A millennial is classed as someone born between the early ‘80’s and the late ‘90’s. The key factor is that millennials are conversant with technology; the majority of them are frequent social media users. Yet, despite this millennials are now becoming known as the unemployed generation. Even those with jobs are being fired. Here are the top 5 reasons why this is happening:
1. Empathy
Empathy is the ability to experience and relate to the thoughts, emotions or experience of others. Empathy requires three things: listening, openness and understanding.
Many employers have reported that millennials appear to lack empathy with their employers. In short, they are unable to understand their employment through the eyes of the employer. This leads to a string of demands and unrealistic expectations which the business simply cannot support.
2. Availability of workforce
The truth is that there are a large number of people unemployed and the volatility of the economy has made it very difficult to keep staff retained and remain profitable. The solution has been resented by companies which offer labour hire Sydney; you can simply gain the staff you need as and when you need them.
Of course, the existing staff is no longer required and it’s the millennials that are suffering the most from this.
3. Communication issues
Millennials are known for their ability to use technology. However, this is often at the cost of traditional communication methods. While social media, email and other digital communications are easy, millennials often lack the ability to talk directly to people.
This inability to communicate can be very detrimental to any business. Even in a modern digital world communication is key to business success. If someone is unable to deal with face to face situations effectively then they are likely to be penalized or even fired.
4. Anxiety
This can affect anyone at any time in life but it appears that depression is an increasingly common problem in younger workers. Of course, this is not the individual’s fault and with proper treatment and understanding, it can be dealt with.
However, if the employer is not aware or does not understand the issue then a depressed employee will simply appear lazy or unmotivated; making them a prime target for dismissal.
The solution is in workplace initiatives and support for all employees. It has been suggested that millennials have been hardest hit by this because of how volatile the economy has been in recent years and the ever increasing amount of debt they face.
5. Independent
Many millennials feel very in control of their own abilities. This is derived from the fact that they can handle all the digital technology and make the most of it.
However, this means they are often independent at work and don’t like to be managed. If an employer likes to be hands on then they are unlikely to get a positive response from a millennial employee!
All of these matters can be dealt with but it requires understanding on the part of the employer and a little flexibility on the part of the millennial employee. This is not always an easy balance to find!