Millennials in the Workplace

On a recent trip abroad, while I was relaxing in the departure lounge, I glanced around to find that most people were glued to electronic devices, hardly chatting, just watching that small screen. Twenty years ago, the scenario would’ve been so different.

How has this shift in communication affected the way we interact with and motivate those in the workplace, especially with the younger generation?

Eighty million strong, they’ve been described as being “driven more by mission and values than money”. The millennials, are a generation that has been defined as having a greater need for a work-life balance, heightened social consciousness, a preference for a flattened, more dynamic corporate culture and less predictable job pathways. In the Journal of Business Psychology (2000), research by Myers and Sadaghiani found that this generation “expect close relationships and frequent feedback” from colleagues and managers in the workplace.

Some of the most successful millennials include household names like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook co-creator), Gerard Adams (EliteDaily founder), David Karp (Tumblr, the popular blogging platform), Ben Silberman and Evan Sharp (creators of Pinterest), Jessica Alba (actress and founder of The Honest Company that markets ethical and non-toxic products) and mega YouTuber, Michelle Phan.

The term was coined by William Strauss and Neil Howe in reference to the twenty-somethings born in the 1980s, 90s and before 2000; they form Generation Y, a counterbalance to the post-war Baby Boomers of their parents or grandparents. They are old enough to remember a time before Netflix and SnapChat; of riding bikes, pelting mangoes, watching network TV and chatting on landlines.

They define a generation much more comfortable with, in fact experts in, electronic communication and digital media, than the previous generation. The counterbalance for some critics of this “selfie generation” is aligned with a CS Lewis quote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less”.

Yet, many applaud the civic-mindedness of millennials who, not unlike the post-independence West Indian generation with leaders/intellectuals like CLR James, march at home in the streets of Port of Spain and abroad on a series of issues: climate change, human rights, women’s rights, protesting gun violence and child marriage. Some of these have led to a revision or repeal of century-old laws.

When I was part of Republic Bank’s merger with the Bank of Commerce in the 1990s, one of the greatest lessons I learnt was the importance of gaining greater understanding through listening, seeking first to understand, having an open mind, as well as a willingness to initiate and accept change. To be courageous agents of change. As General Manager of Human Resources for the Group, I’m in awe of our team’s focus on new ways to embrace technology, communication and learning. On innovating processes and products in small ways and great. All of which have impacts on staff and customers. We continue to strive towards providing outlets to gain and give timely feedback, 360-degree employee assessments, customer panels and continuous learning - just some of our initiatives aimed at creating a stronger, more unified team ready to serve. The ways of bridging the generation gap in the workplace are limitless, as are the rewards.