This is the era of the millennials. The generational cohort born between 1980 and 2000 are taking over the workplace and leadership roles within it. However, there is evidence that the millennials are not performing as well as their Generation X predecessors, so why is that? In this article we discuss some weaknesses apparent in millennials that may well be affecting their impact at work.
1. Poor communication skills
Many employers complain about the lack of communication skills apparent in millennials. Whether it’s an over-reliance on spell checkers and predictive text or poor spelling and grammar as a result of overusing text language, millennials seem to be weak on the communication front certainly when compared to other generational cohorts. And even in today’s tech-dominated workplaces there is still no substitute for face-to-face communication whether it’s with managers, colleagues or customers. It doesn’t matter how good you are at Snapchat if you fail to get your point across in person.
2. Anxiety and depression
There may be plenty of debate over the underlying causes, but it’s no secret millennials are affected by anxiety and depression more than any other generation. And those individuals who are sadly struggling with these issues will find it difficult to even get out of bed in the morning, let alone succeed in stressful and demanding jobs. It’s no wonder then that depression and anxiety are having an effect on the performance of millennials in the workplace.
3. No staying power
For previous generations a job was a career. People tended to stay in the same role for several years and even made a whole career with the one employer. Those days are now long gone. In fact, most millennials are changing jobs frequently, sometimes every three years. This perceived lack of staying power and commitment is not resonating well with different generational cohorts that are more traditional in their outlook. Besides, if you’re planning on leaving soon anyway then there’s no point in trying to keep everyone, including the boss, happy all of the time.
4. Lack of respect for authority
It follows that if you’re not there for the long haul, then you don’t necessarily have the same sense of deference or respect for authority. Indeed millennials are often accused of being cocky or arrogant in the workplace. This kind of attitude isn’t necessarily going to help you come top of the class in the popularity stakes.
5. Lack of confidence
Some millennials display poor self-esteem – particularly those with helicopter parents that insisted on hovering over their child’s every move. They’re just not used to taking the initiative and can be lacking in confidence when it comes to speaking up in meetings, making presentations or working under stressful time frames and conditions.
And so if you’re one of life’s millennials then it may pay to ensure that you don’t possess these weaknesses. And if you’re a manager of millennials then being aware of the potential issues problems will help you to manage and respond to any problems before they get out of hand.