I would argue (as a recent, if older college grad) that the problem is even deeper than this article suggests. A large part of the problem is that Millenials are disenchanted with what they discover once they get out of college. Where they had expected to be challenged and rewarded and free, they discover that a job is still just a job (in many cases). You're expected to show up at a certain time everyday, and put your head down and work hard on tasks which often seem devoid of meaning and intrinsic value. To put it mildly, this reality is a major buzz kill and hard to stomach. The world seems like your oyster in college, and then you discover upon graduation that it is not. You're just another cog in a machine so large you cannot fathom how your contributions matter.
Millenials are simply discovering this and rejecting it. They don't know how, but they want more or of life than just a step above indentured servitude. They want freedom, and to see directly how what they do matters. They don't just want a job, they want a calling.
The sad truth is that corporations lack the flexibility and forethought in many cases to see the writing on the wall. I suspect that our economy is in for some rocky days ahead--as it is trapped between a rapidly aging workforce willing to work traditional corporate jobs, and new generations who refuse to accept the same. Companies will either need to radically rethink their business from the top down in order to attract and retain valued employees, or die. Those companies which survive will be those which are asked and responsive not just to their external customers, but also their internal customers (employees). They will need to offer more challenge, non-linear rewards and incentives, and above all freedom: require less hours worked, more flexibility in how and where work can be accomplished, etc. Millenials simply do not want a job where they punch in and out and work forty hours (or more) a week for a paycheck. We want a life beyond work and for our work to be meaningful.
Millenials are simply discovering this and rejecting it. They don't know how, but they want more or of life than just a step above indentured servitude. They want freedom, and to see directly how what they do matters. They don't just want a job, they want a calling.
The sad truth is that corporations lack the flexibility and forethought in many cases to see the writing on the wall. I suspect that our economy is in for some rocky days ahead--as it is trapped between a rapidly aging workforce willing to work traditional corporate jobs, and new generations who refuse to accept the same. Companies will either need to radically rethink their business from the top down in order to attract and retain valued employees, or die. Those companies which survive will be those which are asked and responsive not just to their external customers, but also their internal customers (employees). They will need to offer more challenge, non-linear rewards and incentives, and above all freedom: require less hours worked, more flexibility in how and where work can be accomplished, etc. Millenials simply do not want a job where they punch in and out and work forty hours (or more) a week for a paycheck. We want a life beyond work and for our work to be meaningful.