Man, there are a LOT of people hating on Millennials these days.
I didn't even realize just how bad it was until the article I published last week - With the Rise of the Millennial Comes The Fall of the Suit.
I'm not sure if it's anger, jealousy or perhaps ignorance. But there seems to be a lot of venom towards an audience that's shifting and redefining the work force.
Let's put down the pitchforks and torches for a minute. Here are a few things you might not have known about Millennials.
- According to Mobile Enterprise, 73% of Millennials say they should be able to modify and customize their work computer - and 63% say they will go around IT to get what they need.
- According to Cisco, 87% of Millennials say they would choose to work for a company heavily invested in video over one that isn’t invested in video.
- Bentley University’s Center for Women and Business found that 84% of Millennials surveyed believe that it’s more important to make a difference in the world than it is to achieve professional recognition.
- Iconoculture found that 35% of employed Millennials have started their own business on the side for extra cash.
- According to USA Today, 88% of Millennials either have deposited or would deposit a check by taking a picture of it with an app.
- Baby Center found that 83% of new moms are Millennials. Of these, 75% search for parenting advice on their mobile phones.
Why should we care about this seemingly random smattering of information? Simple.
It's changing.
What's changing, you ask?
It's ALL changing.
The work day is no longer 9-5. The work PLACE is no longer just the office.
People don't turn to the local newspapers for information. They go online.
They don't rely on commercials to learn about products. They read reviews. They ask their friends on social media.
Listen, I'm not saying an old dog can't learn new tricks. But when you go to a surgeon, do you want someone who has always lived in the world of medical...or someone who started learning it a couple of years ago so that he'd still have a job?
Most millennials don't remember life B.I. (before internet). They haven't had to adjust their way of life - they've just always lived it.
Think about it like this. Boil some water and throw the lobster in there. He'll go crazy.
Put a lobster in a pot of cold water and bring it up to a boil - he won't know the difference, because things have adjusted while he was in it (let's ignore the whole dying part of that analogy).
In the past week, our new Millennial hire has run live video feeds for clients on Meerkat and Periscope, rolled out an Instagram and Snapchat marketing strategy successfully for three businesses that NEVER would have considered it before, and she's now working on turning a old-fashioned barber into a social media savvy monster.
Oh, and no pension needed. Just a fridge full of Red Bull. Good deal.
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