A timeless debate or are we just wasting our time?

There has been a lot of talk about the Millennials, aka Gen Ys, shaking everything up at work. It’s no wonder. According to The 2020 Workplace, Gen Ys are the largest cohort to ever enter the workplace:

• They make up 36% of the workforce, compared to 22% for Gen X and 38% for Boomers.
• They’ll make up 45% within 5 years.
• Within 10 years they’ll be at 50% and the next generation, whatever we call it, will be at 7%.

But, at the same time, work is changing too:

• Everything’s faster – we expect instant communication.
• The corporate ladder is fading away: organizations are 25% flatter than they used to be.
• More people than ever are bringing their own tools to work.

The big question that’s getting a lot of attention is: is the influx of Millennials shaping this new world of work or is it a mere coincidence that it’s all happening at once? Does everyone need to “adapt to win” or are Gen Xs and Baby Boomers the only laggards? Let’s take a look at both sides of the debate.

Side A: Millennials are special

It’s pretty clear that Millennials grew up differently and we bring this experience to work. Many people believe that the workplace will have to adapt to the Millennials – we have such different views of what we want at work and if a manager doesn’t give us what we want, we’ll leave and find it somewhere else.

In a recent article in The Telegraph, Dan Pink wrote:

I think we’ve got it wrong. The question we should be asking isn’t “What’s the matter with Millennials?” Instead, we ought ask: “What’s the matter with the workplace?”…  So the problem isn’t that the Millennials are wrong. The problem is that they’re right. The workplace is one of the most feedback-deprived places in modern life.

Terrence Seamon, shared his 23 year old son’s response to the question: “How does one engage the young person (teen, early 20s) in their work?” This Millennial advised:

• I’ll work hard for you (the employer), but this job is not my life. I’ve got dreams and I’m going somewhere.
• Don’t micro-manage me. Don’t constrain me. Don’t block my access to social networking. That’s how I stay connected to my world.
• Communicate one-on-one with me.

Lots of experts write from this perspective, with great advice for managers and companies on how to get the most from Millennials.  They include: Tammy Erickson (“Is Gen Y Really All That Narcissistic?“), Karyn Gordon (“Understanding & Motivating Generation Y“) and Don Tapscott. There also are active discussions on communities, like Brazen Careerist.

Side B: ‘The Times, they are a-changin’

Others believe that the workplace is changing – with or without Millennials. This shift isn’t directly caused by the influx of Millennials entering the workforce, but instead it’s driven by the timeless need for companies to change in order to keep up and stay competitive.

Tanveer Naseer wrote an article on his blog around the revision in the workforce:

While it’s nice to view the next generation of workers with this sense of optimism in regards to the contributions they can make to our organizations, the reality is that such drastic changes are unlikely to happen simply because Millennials are joining the workforce.

Some thought leaders agree with this idea that the Millennials are not the driving force behind the changes we’re experiencing at work – and will continue to experience. Andrew McAfee wrote in HBR that there are slight differences in the technology and habits of Gen Ys to the Gen Xs, but that: “today’s workplaces will change Generation Y more than the reverse.”

There are tons of articles to support this ‘side’ of the debate as well. What’s interesting here is that some do so explicitly, like Lance Haun (“Don’t Manage Like a Millennial”), while others do so implicitly, much like this Wall Street Journal article where Alan Murray discusses ways the workforce needs to change but doesn’t even mention Gen Y!

So, what’s the answer?

As I outlined in a recent post, I think that Millennials are special and the workforce needs to adapt to us (full disclosure: I’m a Millennial!)

Times are changing, things are getting faster, we’re all online nearly all of the time, we expect instant gratification. Everyone’s got to do it because that’s how work needs to happen today. The fact that Millennials grew up in this environment, and that there are so many of us joining the workforce, leads me to believe that we’re accelerating the trend.

So at the end of the day is everyone just scared that change is happening faster than it ever has before?

Sandeep Tatla says Millennials and their more experienced colleagues will get ahead by making a point of learning from each other. I totally agree.

So what do you think? Is the Millennial debate really worth all the fuss?

Photo of outside debate by *clairity*. Photo of computer game by shapeshift. Photo of cubicles by mkrigsman. Photo of hands by dirkmvp41. All licensed under CC.