Millennials in the workplace

 Answer the following questions as they relate to you and the article’s information that you just read.  Remember, this is an assessment about you. 

• Would you agree that Millennials you have grown up in the digital era? The article discusses the fact that,  “It comes naturally to them. It is part of their every day. It defines them and they, in turn, have significant influence on those around them, whether from home, the workplace or the treadmill. “Social media, of course, are the favored form of communications. With smartphones, tablets (Links to an external site.) and other digital devices (Links to an external site.), each tap matters greatly as they share thoughts and concerns or read what friends and others have to say.”
• Give some examples of your use social media and the impact to your day to day interactions with others?  Does this impact or tend to minimize your person to person interaction? In what way is this detrimental to the business environment? 
• The article suggests that Millennials will eventually dominate and influence the workforce.  What sorts of values and priorities do you feel you bring to the workplace that other prior generations did not?  In pondering this question, consider this quote by Mr. Alsop, who wrote the book, The Trophy Kids. 

“The first wave of the Millennial Generation—born between 1980 and 2001—is entering the work force, and employers are facing some of the biggest management challenges they’ve ever encountered. They are trying to integrate the most demanding and most coddled generation in history into a workplace shaped by the driven baby-boom generation. Like them or not, the millennials are America’s future work force. They are actually a larger group than the boomers—92 million vs. 78 million.

The millennials are truly trophy kids, the pride and joy of their parents who remain closely connected even as their children head off to college and enter the work force. Millennials are a complex generation, with some conflicting characteristics. Although they’re hard working and achievement oriented, most millennials don’t excel at leadership and independent problem solving (Links to an external site.). They want the freedom and flexibility of a virtual office (Links to an external site.), but they also want rules and responsibilities to be spelled out explicitly. “It’s all about me,” might seem to be the mantra of this demanding bunch of young people, yet they also tend to be very civic-minded and philanthropic.”

• Do you feel that Millennials, (or yourself if you fit within the age bracket of this group), tend to be more independent thinking is prized, questioning is the norm and proof is what they are looking for?  Do you find that organizations such as religion, social groups, corporations and politics can not be trusted?
• Do you feel that Millennials don’t seem to have the same sense of loyalty to their employers as do earlier generations, particularly Baby Boomers? Do you agree that they keep their distance, slower to make an emotional connection? Do they tend to be quicker to change jobs (Links to an external site.), vote with their feet and seek a more open corporate environment? Give some examples.
• What positive changes can the Millennials bring to the employer or management team as opposed to earlier generations? Please give specific examples.