MILLENNIALS “THE ME” GENERATION

Janet Barger CVPM

Animal Medical Center of Lehigh Acres

Bargerjanetm@yahoo.com

VETERINARY CLINIC / HOSPITAL CHALLENGES

One of the biggest challenges for clinics \ hospitals today is integrating the Millennials or Gen Y twenty-something into Baby Boomer culture

With 75M Millennials entering the workplace, organizations will lose talented employees who, because of their strong networking and technological capabilities, have the ability to be the most productive generation to date

WHY THE MILLENNIAL HYPE?

You wouldn’t think that your birth year would have any impact with the way you interact with co-workers.

But………

Consider the stereotypical Baby Boomer workaholic who may be critical of others who don’t share the same ethics and values.

Or the independent Generation Xer who may not appreciate the team orientation or understand others’ desire for seemingly constant feedback.

Or………

The social-minded Millennial who may not understand the priorities of other generations.

70% of these young professionals want to be their own boss

Generational differences are nothing new, but as millennials become a greater presence in the workplace and marketplace , older and younger generations alike are learning how vital it is to engage with one another.

GENERATIONS DEFINED

Generation:

Veterans/Seniors

Baby Boomers

Gen X

Gen Y / Millennials

Gen Z

Born:

Prior to 1945

1946-1964

1965-1981

1982-2000

2001-Now

DIVIDE INTO GENERATIONAL GROUP

VETERANS/SENIORS (PRIOR TO 1945)

Hardworking

Savers/Hoarders as a result of the Great Depression

During World War II, they accepted the duty that their country required

Silent generation

BABY BOOMERS (1946-1964)

Have a work ethic that is measured in hours spent on the job

Love “same page” metaphors, face time and meetings

Rely on teamwork and respond to team goals

Have mixed feelings toward technology

GEN X (1965-1981)

They believe in “work smarter not harder”

Lead from afar and don’t like meetings

Cynical

Tend to be cautious and conservative

GEN-Y / MILLENNIALS (1982-2000)

Base their work on completion of tasks and leave when they are done

Like connecting with people and seek input from everyone

Enjoy developing relevant and valuable skills on the job

Are very technology savvy

GEN Z (2001 TO NOW)

Highly educated, largely kids and adolescents

They too want to make a difference in the world

More diverse than millennials

They view Facebook as being for “older generations”

They appear to be more social media driven and use messaging apps, such as Snapchat, Vine and Instagram

Self educate with You Tube and Pinterest

Self-aware

Self-Reliant

Innovative

Goal oriented

MEET THE MILLENNIALS

83.1 Million

Largest generation ever

Ages 17-35

Over 44% are part of a minority

WHAT GENERATIONS MAKE UP TODAY’S WORKFORCE?

44.6 Million

Baby Boomers

52.7 Milliom

Gen x

53.5 Million

Millennials

More than 1 in 3 workers are Millennials

54% of Gen X-ers approaching retirement plan to continue working

75% say that the recession is the main cause of delaying retirement

WHAT MILLENNIALS VALUE IN THE WORKPLACE

Personal development

Flexible work culture

Real-time feedback

Flexible work schedule

Work-life balance

Making the world a better place

BENDING AND CHANGING THE WORK RULES

Get bored quickly

Seek meaningful work

Enjoy constant change

Desire professional development

Crave instant gratification

MILLENNIAL FUN FACTS

Millennials are maturing later

They respond to how things will affect their lives

Entitled

Great expectations

They want lots of attention

Work to live (not live to work)

Committed to health and fitness

Short of cash

Unsettled in their careers

Rent 6 years before buying their first house

WORK ETHIC AND SOCIAL MEDIA

They grew up with electronic devices

Online access

Social networks

They were told they were special

They feel entitled to great jobs

High pay and easy hours

They feel their social connections are the most important of their lives

According to Pew Research they have an average 250 FaceBook friends

They send an average of 50 texts a day

They turn to friends for advice

Their friends have a greater influence on them

TIPS FOR INTERACTING WITH MILLENNIALS

Turn negatives into positives, if you have a Millennial who needs feedback and a constant “pat on the back” then recognize that praise and validation are motivators for effort and achievement

Look for opportunities to connect Millennials with co-workers for learning and development

Be flexible with paid leaves

Utilize technology skills

Experiment with work schedules that fit the completion of tasks as opposed to time on the clock

TIPS FOR MILLENNIAL MANAGEMENT

Provide structure-due dates, agendas, set goals and define assignments

Provide leadership and guidance

Encourage “can-do” their parents told them they can do it

Listen…. they are used to loving parents who have scheduled their lives around them

They are up for a challenge and change-boring is bad

They are multi-taskers challenge them

They are the go to person for technology

Provide a fun, employee-centered workplace

THINGS EVERY BOSS SHOULD KNOW

Their jobs are everything

They are not motivated by money

They are not shy

Define their work expectations

Over communicate with rewards, feedback, and punishment

Treat them as valued members of the team

Allow them to be heard, they were taught to speak up

Be a mentor or assign someone

Speak in a positive and supportive tone

Offer other incentives besides pay

Understand that they’re working on their own brand

THE GOOGLE & DISNEY WAY

Google lets employees devote one day a week to their own projects

Disney has a similar venture where employees are given time to work on happiness projects

Add freedom and fun to the workplace

Align their work goals with yours.

Find out what they want from their work careers

Remember millennials will often leave a job abruptly instead of trying to working through a difficult work situation

IN CONCLUSION

Remember……..when you were their age, you likely didn’t want to be contained either

You wanted adventure

You wanted things your parents didn’t have

You had all these ideas that you were just hoping someone would ask to hear

As you can see, Millennials have a style of their own, and their communications reflect that

Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce