Admit it. Your personal biases regarding the millennials have come up in professional conversations. You couldn’t help yourself. (Or, could you?) Perhaps you were triggered by a comment, behavior or situation at work. Or you may be oblivious to the fact that the disparaging lens you use to view them, or indeed any team member that is different to you, is reflecting on your leadership style and your business. Whether you are reacting consciously or unconsciously, the time has come to stop bashing millennials.
Some may argue that perception is reality when it comes to opinions and experiences regarding interactions with millennials. Nonetheless, there are compelling reasons to strongly counter this line of reasoning:
The economic cost to your employer brand
Your employer brand conveys your organization’s identity in the eyes of prospective talent. Therefore, to label an entire demographic who happened to be born in a specific time frame as “lazy, entitled, selfish, arrogant, narcissistic, self-absorbed, impatient”, etc. (terms often used to describe millennials) does nothing to advance your reputation and appeal to a sought-after generation of workers. Competition for their skills has never been greater, especially when you realize that millennials now represent the largest cohort of the workforce in North America. By 2025, they will represent three-quarters of the global workforce. [Read more…] about Why It’s Time To Stop Bashing Millennials
