Geezer’s ructions on millennials

Contador Harrison is a proud millennial but that doesn’t seem to be the case with a geezer who resides in the neck of the wood.His paroxysm on my generation left me gobsmacked, he claimed that millennials are notorious for expressing very little loyalty to their employers and that we are all about personal fulfillment, joy and quest for purpose.The convulsion continued claiming us millennials money is important and we enjoy making it but majority of us long to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Before he proceeded, I sought to know his source of vexation, plainly it was clear some millennial who were working for him have call it quits and didn’t like it and now his company is on the lookout for IT engineers, computer science engineers, and artificial intelligence engineers, but has found the breeding grounds for tech talent well and truly tapped, he can’t even have me work for him. Explained to geezer that my generation know our work matters and need to see how our efforts fit in within the organizational puzzle and if that doesn’t happen, don’t expect loyalty. Also told him our ideological perspective on how we want a career that fits in with our personal values is non negotiable. We are generation that seek a connection between what we do at work and what we care about in life. I can confidently say I’m one of those who are not afraid to leave a company if it doesn’t match my values and if that was the case with fellow millennials that departed geezer’s firm, he should get a life and stop ranting. Most of my age mates that I’ve interacted with over the years have set of requirements that presents a challenge to employers and on most occasions ensure that values that the entire organization lives by aren’t skin-deep. 

Many small and medium companies are lagging when it comes to innovation that will make their businesses more efficient.Like the geezer, they are simply oblivious or do not have the resources to keep up. Many do not know how far behind they are.As a millennial who is currently embarking on a career in a my own company, I feel that my work does a lot to make me love and be proud of myself more than ever.Millennial friends who have left their jobs shared how that they didn’t have a sense of belonging to the organization they were working and in fact a popsy buddy revealed how as an employee she could not feel free to do tasks beyond her job description. That ownership value drove her not be afraid to make a move but took the initiative of giving feedback to the management to improve the company after she’d left. Her new employer she told me last month really encourages its employees to engage in productive conflicts and she believe it is a great way to achieve better results. She said it has helped break the barrier of a rigid culture where the boss is always right and should do whatever the boss tells you.Perhaps that is what the neighborhood geezer need to understand. As a millennial, I like challenges, i like to learn something new and exciting but I’m easily bored of constant and repetitive tasks.I was crystal clear with the geezer that if he want to retain millennial employees, he should create a culture in which they can escalate their skills. Being a baby boomer himself, i lectured him on the need to conduct an open sessions where staff can take every opportunity to challenge and stretch themselves.Gone are the days when workday was defined as being physically present in the workplace, as millennials we are always connected by technology and we get our work done from virtually anywhere including myself. If in Asia, Australia, Africa or Europe, my work schedule isn’t affected but this geezer thinks that rigid and outdated working styles are still relevant. This article first appeared here