Millennials at Work

By Karen Sternheimer

American corporations are under siege. They are facing a new threat, a threat they are only marginally prepared for. 

The falling value of the dollar? Globalization? Global warming?

Not quite.

According to a November 11th 60 Minutes report, American companies just don’t know how to tame their new young employees. The “millennial” generation, defined as people born between 1980 and 1995, are allegedly too self-centered, too narcissistic, and too fragile to be managed using traditional techniques. Told by their parents that they are special, they need extra coddling and fun in order to do their jobs. Otherwise, they will just quit, according to the people correspondent Morley Safer interviewed.

Aside from overly supportive parents, the other alleged culprit, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey Zaslow, is PBS’s Mister Rogers. You remember him, the guy that told children in a calm, gentle voice that they are special? Actually, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood first aired in 1968, long before the “Millennials” were born (and very likely viewed by many Millennials’ parents).

The notion that young people are uniquely selfish is an old one. As I wrote in my last post, disdain for young people is widespread and dates back to (at least) ancient Greece. And as I discuss in my book Kids These Days: Facts and Fictions About Today’s Youth, adults also thought that young people in the early 1930s and 1940s were too self-centered, too consumed by swing music to care about anything but their own happiness. Famed writer Pearl S. Buck wrote in Harper's magazine in 1935 that young people were “completely selfish” and would never fight for anything they believed in. Of course they soon did, and due largely to Tom Brokaw's book we now often refer to them as the Greatest Generation, thanks to their service in World War II.

Let’s consider some realities of life for young people today before we conclude that they are too narcissistic to work without constant stroking:

1. Many American kids grow up in poverty 

Poverty rates have been gradually rising in the United States in recent years, and a significant number of people in poverty are under eighteen—currently 17 percent—live at or below the official poverty level. Rather than worrying about a large number of kids being self-centered, we might want to refocus our energy onto these young people. We have much higher child poverty rates than many other industrialized nations; instead of focusing on them, we tend to think of kids as spoiled and overindulged. This way we can avoid the reality that many young people have too little, not too much.

We ignore young people in poverty by focusing almost exclusively on the middle class, a group that is increasingly shrinking. According to the 60 Minutes report, “Today, fewer and fewer middle class kids hold summer jobs because mowing lawns does not get you into Harvard.” Just as not all kids are middle or upper class, not all will go to college—and it’s those who have earned a college or graduate degree that the people that the corporations featured in the segment are likely to hire. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that 66 percent of the class of 2006 entered college; although not all will graduate. As recently as the 2000 Census, only 16 percent of Americans 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree.

2. Young people traditionally have significantly higher unemployment rates

According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, in the third quarter of 2007 approximately 7,142,000 Americans sixteen and over were unemployed (this is based on the number seeking employment). Of that number, 1,302,000 are between 20 and 24; that means nearly a quarter of those unemployed are young adults. As the graph below from the Bureau of Labor Statistics details (unfortunately only featuring men), younger workers have historically had higher unemployment rates--often double or higher than their older counterparts.

In spite of the assertion that if young workers are not coddled “they will walk,” as a corporate consultant told 60 Minutes, jobs are not as plentiful for entry-level workers as the piece made it seem. Combine job insecurity with low wages, as well as fewer (if any) benefits, and you have a recipe for high turnover. In today’s job climate, many companies layoff workers frequently, outsource workers overseas, and reclassify former full-time workers as independent contractors. As a result, workers of all ages have less incentive to be loyal to one company, especially early in their careers. By focusing on young workers as self-centered, narcissistic, and spoiled, we are encouraged to overlook the broader economic conditions and blame individuals.

The 60 Minutes segment also noted that many young people in their twenties continue to live with their parents. Actually, this is not a new trend at all; previous generations were likely to live with their parents until (and even sometimes after) they married.

Rather than concluding that today’s young people are being spoiled by mom and dad and unwilling to care for themselves, shouldn’t we consider the cost of housing in major cities like New York (where much of the 60 Minutes piece seems to have been shot). In 2005, the average rent in New York was $2,400; it was $1,573 in San Francisco, and $1,421 in Los Angeles. A year’s rent of the average-priced New York apartment alone would then be close to $30,000. When you consider those astronomical costs, living with parents in these cities seems more of a sign of financial responsibility than immaturity.

