Why we hate “millennials” and you should too!

Image Credit: Edited from twitchy.com

This just in… the generation younger than yours is NOT a threat to homeland security. Though some might have you believing otherwise. Today, it wouldn’t be unusual to see a quote like the one below attributed to the millennial generation:

“Never has youth been exposed to such dangers of both perversion and arrest as in our own land and day. Increasing urban life with its temptations, prematurities, sedentary occupations, and passive stimuli just when an active life is most needed, early emancipation and a lessening sense for both duty and discipline, the haste to know and do all befitting man’s estate before its time, the mad rush for sudden wealth and the reckless fashions set by its gilded youth — all these lack some of the regulatives they still have in older lands with more conservative conditions.”

But, this quote is actually from 1904.

The bottom line up front? Older generations have been denigrating younger generations since the beginning of time (well, at least since the beginning of man).

Image Credit: Lorien Dana on Pinterest

Need more proof? Dare we mention that Adam already ruined “millennials” (Although, he IS a “millennial” so what does he know really?):

“Generational thinking has always been reductive and condescending to the people who were being described.”

There is this thing in psychology called the self-fulfilling prophecy, meaning your personal attitude may influence how you relate to other people and their response to your behavior. In other words, if you continuously tell, or behave as if, your millennial employees are lazy and worthless…they might just prove you right.

The fact is, “millennials” don’t exist. You know what they are? People…sometimes with man buns and skinny jeans. Plus, even if millennials as a one-dimensional stereotype do exist (they don’t!), according to one of the very guys who coined the term “millennial”, we are actually in a “crisis” because of the baby boomers experiencing “generational aging” . Or…maybe the millennial generation really is the worst generation ever. Should we make a reality show about it? Oh wait.

Importantly, a recent report debunked three major myths related to millennials in government. The report found:

1. Millennials DO NOT have higher turnover rates than prior generations.
2. Millennials are NOT less passionate about their jobs in government.
3. Millennials probably don’t jump ship for the private sector in a heartbeat.

With that said, perhaps blaming an entire generation for everything wrong today is not really where we should be focusing our time or skepticism.

In this divisive world we now live, do we really need to put people in more boxes?

Nonetheless, because dropping our implicit biases is easier said than done, especially due to our brains, here are three rules of thumb for working with and supervising millennials:

Rule 1: Drop the term “millennials” from your vocabulary.

Millennials DO NOT like being referred to as MILLENNIALS, especially accompanied by condescending interactions. You know what a good mindset to have regarding millennials is? NOT this…

Video Credit: Official Comedy on YouTube

We acknowledge this video is not to be taken seriously. However, remove “Millennials” and insert “Women”. Does that seem okay? Why is it okay to openly discriminate against a millennial just because it is a stereotype that they fall into a generational box?

If you think you have under-performing millennials, maybe you need to take a look at your management style, or maybe you just have some power curve low performers. Hint: those folks exist in every generation.

Rule 2: Don’t assume you know everything about millennials in the workplace, just because you “have teenagers at home.”

If you do actually think that, definitely don’t say it in earshot of another human. You know what teenagers are? Not adults. Teenagers literally have immature brain circuitry. Millennials working in homeland security ARE NOT teenagers and do not want to be compared to your teenage son or daughter any more than you would like to be compared to your elderly (and senile?) mother or father. Dare I remind you about self-fulfilling prophecies?

Rule 3: Millennials have more to offer than just an understanding of how to use technology and they want you to know that.

Just like every generation before, millennials are a generation of individuals. Yes, 51% (NOTE: just barely the majority) of millennials are ranked far above or above average when it comes to being early adopters of technology, but they are also three dimensional humans with a variety of interests, skills, and passions.

Further, millennials are on track to be the most educated generation to date. Ironic, considering millennials are also the worst paid generation ever. With that in mind, why would they even want to work in homeland security given a growing wage gap between the public and private sector?

To conclude, rather than sticking with the false claims that millennials have a “lessening sense for both duty and discipline”, perhaps we should improve government employee engagement in general (Um, especially at the Department of Homeland Security!). Instead of isolating and denigrating the younger generation, why not embrace the diversity of thought that comes when several generations are in the workforce together. Let’s start leveraging wisdom, innovation, and youth more effectively!

On a related note, we are going to have to work together once the machines take over and start calling us all “lazy”. We might as well start getting along now. Just kidding, the boomers will all be dead by then, probably the millennials too. Enter the “Cylon Generation”? You heard it here first, folks!

Disclaimer

Can you relate? Post your comments or experiences as, or working with, millennials (and other generations!) below.