Topic: Hiring, Working, and Retaining Millennials in the workplace.

Millennial. /miˈlenēəl/ noun

Millennials, loosely defined as people born from the 1980s to early 2000s by Espinzo and Ukleja,
have been portrayed in mainstream and social media as many different things; they have been
called “the greatest generation” by some and “generation whine” by others (Hershatter & Epstein,
2010). Some critics say that millennials are lazy and self-centered and that those and other qualities
make them difficult to work with. However, research conducted by PwC Global has projected that
millennials will consume 50% of the global workforce; and as the people who would define the
culture for the 21st-century workplace, it is only reasonable to talk about millennials and their
behavior and perspective to get a better understanding of their impact in the workforce.

Work expectations and motivations for working nowadays have changed. In fact, UNC Kenan-
Flagler Business School made a comparison of workplace expectations for Cowboys (Baby
Boomers and Gen Xers) and Millennials. In the research, they found out that while the Cowboys
preferred job security and structure, Millennials preferred employability and flexibility. One might
think that this is viable cause for rifts and tension between the two but according to PwC, it is
believed that 38% of tension arose from senior management not being able to relate to the younger
generation and that 34% thought that their personal drive was intimidating. Millennials are driven
by their passion, passion for their values and self-development. Millennials value their social ideals
and values, and according to research by Friedell, et.al. 88% of millennials want an employer who
shares those same values. In a 2016 Cone Communications Millennial Employee Engagement
Study, it is revealed that 76% of millennials consider a company’s social and environmental
commitments when choosing a job; and that 64% won’t take a job if a company doesn’t have a
strong corporate social responsibility. They aren’t called the “hero generation” and described as
civic-minded for nothing (Velasco & De Chavez, 2018).

Millennials are known for their traits, some of which are positive while some are negative.
Millennials have been deemed lazy, self-centered, entitled, and disloyal when it comes to their
working behaviors by Hobart and Sendek. On a positive note, millennials are also deemed as
achievement oriented, sociable, optimistic, collaborative, and open-minded. These traits of theirs
have brought positive traits in the workforce, some of which are their teamwork, work-life balance,
and commitment to idealistic visions and values. Not to forget, that growing up they were digital
natives, and in this digital age technological expertise and having a sixth sense for technology is a
great advantage to understanding the future (Velasco & De Chavez, 2018).

Managing millennials is easy once you get to know and understand them. There are traits that can
be an asset to a company once you know how to use them and some may be a liability. But this is
common for everyone in the workplace. In managing them and getting them to stay longer with a
company, employers must be able to create a workplace where they are satisfied with their job.
Millennials prioritize three factors when talking about job satisfaction, namely: 1.) self-
development, 2.) Compensation and Recognition, and lastly 3.) A healthy organizational culture.
(Friedell, Puskala, Smith, & Villa, n.d.). Millennials, as mentioned, are passionate about self-
development. One thing companies must do nowadays is talk about future career advancements
and pieces of training to further enhance a person’s skill. For compensation and recognition,
millennials would like to have a sense of recognition for their works and efforts; and that it has
made a difference. Lastly, for a healthy organizational culture, they would like it if work would
offer flexibility in work practices and a balance of work and life culture. And that is how you are
going to retain millennials in your workplace. Those are the things employers can do to retain
them, however, what employers can also do that won’t cost them anything, would be to have a
workplace that has open communication, encourages sharing and innovation, and having fun and
less formal working atmosphere (Brack & Kelly, 2012).

As for me, a millennial in search for my own purpose, have noticed that companies have now
adapted to the said expectations. We, millennials, may be high maintenance but I believe we also
offer high performances with lots of potentials. And that may put an organization through a huge
amount of changes and a ton of contributing must be done, however, once you get the return on
putting resources into us, millennials, we will outperform the negative qualities you trust us to
have. We, Millennials, are the future of our society and we believe that we would be better off than
the past generations; let us help each other in bridging the gap between our two generations and
make a better workplace for both generations.

Works Cited
Alcasid, E., Peralta, L., Pinlac, M. A., Ramirez, E., & Shimada, M. (2017). Understanding the
Filipino Millennial Generation.
Hershatter, A., & Epstein, M. (2010). Millennials and the world of work: An organization and
management perspective. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(2), 211-223.
Velasco, J., & De Chavez, J. (2018). Millennial Work Ethic: A Preliminary Examination of the
Work Ethic Profile of Filipino University Students. Mediterranean Journal of Social
Sciences Volume 9 No. 6.
Friedell, K., Puskala, K., Smith, M., & Villa, N. (n.d.). Hiring, Promotion, and Progress: Millennials'
Expectations in the Workplace.
Brack, J., & Kelly, K. (2012). Maximizing Millennials in the Workplace. UNC Kenan-Flagler
Business School.
Espinoza, C., & Ukleja, M. (2016). Managing the Millennials: Discover the Core Competencies for
Managing Today’s Workforce. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
PwC. (2011). Millennials at Work. Retrieved from PwC Global:
https://www.pwc.de/de/prozessoptimierung/assets/millennials-at-work-2011.pdf
Cone Communications. (2016). Millennial Employee Engagement Study. Retrieved from Cone
Communications:
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Hobart, B., & Sendek, H. (2014). Gen Y Now: Millennials and the Evolution of Leadership.
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Lou, E. (2017, June 9). Why Millennials Want More than Just Work: The Importance of Your
‘Double Bottom Line’. Forbes. Retrieved from
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Kaifi, B., Nafei, W., Khanfar, N., & Kaifi, M. (2017). A Multi-Generational Workforce: Managing
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