Business Memorandum

© 2014 Source material retrieved from Pew Research Center, http://www.pewresearch.org/Millennials/

Millennials entering

workforce in record

numbers __________________________________

by Harold Kramer • May 1, 2014

__________________________________

So-called “Millennials,” defined recently by Pew

as being born between 1977 and 1992, will soon

become the largest generation with the highest

total spending power in history. They have

already become a significant percentage of the

workforce. What does this mean for managers?

Well, generations—much like people—have

personalities. And as any good manager knows,

managing personalities comes with the territory.

Research shows that this generation tends to be

liberal, upbeat, open-minded, self-expressive, and

confident. Perhaps overconfident. According to

Jerome Klein, a manager at a mid-sized brokerage

firm, “Millennial workers tend to seem less

respectful of their more seasoned colleagues, and

they often feel uninterested in following in the

footsteps of their superiors.”

“They can be aggressive in getting what they

want, and their idea of mentorship differs from

traditional models,” says Klein.

Indeed, a Millennial’s idea of a mentor

relationship may resemble Twitter conversations

as opposed to anything long-term or structured.

Their preference is short-term, informal

guidance.

This method of seeking guidance can feel insolent

to those accustomed to traditional corporate

hierarchies. “This tactic may have succeeded on

supercharged university campuses or on the

basketball court,” Klein explains. “But it could

prove ill-devised when Millennial employees

must work on age-diverse teams where their

aggressive career goals may be intimidating or

annoying to colleagues.”

Klein suggests that managers take advantage of

this enthusiasm while taking care to avoid

conflict that might be caused by the perception of

this enthusiasm.

There are many positive aspects of the influx of

Millennials in the workforce, including their

diversity. As compared with previous

generations, Millennials are more racially and

ethnically diverse, and are far less religious than

their predecessors, and they’re on track to be the

most educated generation in American history. So

if you find yourself managing Millennials—and

trust me, you probably will—take advantage of

their positive traits and reap the benefits of their

enthusiastic tendencies. Just don’t forget to reign

them in.

—Harold Kramer is a staff writer for The Ledger