In my last post, I gave you my perspective on how to market (or not market) consumer products to millennials. This post will dive more into what millennials expect out of their employers and touches on the integral relationship with millennials' work and personal identity. Now for the rules...
...Ditch the hierarchy.
Hierarchy does not make sense in my ideal workplace. Some companies have caught on to this. They have general “associates” and then they have senior management. I am not going to respond well if you tell me I don’t have enough years of experience to be in a certain position even though I have the knowledge and expertise to do a certain job. I don’t care about the way things were always done or whether it’s fair compared to someone who has been at the company for years if they aren’t doing the same quality or quantity of work me. I want to be judged on my work, my merit, and my perspective based on my personal mix of education and life experiences.
Let them be free! (and productive)
I want to be on facebook at work, so let me. I’ll either be on it or I will be consumed with thoughts of being on facebook or checking our gmail and not get work done. Let me do my personal “business” at work. I will be more productive. I promise. I can ingest a lot more information in a shorter amount of time than you were ever used to consuming. I usually work through lunch. I have 10 tabs open in firefox at a given time with my schedule, favorite blogs, social networking sites, bank account, etc. I was raised as a project manager. I’ve had an over-booked schedule my entire life. I can handle it. Give me the work. I will rise to the challenge and if I need assistance, I will ask, because I like to collaborate and I don’t want to be wrong, so I’ll check in with authority along the way.
If you give us access to authority and recognition back from that authority, we’ll work hard, get it right, and strive to do better.
If you let us work at home, we’ll put in 12 hour days (maybe more, and maybe on the weekend).
Enable Zen.
Work and “life” is the same thing for me. I have been sold on the idea of a 360 degree lifestyle and work/life balance. It’s been ingrained in me from birth that a job that makes me happy is better than a job that makes me rich, and I believe it. If I make a lot of money doing what makes me happy- bonus. Don’t let that think you can get away with underpaying millennials. I know what the average salary is in the industry and market because I can look it up on salary.com and will demand to make competitive pay for the work I’m doing.
There is Only One World
I over-share. The lines between work and “home” are blurred for me. Actually, I would argue the line doesn’t even exist. I want you to know who I am as a person, not as a work-self versus a home-self. Earlier generations often compartmentalize their home-self in the home world and their work-self in the work world. This drives some of the main challenges for usage of social networks. My mature colleagues struggle with choosing what social network should be for co-workers, and what social network should be for friends and family. I don’t have more than one world. I have one, global, interpersonal world. My life experiences, personality, and “home life” are a part of my effectiveness and competitive advantage as an employee. (p.s. they are for you, too, but you aren’t ready to admit it).
Action=Impact
I want to my actions to make a difference. I’ve only known a global world. The terms global and international don’t really make sense to me because I don’t believe there is a concept of non-global (unless you live in North Korea). I want to help kids with AIDS in Africa. I want to deplete poverty in the world. I want to save the environment. The difference between traditional do-gooders and millennials is that I believe that there are specific actions I can take that will have a significant and measurable impact on the world to aid my cause as opposed to sending money into an infomercial charity that you will never see again and never really know where the money went. I want to help via my actions, not necessarily my money. If I have money to give, I will, but I want to know what it was spent on.
Take a look at the current presidential campaign. Barack Obama has made history by fund raising millions of dollars in a few days by single contributors giving as little as $5 at a person. I can donate and instantly see how I have increased the fund raising sum on the real-time fundraising bar graph on Obama’s website. The same success via individual contribution can be seen with the participation in text voting on reality shows. My vote makes a difference and I get to see and enjoy the results in a quick turnaround time (sometimes instantly).
It’s not just about doing something, but about being a part of something. Yes, I sent a text because it contributed to the selection of who gets “voted off,” but I also sent a text because millions of other people were texting along with my opinion (or against it). Part of the success of the Obama campaign is that people feel as though they are a part of a positive human movement. The campaign has created a sense of community and people cannot help but to catch the fever.
What can you do as a social marketer? Develop a platform where I can take action, see the results, and interact with others committed to the same cause. A good example of this is the social vibe application on facebook. You choose your cause, contribute if you want (not necessary) and post a link to your cause on your wall to build enthusiasm and participation from peers.
Fellow millennials--Do you agree?
What other good examples are out there?
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1 comment:
I agree with the "One World" piece, and am friends with several of my managers and leadership on Facebook, and don't really let that drive the content that I put on there.
However, I think that I should, and something try to. I attended a seminar and asked if there was significance to having parents that skipped a generation (ex. I am a Gen Y, and my parents are Baby Boomers, but closer to the Radio Baby era), and I was told that it does matter. It means that I exhibit more signs of Gen X than Gen Y, and that I can have a struggle. I like to just think that my brain is tired from always being professional and running around :) But, I also value candor and honesty, and so I try to push those values forward as well. Sometimes I cross the line, but so far it has always been recoverable.
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