The stereotypes about millennials in the workplace are pervasive and nasty. They are lazy, entitled narcissists who refuse to follow direction. They can’t be managed and are terrible communicators.
These assumptions about millennials have spawned a new industry of experts telling us that millennials are different and must be catered to in a different fashion. But, is that true?
Research has a pretty clear answer to that question.
Amanda Kreun, an analyst at Work Effects, says it’s a common assumption, unsupported by empirical evidence, to think that millennials are distinctly different from other generations.
The characteristics of millennials we read about in those well-designed infographics are really a function of age common among young employees entering the workforce, says Kreun — herself a millennial — in a report.
Little seems to have changed over the last 30 years.
“Young people today tend to see themselves and their work environments in a similar way as did young people from previous generations,” Kreun writes.
Bruce Pfau, a corporate human resources adviser and KPMG partner, agrees. He cites numerous studies in a Harvard Business Review article about what millennials want in their workplaces.
“A growing body of evidence suggests that employees of all ages are much more alike than different in their attitudes and values at work. To the extent that any gaps do exist, they amount to small differences that have always existed between younger and older workers throughout history and have little to do with the millennial generation per se,” he writes.
Now that we have tried to dispel the notion that millennials require radically different things than Gen Xers or Boomers, let’s note that it is inherently human of all of us to want (and need) certain things for our emotional well-being in the workplace.
This is especially true for the ways in which leaders influence, support and motivate their troops to do good work. This is where I see so much damage being done to many generational employees.
Case in point, according to James K. Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management, is that at least 75 percent of the reasons for costly voluntary turnover come down to things that managers can influence.
In a study of 7,272 U.S. adults, Gallup found that 50 percent of employees left their job “to get away from their manager to improve their overall life at some point in their career.”
So what do managers need to do to stop disengagement and low morale in all their workers, regardless of generation? In my own research and observations over the years, five stellar leadership habits float to the top.
1. Leaders who pay attention to workers
One way to severely discourage and disengage employees of any generation is to treat them as if they’re invisible. As a manager, if you’re hoping to keep people engaged, get ready to start talking about their work. And not the kind of conversation that happens only once a year in those dinosaur-era performance evaluations.
The focus should be on making your feedback shorter, more frequent and constructive. This is what every high-performing employee wants.
2. Leaders who recognize their people
Did you know that receiving recognition is the most important performance motivator? Sure, a nice paycheck or a bonus is great, but that money will be spent tomorrow. Being recognized in front of the organization for the hard work that you put in? That’s gold, because everyone can see the value that you’re bringing.
3. Leaders who provide leadership advancement
Contrary to the false impression that millennials are lazy and unmotivated, research has proved that they are very much interested in leadership positions and rapid career advancement. But here’s the thing — so are people from every other generation.
Key point here: Ambitious and motivated people of every generation value the opportunity to influence the organization for which they work.
4. Leaders who give their people decision-making privileges
Want to build employee loyalty across generational lines? Simple: Allow them a seat at the table to make decisions and exercise influence over things that matter in the business.
Think of projects, tasks and meetings about strategy, mission and culture in which you can involve your most valued workers, whether they’re 26 or 62.
5. Leaders who provide workers with opportunities to serve their community
According to the 2015 Millennial Impact Report conducted by Achieve, millennial employees love to volunteer for a worthy cause. And so do other generations. To up the ante, offer volunteering opportunities as a perk to keep their skills sharp while giving back to the community. It’s a win-win.
It's time we stop talking about how different millennials are in the workplace and reinforcing false generalizations about a whole generation. The truth is, we all want what millennials want.
Source: Marcel Schwantes is an entrepreneur, executive coach, adviser and speaker.
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