Unfairly Labeled

Chapter 5

Employee Engagement

There are seven factors to employee engagement often discussed in generational literature: recognition and praise, meaningful work, making a positive impact in the world, work/life balance, a collaborative work environment, opportunities for advancement, and compensation. The gen-experts commonly cite these factors as necessary to keeping millennials happy. The chapter will examine the origins of these stereotypes and what advice commonly follows. Finally, we will look at how to identify stereotypes, break them, and move toward best practices in engaging employees, regardless of age.

The Stereotype

Meet Ryan, the typical millennial as described in gen-expert literature. Ryan is a fresh-out-of-college new hire. He is a hard-to-please employee with high expectations. He is confident in his technical skills but limited in work experience. His manager works hard to meet his sometimes unrealistic demands or risks losing him to the competition.

The Precedine is a gen-experts's caricature of the typical millennial. Although some recognize the myth behind this caricature, such stereotypes continue to confuse.

Justification for the Stereotype

Where do the negative assumptions and steroetypes come from? Let us look at the supposed rationale.

Millennials Are in Need of Constant Praise and Encouragement

Because they grew up in the age of participation trophies, millennials are accustomed to being praised, even when they do not perform at a high standard. ...