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The Job Description Nobody Wants March 04, 2015 (0 comments)
Merrick, NY—Every 20 years or so, a new generation enters the workforce and brings a new set of standards that sends older workers into fits. For every Boomer manager who sees Millennial workers as spoiled, entitled brats who want everything in an instant, LOL, there was a GI-Generation manager who thought the long-haired, self-absorbed Boomers were going ruin the country for sure.
But HR consultant and author Jamie Notter of Switchandshift.com says many attitudes that seem generational are actually a reflection of their jobs, not their age.
So Millennials crave work that has meaning and engages them? Surprise, so do many Boomers. They’re the entrepreneurs, social activists, and artisans of the generation, not the corporate nine-to-fivers. Saying that Millennials have loftier ideals (or less of a work ethic) than Boomers or Gen-X’ers sets up a detrimental, counterproductive atmosphere in the workplace, says Notter.
A narrative that says work means too many hours in a joyless environment that demands too much of our time so we can’t wait to retire to finally enjoy life is a scenario that just as many Boomers as Gen-X’ers as Millennials want to run from. And Notter says that’s a job description, not a generational difference.
But one thing that does set the Millennial generation apart from their Boomer or Gen-X colleagues is that they apply a digital mindset to everything they do. The Boomers and X-er’s may have invented the digital world, but the Millennials are the ones that grew up with it as an everyday part of their lives, and it profoundly shaped their expectations in everything they do, not just in terms of actual technology.
Millennials expect management to puts the “user experience” above all else, just like a good website does. In the workplace, the employee is the user, and the Millennial employee expects the experience to be as tailored to his needs as a good website is.
It’s hard to make a website equally appealing on a tablet, smartphone, and desktop, but since that’s what users expect web designers have to provide it because in the digital world, success comes from making things easier for the user.
Likewise, a Millennial employee expects the workplace to be customized and flexible. Certain processes (such as take-in or security procedures) are necessary, but a formulaic, rigid micro-management style is a turnoff to all generations but Millennials in particular.
Creating a flexible environment can be harder for a company, but the rewards—reaped in employee engagement and commitment—are tangible. Not only will Millennials care more about a company that cares about them, but every generation of employees will appreciate the benefit.
Top image: Telegraph.co.uk