The stereotype that Millennial workers are a “hard to manage” generation is false, according to new research.
The Kenexa High Performance Institute found that Millennial workers, who are often referred to as Generation Y, have the same hardworking attitudes to those of previous generations at the same stages of their life.
It is often said that Generation Y, those born between 1982 and 2003, lack the work ethic, values and personality traits of Generation X (1961-1981) and the Baby Boomers (1943-1960).
However, little has changed according to the data generated by researchers working on the study.
For example, they found that in 2009, 31 per cent of 27 year-olds from Generation Y were considering leaving their organisation, which was the same figure for their Generation X counterparts back in 1990.
The report also found that millennials, when compared to previous generations of workers, were more satisfied with the job security provided by their work, that they were paid fairly and were generally satisfied with the opportunities available for growth.
Dr Rena Rasch, research manager at the Kenexa High Performance Institute and co-author of the report, said: “In some key areas, millennials may even turn out to be better employees and, eventually, better employers than their predecessors.
“A key implication of this study is that HR practitioners and managers may not need to develop paradigm-shifting strategies exclusively for millennials.”
