The Top Three Corporate Hazards Facing Millennials

Interesting thoughts, Ryan.

Your point about increasing contract work is right on target with what experts are predicting. The entire workforce is evolving that way, and the economy will have a large part in this trend as well.

But I wouldn't agree that all millennials fall into this description. Many are still filling the "old" corporate mold. They are taking a 9-5 job, getting hired on full time, being trained, and staying there a while, and climbing the career ladder that's in place. And most that I know in this situation are pretty happy with the gig.

Maybe they'd prefer not to be in this situation, and I guess that's sort of open for debate. But the reality is, the benefits, the security of this type of employment, and the promise of a career path will always appeal to a segement of any generation – perhaps those with families or spouses to support, but regardless, it's not a "hazard" to everyone in our generation.

That said, I think you've hit on some intersting points, and I'm interested to see what the rest of your readers have to say about this.

Hi Tiffany:

As always, thanks for your insight, but I have to say I'm a bit surprised.

While I do agree that the traditional corporate mold is still appealing to certain members of our generation, I find that the more people I talk with are restless and unhappy. Throughout the media, we're constantly hearing about how hard it is for companies to recruit and retain top, young talent. As if it's an epidemic!

With that said, I'm glad you brought this up. It's exactly why I decided to explore the topic. Corporations offer so many benefits to their employees and it's a shame that the stereotypical millennial mindset could diminish the value companies provide to their workers.

But as you point out, there's other factors that play a key role: the economy, larger workforce trends, etc.

Be careful what you wish for. If the job hopper does indeed migrate to more contract type hiring Gen Y could end up losing more than they win. Freedom to job hop is great when you're young and have few commitments, but eventually most will settle down and value things such as paid vacations, insurance etc. At the end of the day this may drive most to a traditional job. Just ask the hippies of the 60's.

Scott:

You're absolutely right! In fact, I don't wish for this at all.

You're concern is legit, but I think as most young professionals age they'll see the value in a steady job with benefits as you see it right now. I'm more concerned with companies shifting their workloads to contract agencies as the job-hopping trend moves forward. Then we'll be stuck with contract positions whether we like it or not.

I've worked both ends – I was hired as a temp until September, but accepted a full-time position with the same company under my same boss in July. I never endured the full temp position of having to leave and get a new assignment but at the time, my company was undergoing a merger and wouldn't hire anyone as full time for the past few years. Everyone was tested as a temp then given a full time offer if the managers decided they liked them. Everyone higher up than me spent at least part of their time as a temp with my company.

Most people that I know have found that traditional 9 – 5 job and seem quite happy and while being a temp was nerve racking without good benefits and vacation, it got me the experience and in with a great company who offered me something full time in an area that has enormous growth potential.

I'm not sure this is a generational issue as much of a lifestage issue. I had five jobs in my first four years out of undergrad – and then I spent 9 years at the same place. I think when you're getting started in the workforce it takes some time to find your groove.

That being said, I believe that the workforce IS shifting and the corporate way of life will simply fade way. It's no longer effective. It's set up on an industrial work model (workers work, managers watch the workers work), and we are no longer in the industrial age.

Rather than contract/temp working taking over, I think entrepreneurship will be more likely the way the future is. We'll be measured on outcomes, rather than inputs. Therefore, if you can do quality work in less time, you get that "paid vacation" whenever you want. My current job is like that. Although I am salaried, I work from my house and travel about six times a year. My boss could care less when I get my work done as long as I hit my deadlines and do a good job. Therefore, if I want to go camping or something for a few days, I just work it in the schedule.

I agree that Millenials will be the ones that will destroy the current corporate 9 to 5 gig (and I thank you – being chained to a cubicle really is horrible on the spirit.)

I think Suzanne might have hit it on the head in referring to this as a life-stage issue.

In fact, I think the whole 'Gen-Y', 'Gen-X', 'Millennial Generation' thing is MOSTLY about life stage differences, and less about generational differences.

There will always be a difference between people in their twenties and those in their later years. The differences are just a matter of degree. Perhaps young people today are slightly more different than their elders than in previous generations. But I don't think the differences are that large in comparison to previous decades, or even centuries.

I'd love to find some old articles from the 50's and 20's and even the 1800's about this topic. I bet they will all say the same thing about young people: That they want too much, too fast. That they don't commit. That they don't have any loyalty. That they are naive.

But then perhaps Millennial's are special…. just like everyone else!

I think Suzanne makes a good point too. There's so many issues out there that we confuse as generational when they're really just life stages.