3. Millennials are on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan

Perhaps the most important oversight of the segment—on Veteran’s Day, no less—is that it neglected to even mention the thousands of young men and women wearing our country’s uniform overseas right now. Young people in the military do not have the option to just “walk” when not coddled or if their self-esteem is threatened. In fact, stop-loss measures make it so that young people in the military are serving for longer periods than they signed up for. 

As of this writing, nearly four thousand U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and many more thousands have been injured. As is often the case, most casualties of war are young people, many of whom are returning with the loss of a limb, a traumatic brain injury, and/or psychological trauma. To ignore their service and sacrifice says more about the shortsightedness of their elders than young people today. Their elders are the ones who wage war, and they are also able to benefit from claims that young people are spoiled and narcissistic.

Older people can become expert consultants on this so-called trend. They can (apparently) get corporations to pay them to run seminars. They may even get to be on TV. And we all lose by mischaracterizing an entire generation and failing to understand realities of America's young people.

Comments

[khameed6272]

first things frist kids do not have manners and they don't know the eithic of the work place starts at home. They are not paying kids to act out but to do a job.

[j turley]

American companies have a hard time with younger adults today becasue first, they have no manners, and second they believe they should not have to work for what they want, it should just be given to them. They believe they should be able to talk on their phones, play around and goof off and get paid for it, and then complain and get rude when they get fired for not doing their jobs!

[Kelli]

Actually, the article is right. It's not that we don't have manners, older people, especially employers, are often disrespectful to young people. They feel that because they are the boss and we are just "kids" they can treat us however they want. Then expect us to give them respect in return. They overwork us for just minimum wage and wont even throw us a benefit. They give other old people whatever they want just cause they're old. Another reason we don't have jobs is because so many old people are collecting retirement pay and still working. Not because they need to but because they want something to do.

[Rodney Watts]

I think that younger people have manners they just havent been taught.I also believe that if older people would treat younger adults with respect everyone would be okay.

[bmabry3509]

According to the article american companies have a hard time with the younger employees because they think the need to be coddled. I do not think it is all about coddling. There is a high precent of unemployment its hard to get a job unless you have a previous or good work experience. If the younger employees just quite and leave work why would anyone want to higher them somewhere else. Hmm if there is poverty in a younger generation I do not think they would just quite work it would be all the more reason to try and keep a job. As far as being in the service it is a difficult thing you can not just quite and some do have some problems some adjust and some do not so they do things to get out. To me I think it just depends on the values and goals the younger employees has.

[Ebony J]

I am an young adult and I do have great manners and my parents raised me up well and I know responsibilty. I held my first job at 16 for 3 years and I have a new and better job now. Not all young people are that way. These young disrespectful people act that way because there parents spoiled them and allowed different behavior.

[Emiley Cox]

Not all young kids act that way. It is all in the way you are raised. If you are allowed to act in that manner at home then you will no matter where you are. Even at work under soneone else's supervision. I wouldnt categories all young kids in that same category.

[Kenendra Cobb]

I wish someone would step up a be a representative for kids that are afraid of speaking up. Not all kids are bad kids. Kids act off of how they are raised in most cases. They see whats around them and that's what they live by. We do have some great children in society today. Who do you think you watch on T.V. on your favorite sports team or who takes care of your loved ones in the E.R., or who's fighting for your freedom. Think about that the next time you want to call them spoiled!

[A. Santillan]

People say that we are spoiled and hard to keep on track. However they never ask us are we ok or if they are doing everything they can to help us ok. The goverment is making us pay more and more for school. We have to settle for these little jobs and pay our way to school and we are spoiled because our parents helps us to keep up with the payments?!? I agree with the author to a certain point because sometimes young adults get what they want because their parents may not be at home all the time because they are at work trying to make ends meet.

[Matt Ritten]

Some of the young people are in or under the poverty line. People look at the Millennials and they think that they have been pampered all of their life until they get their first job.

