereabouts, and you’ve never Googled the term “Millenial”, don’t. The working world has an extreme disdain for us, apparently. Admittedly, I fall on the more elder end of that spectrum so perhaps I am not quite as selfish, tech-savvy and uncompromising as others, but I still seem to fit into this category. (No comments please.)
I realized this all too quickly as the prof began speaking about Millenial expectations in the workplace, and I thought, “What the heck is wrong with that?” … repeatedly. What’s wrong with wanting recognition for your hard work? What’s wrong with wanting immediate feedback from your supervisor and a genuine relationship with the leaders of your organization? What’s wrong with looking at failure as “Needs Improvement”? (Ns on report cards…. anyone remember that scoring system?)
I guess the only word that I would take serious offense to would be ‘entitlement’. I know what entitlement looks like and I can’t speak for everyone but I work really hard for what I’ve earned and couldn’t see myself doing otherwise. However, there seems to be this real backlash against our generation actually GETTING anywhere. I know it sucks that things move really quickly and for whatever reason I can’t unplug, I hear you, I hear you, I feel ruined most of the time too, but I still think I deserve a modest retirement and those two things do not equal one another.
Anyway, I can’t pretend to sum it up as nicely or as visually as Mr. Matt Bors, who put together this wicked comic strip telling everyone to relax, so please check it out. It’s pretty awesome. And then still don’t Google ‘Millenial” it’s totally upsetting. Just stay totally ignorant and totally superior, it’s way better!
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/opinion/bors-millenial-comic-strip/index.html?sr=sharebar_facebook
3yearstothirty 