Scott M:

I too would like to see some old articles from the 50's and 20's that talk about the clash between young and old. Recruiting Animal always compares the Millennials to hippies, but I'm skeptical of comparing anyone to hippies…

I think the reason I wrote this post is because of something I pointed out to Tiffany earlier. There does seem to be a BIG problem with Millennial retention. The job-hopping epidemic is surely something that is effecting companies today and I'm sure will continue to be an influence as more of us graduate from college.

We often talk about the positive changes that might come from this, but there's probably going to be some negative elements too.

Maybe Suzanne is right and the corporate world will evolve into a more entrepreneurial type of environment. That would be pretty cool. But part of me doubts this will always be the case.

Either way, great discussion. Keep it up.

Suzanne and Scott M seem to have this figured out. I personally lament the transition towards a more contract-focused business model though. Suzanne makes a good point about the flexibility of the model, but having also done contract work, I remember feeling like any time off I took was money I was leaving on the table. I'm sure a lot of folks with personalities like mine will feel the same way, and it's a fast track to burning out.

P.S., I should have said this also: congrats on a thoughtful and insightful article, Ryan! Great stuff here.

I think your post is right on the mark. Contract work, low-level duties and increased job-hopping are all major issues facing young workers today. A few of my thoughts on the matter:

More Contract Work, Less Benefits
Contract work is becoming more prevalent for two reasons: 1) Health care benefits are becoming more and more expensive, causing employers to come up with ways to avoid paying out, and 2) workers are becoming increasingly mobile. The years of working 30 years for the same company and retiring with a gold watch and full pension are history. Hopefully our government will be able to get it together in the next 40-years and come up with solutions to the health care and social security problem.

Low-Level Work, Your New Best Friend
I think that my generation, as the most-educated of all generations preceeding them, feel entitled to a reward for all their hard work in school, extra-curricular activities, etc. However, the reality is that business aren't run by young people and more experienced folk are less inclined to trust and reward unproven talent especially talent that doesn't have the requisite amount of humility. The secret to overcoming this distrust is to be the best at what you do. If you're the only person who does the low-level filing and copying, make yourself indispensible to others. Be the best copier there is. People will notice what a good job you are doing and you're more likely to be seen as a hardworking, team-player.

The Stepping-Stone Complex
The reality of the job market today is dynamic and fluid. While I don't recommend job-hopping every few months because you don't like the brand of coffee they make in the kitchen, I do think that each job is an opportunity to learn and once you feel you've learned all you can about the company and yourself, it's time to move on to something else.

@ The Office Newb:

"The secret to overcoming this distrust is to be the best at what you do."

I see your point, and I think you're halfway there, but if you're really looking to be successful in any given workplace, you also need to find ways to demonstrate your potential. If you're "the best copier there is", there's little incentive to the company to promote you away from making copies.

Also, for what it's worth, I appreciate the fact that you described your generation as the "most educated" rather than the "best educated." That's an important distinction that's lost on a lot of people.

Interesting article. Personally I would love to reject the whole 9-5 thing and work 10-3. But it is not going to happen.
I don't think we should fool ourselves into thinking we are going to "change the corporate world", I mean we will. But just not to the extent we think we will. Because some people LIKE having the security of working from 9-5, from knowing what they will do from day to day, from having a boss tell the what to do . Not everyone is bored and not everyone is out looking for the job that will satisfy them on all levels. Not everyone is a risk taker.
I think what is going to change the corporate world the most is globalization – which means we'll be working at different hours, like 7-3 or 10-8 depeding on your time zone, your client, your industry ect. We'll be traveling more to work with teams in other offices and to learn about the how they do business. That's the exciting part!

Thanks to everyone who has continued this dialogue. Some great conversations here.

Office NewB:

I tend to agree with Sean on this one. Don't strive to be the best low-level worker if your passions lie in something more high-level. Sure, you'll be seen as a team player, but where's the opportunity to learn that you talk about in your 3rd paragraph?

My motive for writing this post was to share some of the hazards that could develop because of the tendencies of our generation. And regardless, the low-level work is always going to be an element of the entry-level position. But it shouldn't be something you wholeheartedly embrace, or else you'll be doing it forever.

Maybe that's what some people want though…who knows. Everyone is different. I like low-level tasks from time to time.

Sean:

First off, I'm very happy you enjoyed this post. Secondly, I'm glad you pointed out what NewB said about be "Most Educated."

I often wonder where the distinction lies between "Best" and "Most" and how we make our judgments. I've seen articles that call Millennials the best educated and those that just say we've had more education.

This would be an interesting topic for me to tackle in another post. Thanks for the early Christmas gift!