[npullum]

most young kids do have manners but these days it's "not cool"to be respectful and they don't use their intelligence

[sunnie norris]

I believe that American companies are having a hard time with younger employees because the generatiion has become lazy and have always have had things done for them. The world that we live in today have a lot to do with it. In todays world, no one has to work for what they get. Everything is a handout. This has taught younger people to be lazy and make them believe that you do not have to work. They are disrepectful and think that for some odd reason, we just owe it to them. The author believes that this is a mischaracterazation of a generation because "no character" contines to prove itself in todays generation.

[Chase Cotton]

Companies are having a difficult time with this generation of workers because most a very self centered, too narcissistic, and told by their parents that they are special and deserve special treatment. The author says that this is a misrepresentation of the generation because many kids grow up in poverty, their is a high percentage of unemployment of young people aged 16-24, and many of this "millenial" generation are on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Ethan]

Today kids do know how to act, but how their friends act usually determines how they too will act.

[Sarah Connell]

When you are young you want to do what you want to do. I am sure that most people not all have been through this stage in their life. You are young and free and make your own choices they all have certain consquences though. Many young people don't weigh their consquences as much as the benefits.

[karie wooten]

I BELIEVE KIDS SHOULD HAVE TO WORK FOR WHAT THEY GET HOWEVER MOST DONT. I HAD TO AND I WAS TAUGHT MANNERS. IF I DIDNT USE THEM I WAS TERRIFIED OF GETTING IN TROUBLE BY MY MOM AND EVEN MY SISTER

[K. Stovall]

According to the article, American companies are having trouble with the younger generation because they are self-centered, spoiled, and need a job to be "fun" in order to keep it. The author believes it is a mischaracterization of an entire generation because older people fail to see the realities of younger people. The younger people arent given the same benefits and opportunities that their elders are recieving. It is mostly the younger generation, however, overseas fighting for our freedom. Do they call that selfish? Because it is definitely NOT in any way selfish.

[Wes Johnson]

Young people are gonna have to understand with great power comes great responsibility. This generation is gonna have to stop trying to fight for the right to party and stand up and quit depending on their parents and others. The author may not agree with this,however. He must be from this generation.

[joshua wade]

if you were raized right you act right but a work ethic is taught so if it isnt then it wont be nomatter how old you get!!!!

[kstevens]

again it all goes back to the childs up bring and what a child has learned. everyone has to make their own choice wheater good or bad. but most kids dont care because you can like and not work their isa to many ways to make money legal or illeagl it will be done or they can just take a ride on our tax money becuse that the only thing i see that is working. fro the lazy people that sit at home have kids and dont do nothing more but have kids and we have to pay for them but when the hard workiing need help we cant get it.

[Tristen Loyd]

When you tell someone constantly that they suck, they are crap, they are stupid, eventually, they are going to start thinking of themselves in that light. Eventually, they are going to quit acting like themselves and are going to start acting like what people are comparing them to. If the employers and managers would start treating their employees with more respect, and less disrespect, those workers would be more inclined to stay at that company and not go to another. Well, if the older people think that the younger generation is "too spoiled, bratty, living at home with mom and dad makes them immature, or they don't know how to keep a job," let me just remind them, they were young once. I bet that somebody said that about them when they were our ages. They just need to get off their high horse and go pester somebody else.

[dthomas6104]

I think i lot of this stims from how work has change from less labor to more tech also the abily to spoiled yourself is the killer in all of this "the younger generation" is given to what our parents and parents with relax views and standers from generations = radio to boom box as from desktop to laptop as tv is to ipod as the toys get bigger

[Seth Cardwell]

What is lacking in the younger generation is a good work ethic. We have created kids that want to work the least for the most amount of money. This does not mean ALL kids are like this, but definitely it has become a majority. There is nothing like working for something to be earned. It produces a self-worth like no other. Has anyone been taught to work for an employer to make HIM successful and not just for yourself? It is very rare!

[Jaleesa Watkins]

American companies believe younger people were too self-centered, too narcissistic, too fragile to be managed using traditional techniques, and told they were too special by their parents. I believe older people are just use to doing things their way and view our way as out of line.

[MYAH SIMMONS]

THE AMERICAN COMPANIES ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE YOUNGER GENERATION BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF SELF DISCIPLINE AND THEIR DEDICATION TO WORK HARD.