By Sam Burns | August 14, 2018
Millennials have a bad rap. I often hear older generations saying "they are lazy, entitled and care more about their phones than working hard" While these are common thoughts, those comments show a lack of understanding and appreciation for the younger members of society.. I have been working with this amazing group of young people for years in the school world. Millennials aren't lazy, they simply expect things to happen at a faster pace.
They are surprisingly eager to learn and aren't afraid to try new things. They are curious, capable and caring. Looking up information on how to do things is almost as automatic as breathing. Their iPads, phones and laptops are an extension of who they are. They grew up on the information highway. Go to computer "do action/ receive response". That doesn't make them complacent, it makes them time efficient. They can process information faster too. Just look at "how to videos". In today's market they can learn in a 3 min video vs a 45 min tutorial we may have learned from. They are used to getting information quicker from various different sources and they retain that information quickly too. Millennials are NOT lazy, far from it, they are just following the patterns they've followed all of their lives. They're used to working like a computer. They're used to trying to do several actions at one time. Even in their personal lives they are always engaged on some kind of social media, it's just how they communicate. They tweet, post, snap or gram in small bite sized increments. From their perspective less is more. Advances in technology enable them to mingle play and work in a way previous generations didn't and couldn't. And since that technology has been around them their whole life, not using it would seem as strange as not watching TV for us.
To really engage Millennials in the work place or a classroom, activities should be fun, efficient and thought provoking. They want to be stimulated, they are good multi talkers and they are adept. Many small, short tasks or assignments will activate and mirror the way they have processed their whole life.
Imagine how that translates in the workplace. That connectivity could touch every single area of a business by opening the doors to increased agility, creativity, new attitudes, social media savvy and a more global understanding of how to solve a challenge or research a solution quickly and efficiently. Millennials are connected. Imagine how that could payoff in your business. They are tuned in, tapped in and turned on to all kinds of information and they are resourceful. So give them a chance, we/ you might just learn something. After all they are our future and maybe they will know there's an app for that.
