Self-serving, narcissistic, lazy and entitled; these are just a few terms that are used to describe millennials. While they’ve only been in the workforce for roughly 10 years, millennials have already received a bad reputation.
Searching the Internet, the attitude toward this generation is lukewarm at best, with endless articles trying to understand these younger workers. There is even a training video that pokes fun at the self-serving behavior of millennials in the workplace.
Taking all this harsh criticism into consideration ─ are millennials really that unpleasant that you have to “learn” to love us?
I use the reference “us” because I’m a millennial. I’m one of the oldest members of this generation. And, just like every generation, we are the outcome of our societal influences.
We grew up with video games, personal computers, cell phones and social media. This technologically-charged world has afforded us the opportunity to receive information quickly and connect us with people from all over the world. We’ve grown accustomed to this “instant pudding” type learning environment and we’ve carried it into the workplace.
Identifying the values and influences of each generation is the first step to truly understanding how to design learning solutions for employees. Since millennials have grown up using technology, integrating technology into learning solutions is a great place to start. Using mobile learning, gamification and video-based learning in training strategies will help engage the newest members of the workforce.
But, don’t forget about coaching and mentoring. Millennials want face-to-face interaction to learn from their peers. Despite the perception that millennials lack respect for authority, they actually value mentoring and guidance from their superiors. They want to streamline learning in order to make the right choices and learn from your mistakes.
To start spinning the design wheels, here are a few articles that explore how to develop engaging learning programs for millennials:
- “The Boomer-Millennial Workplace Clash: Is it Real?”
- “3 Strategies to Engage Millennials”
- “Beyond Words: How Generation Y is Redefining Learning for Everyone”
By recognizing the values and motivation factors that engage millennials, learning leaders can develop training initiatives in bite-sized formats that provide immediate feedback for these just-in-time learners. Every generation brings its own unique set of expectations and skills to the workplace, and millennials are no different. Learning to work together will be the key to success.