Jane:

Globalization has already begun to tranform the corporate world. I had a great opportunity to witness it during my time in the corporate world right after college. It's pretty amazing.

While I think it would be amazing if it made travel more regular (and might even entice me back into Corporate America) I'm hesitant to agree with you.

The major catalyst in globalizing has been communication technologies. We have the capability to hold real-time conferences with co-workers around the globe. No need to hop on a plane and fly for 20+ hours. Your business partner is just a video conference away.

I think you're right about the flexible hours part though. To make globalization work, we have to be flexible to the time differences and probably work a few evenings in order to meet our peers abroad halfway.

-RP

Not exactly "@ Jane" but I guess sort of "towards Jane":

I've mentioned this before in other posts, but a lot of large companies are trending towards flexible "telework" (a.k.a. "work at home" or "telecommute") arrangements for employees who have proven themselves responsible enough to handle that kind of leash slack. What it means at my company is that we agree to certain set "virtual office hours" where we commit to being available by telephone and/or instant messenger. That's often a 4-6 hour block of time so that people can reliably set up client meetings, team meetings, etc., without having to worry about all of our different schedules. I lead a team of 4 people, and all 5 of us keep the same office hours. The other 2-4 hours of our days we complete at our discretion, providing we don't miss any meetings or project deadlines. Some of us prefer to work late at night, or early mornings "before the kids are up," or whatever.

A quick Google search on "telework friendly companies" will give you a list. FYI, I only telework two full-time days per week; the other three days I'm based out of an office. That works best for me, since I'm one of those rare birds who still appreciates corporate culture, but again: it's all about having that flexibility and finding the environment that works best for each individual and allows them to be the most productive.

Hi Ryan,

I never thought of the consequences of millennials job-hopping. I only thought of all the great opportunities our generation has, but many things will change in the near future if companies continue to see this type of trend from millennials.

Job-hopping is a major issue these days. Most of my friends seem to be on the "2-year then we'll see" plan. Many of them have changed jobs within the past six months, and a few of them are headed in the "start-up" direction.

I completely agree with the contract and work-for-hire hazard. It will be unfortunate when companies start taking away benefits, but who can really blame them? I don't believe any company could take away all it's benefits, but I have noticed that fringe benefits like tuition reimbursement and performance bonuses are going away in exchange for more vacation days. Perhaps companies will just change the benefits they offer to appeal more to millennials?

With the other two hazards, I think it depends on the company. I noticed when I worked for a big company, these held true. Now that I work for a smaller company they seem to understand that young people come and go. They don't expect people to work at their company for 10 years, or even five. I work in a dynamic environment where young people have become leads on projects within a few months of starting. I also believe you are right about team loyalty, though again, I believe this has to do with the team itself. Working with people my age, we understand that each of us will move on within a few years. None of us plan to be in the same job for longer than two years before getting promoted to bigger and better things.

Either way, this is a very insightful post. I haven't read anything else like it so far… great job =D.

I am new to Employee Evolution. I met Ryan Healy at a Christmas Party in December and he turned me on to this website. I have to say that I agree with many of the things displayed here.

I do disagree with what Scott M and Suzanne say in previous posts about the Lifestyle Stage that we are in. I am 23 and I work a 9 – 5 job. But I don't believe that it's about our lifestyle. I for one do not like the corporate atmosphere because of what I saw my parents go through. I see what they did for the past 20 years in their positions in the corporate world, giving their lives up in order to be financially sound. Now they have reached retirement age and they have not been able to really go anywhere or do anything. Neither one has been out of the country except my dad who was in Vietnam. My mother was envious of me for spending a semester in Australia simply because I could.

I also feel strongly about how our generation demands more time off from our employers. Expecting lots of vacation time and personal time and most importantly the expectation of not working a full 40 hours every week. While I do see the justification on the employers side. My argument is this:

Employers no longer give full pensions to employees because they are so costly, today at best you can get a matching 401k. My place of employment does not give either. There is no retirement benefits package like the ones our parents received. Our parents will one day retire, and they will still receive a paycheck from their employers through their pension. If we are not going to receive that same luxury then we expect something else. In a sense, if they are not going to give us the paid time off in retirement in 40 years then we expect it now in personal and vacation time.

This is something that is my opinion though and I am sure there are people out there who disagree with me.

I hope that contract work does continue to rise in the world. Contract work is a great way to learn on the job and use that knowledge in the next place of employment. I am in IT and there is just to much out there to learn it all. So if you spend 6 to 8 months working with SQL then in your next job you can place that on your resume until one day you have a resume that can get you a full time job with benefits.