Written by: Cara

• News & Trends

February 26th, 2009

"Millennials? Oh, you mean those narcissistic praise-hounds who wear flip-flops to work? Well they have no work ethic, for starters. They only care about themselves and want to get ahead without putting in the work to do so. They have no respect for authority, and they certainly won't be loyal to their employer. Good luck hiring one of them."

This sentiment has been quietly and not-so-quietly communicated throughout our culture in the last several years, ever since Millennials (those born in 1980 and later) started entering the work force. With most of this year's college seniors born in 1987, employers are about to get a big dose of disrespectful, lazy, self-centered, disloyal employees.

Here's the thing: that's rubbish. Read on for this Millennial's rebuttal...

As a Millennial myself, I have to say that I find this sentiment unfair. Maybe this is something that every generation has encountered upon entering the workforce, but this sweeping assumption leaves me disheartened. As history has taught us, most generalizations that pigeon-hole a wide variety of people are not only incorrect, but potentially dangerous.

Don't get me wrong: I know there are those among us who don't work as hard as we should. Kim Kardashian, for example, is not a prime example of Millennial ingenuity. But there are less-than-exemplary workers in every age group: Gen X, Generation Jones, the Baby Boomers... come on. You know who you are. But I also argue that this is not the norm, for any age group. I work hard. My Millennial colleagues work hard. (So do my Gen X, Generation Jones, and Baby Boomer colleagues, for the record.) In fact, with the assumption that 20-somethings "want their hand held up the corporate ladder", as one employer recently put it, comes a push from Millennials to work harder and prove ourselves.

One statement popular with those critical of Millennials is the idea that we grew up without any real expectations from parents, teachers, or society. (Some even blame Fred Rogers and little league trophies for thinning the collective Millennial skin and forcing employers to act as therapist, not boss. Despite the hurt it causes me to hear anyone speak ill of Mr. Rogers, I'll soldier on.) I'm trying not to laugh at this idea as I reminisce on my high school days, being marched through Advanced Placement classes, hours of nightly homework, part-time jobs, internships, sports, and extracurricular activities coming out my ears... and this was just the cut-throat competition to get into college. As any Millennial can attest (as well as any Millennial's parent who was unable to help with homework after 7th grade), our "childhoods" were not necessarily a walk in the park, and the expectations placed upon us to succeed were very, very real.

Another piece of the Down With Millennials argument that amazes me is the idea that our value of work/life balance makes us weak, lazy, or disloyal. In his segment "The Millennials are Coming" for CBS's 60 Minutes, Morley Safer, after referring to the group as "narcissistic praise hounds", scoffs at Millennials for valuing their personal lives over their professional ones. I'm sorry... did I miss the part where valuing family and friends became ridiculous? Few cultures can claim the same workaholic status as the United States, and Millenials have experienced first-hand the cost of that relentless drive. To take a step back and prioritize our lives around family and friends may be just what the doctor ordered.

Jason Dorsey, who is featured in the 60 minutes video, says Millennials have seen the mistakes of our parents, and says that is the reason for our atypical set of priorities. We've watched our parents work late, go to the office on weekends, and sacrifice their personal lives for their work. Then what happened? Mom or Dad got laid off, and all that "loyalty" amounted to nothing. Dorsey asserts that Millennials have no intention of making the same mistake, and is unapologetic in his admission that he, too, values his personal life over his professional one.

Let me say in closing that not everyone has hopped on the Lazy Millennials Band Wagon. About.com's Cam Marston wrote a great article for employers, citing common myths associated with the hiring of Millennials, and why those perceptions are just that: myths. "Things aren't always what they seem with Millennial employees," he argues. Additionally, although The Herman Group's article on "Engaging Millennials" begins with the statement "Millennials were judged to be the least effective performers of the four generations now in our workplace," the remainder of the information in the article seems to directly contradict that idea.

Thus begins the debate. If you have thoughts on this emerging notion, please feel free to post them below. As for me, writing this was more than enough work for one day. As soon as I finish updating my Facebook profile and making personal calls on the company phone, this Millennial is outta here.