The Millennial generation, the youngest in the labor market today, were born in the 1980s and 1990s, and are deeply involved in the world of employment, some of them already in management positions. Is a different approach required for this generation and why? What is the perceptual and behavioral difference that stems from the period in which they grew up, amidst a global revolution, and how is this reflected in the world of work?
The significant differences stem from the fact that this is the first generation born into a rapidly developing, available and accessible technology, into a global world that allows for the free movement of knowledge, brands, ideas and accessible movement. Growing up in such a global space creates different basic perceptions than the previous generation that entered the fast-paced and global world with more traditional perceptions of time and change. When everything is easier and more accessible and information is available, thought patterns about knowledge, wisdom, experience, hierarchy and more change.
The questions that trainees raise are questions that arise for many people, but the most significant difference is the young age at which these questions arise and are explored. Questions about essence, is this right for me, what do I even want, why me, what does this mean for me due to the abundance of possibilities the world has to offer come earlier. And when these questions are not answered in the workplace, there is a rapid departure, already in the first year due to a lack of connection to the system, to the direct manager.
The worldview of rapid change also means, among other things, that long-term relationships or organizational loyalty are not part of the vocabulary. The perception of time as a year and how much I have to do and be in one place before I get the promotion I think I deserve is different from previous generations. There are high expectations for quick success, as part of what is seen on social media, a social educational perception of I determine my happiness, I deserve it, impatience and the need for a quick response, create very high self-pressure for success that ultimately leads to rapid burnout. The impact of such a perception on work in organizations is a significant investment in employee absorption that goes down the drain in too short a time.
There are two sides to this issue that are important to work on: the first is the person's own worldview, whether it serves them and what can be done there, to expand and flex the worldview. The second aspect is their managers. The managers' and the organization's understanding of what is the best way to work with Millennials.
In the process of personal coaching, we focus on creating a more rational picture of the processes within the world of work, balance and connection to all life cycles, creating a career development path, connecting to the meaning of things, and understanding personal development processes in depth.
In the process of working with young managers of the Millennial generation, the emphasis will be on creating encouraging dialogue, providing feedback as frequently as they request, taking a different perspective on the required flexibility, motivation and ambition, clarity and connection to meaningful tasks, creating the right atmosphere of curiosity and learning, and honest, non-critical attention.
An app for satisfaction, meaning, and happiness has not yet been invented, and there is no short and quick way to achieve it just because you want to. Situations of discomfort and difficulty often teach us patience and a more accurate understanding of the meaning of things. Despite our desire for everything to happen quickly here and now, time has meaning in creating insights and understandings. This part is challenging for a generation that has grown up at such a rapid pace of change, and technology that shortens distance in every field, world, except our inner world.
