We’ve written a lot in past Advisors about Millennials and their supposed challenging generational characteristics. However, I have to say I love my Millennial colleagues; they’re hardworking, earnest, productive, dependable, capable, and cooperative.
The Enthusiastic Employee Debunks Generational Characteristics
And that’s not just my opinion. In their recently published second edition of The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want (The Enthusiastic Employee), David Sirota and Douglas Klein debunk the popular generational differences theories.
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They say that descriptions of the various generations in the workplace “have been widely accepted as accurate, as was the depiction in the ’70s of young workers as ‘alienated.’ But, as was also the case in the ’70s, there is not a shred of systematically collected evidence that any of these depictions of generations are true.”
Generational depictions, the authors say, are based on anecdotes and a general confusion about age, tenure, and generation.
In fact, say the authors, Traditionalists and Boomers’ supposed resistance to change is more tied to tenure than generation. Why would they want to trade what has worked well for them over the years for something untried? Before too long, the Millennials will take their turn as the Traditionalists.
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According to research, Sirota and Klein say, Boomers and Traditionalists tend to be a little more positive about their companies, but that’s not surprising since their dissatisfied colleagues have likely moved on.
In the chart below, the authors show research that indicates that initially, most employees (85 to 87 percent) indicate satisfaction; this dips to a low of 72 to 76 percent by year six, but then over the next 10 years, it starts to come back up.
The Three-Factor Theory
The authors of The Enthusiastic Employee suggest that employees—of any generation—look for three things at work:
- Equity
- Achievement
- Camaraderie
Equity means being treated justly in relation to the basic conditions of employment.
Equity can be physiological (a safe, comfortable work environment that does not damage physical or mental health) or economic (having a reasonable degree of job security, satisfactory compensation, and benefits) or psychological (being treated respectfully, enjoying reasonable accommodation for personal and family needs, having credible management, and getting a fair hearing of complaints).
Achievement is taking pride in one’s accomplishments, doing things that matter and doing them well, receiving recognition, and taking pride in the organization’s accomplishments.
Camaraderie is having warm, interesting, and cooperative relationships with others in the workplace.
I ♥ My Millennials; How About You?
How about you, reader? Do you find generational differences? Do different generations look for different things from their work, or are they all after equity, achievement, and camaraderie?
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It seems like every generation gets dubbed lazy and selfish in their 20s and 30s. When Time magazine recently had an article on Millennials, I saw online where someone had collected similar cover stories in Time on previous generations.
It’s been my experience that many of the negatives associated with millennials apply to a varying age group – It all depends on the person and their outlook on work plus their personal and professional attributes overall. I’ve seen many much older adults, both male and female, who are not “hardworking, earnest, productive, dependable, capable, and cooperative”. In fact, they are just the opposite. Too often, these nonproductive characteristics can be found in folks who are in particular roles that will hinder the team as well. One of the most critical areas is the reluctance to change and try new things.
It’s important to check your facts before you make broad statements about “shreds of evidence.” Research by Ron Zemke and Claire Raines is among the earliest study of differences in generational behavior. The work of scholars such as William Strauss and Neil Howe, well known for their scholarship on generationl theory and authors of numerous books on this topic including Generations (1991) and The Fourth Turning (1997), which examine historical generations and identify a cycle of recurring mood eras in American History (now known as the Strauss-Howe generational theory)should not be cavalierly dismissed without even a footnote to suggest that subsequent research has found their theory flawed.Howe and Strauss also co-authored 13th Gen (1993) about Generation X, and Millennials Rising (2000) about the Millennial Generation.
I would appreciate your assertions more if you could provide equally careful and scholarly documentation for your opinions.