I recently took part in some research that Rare Consulting are conducting all about generational differences in happiness and trust in brands. It was inspired by the headlines and articles we often see in the media about how ‘Millennials’ are so different from older generations and apparently so difficult to understand. Like other research, they found that there are some things that we all value: a sense of belonging and family, for example. But there are also areas where younger people have a different focus from older generations, particularly in terms of developing their self-identity and their career focus. Our new academic year starts this week and I know that for our final year students, this is the year that the reality of entering the workforce as a graduate all starts to become real for them.
There is no doubt that this step from university to full-time employment is a different experience now from 20 years ago. Today’s graduates have grown up in a world of uncertainty, where recession and widespread job losses are almost the norm. They know their careers will in all likelihood involve several changes of job and that the responsibility for their own development is largely in their hands. That means they are looking for organisations which will provide them with the opportunities or training they need in order to meet their career goals. But they have also grown up in a world which is more accepting of diversity than ever before, where they have seen an increasing variety of role models who have inspired them to think they can be successful in their own way. So they are also looking for organisations who will value their individuality and diversity rather than employers who want them to conform.
To outsiders, all this might look like these Millennials are too demanding and hard to satisfy. Personally, I don’t think they are any more demanding or hard to satisfy than someone looking for a ‘job for life’ or someone who expects the employer to provide an easy-to-follow career path. Even back in Ancient Greece, Aristotle wrote that young people “would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones”. I think it’s time we valued young people’s ideals rather than bemoaning the fact that they don’t seem to want to settle for the status quo.