Page 18
Recyclers News Press
The “work-life balance” revolution has begun. Offices
across the country are being taken over by Millenni-
als, those loosely born between 1980 and 1995. Mil-
lennials currently hold the global median age of 28.
By 2025, they will make up 75% of the global work-
force. What seems like decades away is actually only
11 years.
So what does 9–5 look like for Millennials? It’s not go-
ing to exist one day. There will be
ROWE
offices —
Results Only Work Environment
— where employ-
ees are evaluated on productivity over hours at the
desk.
In a 2013
participants who represent the youngest segment of
the Y generation, were asked what was important to
them when choosing an employer. “The findings help
yield better insights into developing strategies for em-
ployers regarding generational differences in the
workplace and for engaging the emerging talent pipe-
line.”
1
Employer: Perception and Image
— 71.7% said
they prefer to be treated fairly, over 36.4% who
desire company prestige.
Job-Specific Opportunities
— 90.2% agreed that
gaining skills to enhance career was the biggest
goal.
Salary and Perks
— Benefits (77.7%) and flexible
work hours (57.5%) are more important than sal-
ary (38.8%) and performance bonuses (19.1%).
Work Atmosphere and Environment
— Work-life
balance was the most important for 69.2% of
those surveyed, but friendly colleagues was a
close second at 60.6%.
Millennials, also known as teacup kids who are in
tune with their sensitivities, boomerang kids who end
up back home after college, and trophy kids who have
been told that everyone is a winner, Generation Y is
saying goodbye to the typical 9am to 5pm work hours
and hello to an era of freedom. What we once called
pay for performance but without punching a clock.
What Millennials really want is creativity, engagement
and flexible work schedules. They want their work to
mean something, but they don’t want to be at work all
the time. They are pro-community and pro-equality.
Millennials will make up a workforce that is no longer
defined by their job. They are defined by their experi-
ences. Life experience far outweighs work experi-
ence. When they were teenagers, they weren’t throw-
ing newspapers at 5am, they were backpacking
Europe.
Also known as dot.com kids, this generation knows no
life other than a tech life. Growing up in front of com-
puters, tablets and smart phones, with video game
controllers in their hands and ear buds in their ears,
Gen Y’rs receive, process and share information in an
entirely different way. They embrace technological
innovations to increase productivity which gives them
an advantage over other generations in the technol-
ogy field. They will appreciate collaborations along
with visual stimuli but do not differentiate between vir-
tual meetings and being in the same room.
So, what can companies do to create the ideal work-
life balance? Offer a culture of positive attitude, allow
for flexible schedules that equate to unlimited (unpaid)
vacation time, provide a learning environment for con-
tinued education, offer feedback including praise and
rewards, and groom them for leadership or ownership
opportunities. In many ways the Millennial’s work-life
balance desire fits well into the automotive recycler
mindset.
Reference: 1
2
Results Only Work Environment
The Millennial Workforce
