Millennials in the workplace
Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.
Preparation
Millennials in the workplace
Background
Millennials (those born between the early 1980s and the early 1990s) make up a huge part of our workforce but they seem to lack loyalty to the companies and the leaders they work for. Multinational companies are noticing larger turnover rates of millennials as employee retention rates fall. This report looks at the findings of two large-scale surveys on the mindset of the millennial generation and explores how organisations can strive to address these needs, increase employee engagement and encourage retention.
Research
In a global survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), more than 40,000 millennial (born between 1983 and 1993) and non-millennial responses were collected on the topics of workplace culture, communication and working styles, pay structure, career development, work–life balance, etc.
In a separate global survey conducted by Deloitte, more than 10,000 millennials participated in a study about their perceptions of the threats and opportunities in the complex world of work.
Key findings
- Millennials are as committed to their work as their more senior colleagues.
- Millennials value interesting work and a good work–life balance. They do not believe that excessive work demands are worth sacrifices in their personal lives.
- Millennials want flexibility in their working hours and are willing to give up pay increases and promotions for a flexible working schedule. They believe that success should be measured by productivity and not by the number of hours they are seen in an office.
- Millennials want to feel supported and appreciated by their company and their superiors.
- Millennials want more opportunities to develop their skills. These include technological skills, teamwork and interpersonal skills.
- Millennials believe that businesses and business leaders should contribute to the improvement of society and they are more likely to be loyal to a company with strong ethics.
Recommendations
Organisations and managers wanting to retain millennials should consider:
- monitoring their workload and satisfaction levels with their work–life balance
- creating a flexible work culture where employees have more control over their working hours and their work location
- providing meaningful work and interesting opportunities
- offering help and support in continuing professional development
- changing the organisation's goals from being mainly about profit-making to motives that address social concerns and solve wider societal problems.
There are several factors that are important for me to be happy at work, but I would prioritize two of them.
First, it’s essential to have a balance between salary, working hours, and the tasks I’m expected to perform. In some companies, employees are asked to handle an excessive workload without fair compensation, and that is not sustainable.
Second, a job should offer opportunities for growth, such as skill development, promotions, benefits, insurance, and a healthy work environment. Without these, it wouldn’t be a place where I’d want to stay long‑term.
Finally, people need to feel satisfied with the work they do and feel recognized for it. When employees feel valued, they are more motivated and perform better.
For me, the most important thing to feel happy at work is a sense of freedom. By “freedom,” I mean being able to choose my own development path and having my employer support me in this. I need to have the opportunity and space to grow professionally. For example, if I want to work from home, I can do so, and if I need to go to the office, I can go there as well. I also value flexibility—I can start work at 10 a.m. one day and at 6 a.m. another day if needed.
The worst things for me are micromanagement, excessive reporting, and being accountable for every hour. I prefer to work in a way that allows me to have time for my family, especially for my little daughter.
It is important to feel to be appreciated in the workplace and have a work-life balance . earning enough money is the key. There should be more opportunities to develop your proficiency and contribute the self growing.
It's very important for me to have the ability of remote work.
By the way, task 2, question 3: Millennials are less loyal to their companies than non-millennials.
The right answer is false, but there's written at the beginning of this text:
...but they seem to lack loyalty to the companies and the leaders they work for.
Could you, please, explain why is this so?
Hello Safe_Mode,
The key word here is 'seems'. Millenials seem to have less loyalty... but the report makes it clear that this is not true. This is stated explicitly in the first point under 'Key Findings':
Millenials are not less loyal. Rather, they want support, opportunities for development etc. The reasons they don't stay with companies are because the companies are not offering them the right incentives, not because they are disloyal.
In these kinds of texts, 'seem' is often a marker for something that is not true. X seems true but in fact...
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Work is an important part of my life, but not the only one. This principle explains my point of view about what is most important to be happy at work: flexibility. Flexibility is what allows me to travel, meet my family, and enjoy great moments with them; it’s what allows me to go to the gym and take care of myself. Flexibility and trust.
Why don’t workplaces trust us? Why do we need to spend hours in front of a desk? Why can’t we choose the time of day to work if we complete our tasks?
I know that some companies have task-based goals instead of a 9am–5pm schedule, but maybe they represent only 1%. These two conditions improve our mental health, and that’s why they are important to me.
For me, it's important to work in a work environment very open and sociable, where I can climb the corporate ladder.
as a future mom and wife , the work life balance is number one criterion in any job opportunity, weather the pay is low or high, I would opt for a fixed qualty hours job with the best conditions and a sincere environment in order to maintain that balance between my family and my work .
From my point of view, feeling happy and satisfied in the workplace doesn’t depend on fixed office hours. What truly matters is getting the work done, receiving support from the company for personal development, and feeling appreciated.
For me, it’s very important to truly enjoy what I do at work. I would like to work in an interesting environment, with friendly colleagues and an open‑minded boss. It would be torture for me if the job involved too many repetitive tasks or if my co‑workers constantly criticized me. In fact, I’ve been through this before, and I ended up leaving that company after just one month. I’ve been unemployed for a few months now, but when I accept my next job, I will do everything I can to make sure it’s a real fit for me.