POV on discussion and reply to the two students

Based on my personal experience and some of the articles that I have read in regards to Millennials, I believe that Millennials are very unique in the workplace. Millennials joining the workforce are employees born between 1980 and 2000. Unlike the Gen-Xers and the Baby Boomers, the Millennials have developed work characteristics and tendencies from doting parents, structured lives, and contact with diverse people. Before the year 1980, the white-collar workforce was predominantly occupied by males. Major organizations and companies during this time period were not diverse which caused the direction of ideas from the companies to be somewhat narrow minded. This generation of Millennials is used to diversity in the workforce because of how society has changed overtime. Unlike Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers, Millennials have dealt with more diversity in schools which as result has prepared them for diversity in the workforce. According to the article “11 Tips for Managing Millennials” by Susan Heathfield, Millennials are used to working in teams and want to make friends with the people at work. Millennial employees work well with diverse coworkers because they grew up in an environment in which diverse children were the norm.

Millennials seek leadership and even structure from their experienced coworkers and mangers but expect that you draw out and respect their ideas as well. One action employers can do to provide leadership is train management to coach and deliver positive feedback to their staff. Management should plan a lot of time teaching, coaching, and need to be aware of this commitment to Millennials when you hire them. Also, Millennials are always up for challenge and change. They don’t want to become complacent with doing the same job over and over. Employers should understand this and structure jobs around Millennials so that there is always room for growth and change. I personally feel that this is very important because based on my past experience of being a Millennial in the workforce, I found myself looking for other jobs that challenged me more once I had been with a company for more than two years. During that time, I felt that my potential was being restricted because the job did not present a challenge for me and there was no room for growth. Overall, this generation of Millennials is very unique and employers need to take action addressing the characteristics of Millennials so that they can stay competitive in the workforce.

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/tips-for-managing-millennials-1918678 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Student 2 Cameron

I think all generations in the workforce are unique, especially the millennials. Like the generations that work before them, the millennials have much to prove, even more with some criticism their commitment to their job and their work ethic. An article in entrepreneur.com by Jason DeMers titled “7 Bad Workplace Habits Millennials Need to Stop Making.” Highlights many problems millennials face in today workforce. I’ve witness some millennials who could change their overall approach to how they perform their job. Many key points that were illustrated in the article I quickly identified with working with people younger than me.

One of the biggest issues is assuming a certain behavior or action is okay. Every job has downtime where things are slow or merely no customer or clients are around. This is the time to get caught up around the office, not checking the cell phone or getting lost in conversation with fellow employees. Other issues are some job environments are becoming too comfortable. One major issue I have with millennials is them arriving to work late and thinking it is acceptable, where it is not which goes to the next point. Although I was born in the late 80’s, I often notice a lack of work ethic and professionalism in many millennials performing their job duties. Since their still young they may not have major financial responsibilities. This could create a half focus/devoted mentality of the job. Some of them just do not take their jobs seriously which is the problem.

Millennials tend to make demands instead of requests. Expressing your opinion is always important at the job, many companies today offer the open-door policy. Millennials inexperience sometimes go to their head, thinking they have the right to demand certain things. Instead if requesting for certain things and respectfully ask for them, they portray their selves in a better light. Not all millennials are like this, but some should reorganize their overall work ethic to mold them to better workers. Employers should not be lenient of millennials who are not committed to their job.