The “Millennials” Are Coming: Morley Safer (60 Minutes) On The New Generation Of American Workers

I think this article paints a broad brush to condemn a whole generation based on a gross misunderstanding of those older folks, of which I am a part. It’s a CBS/60 Minutes article about the Millennial Generation.

I have some strong opinions about what I read. This article received 617 reader comments during the 72 hours after it was published. Here is comment number 618.

A few quotes from the article:

“It’s graduation time and once again we say “Stand back all bosses!” A new breed of American worker is about to attack everything you hold sacred: from giving orders, to your starched white shirt and tie.”

“how to deal with this generation that only takes “yes” for an answer?”

“The workplace has become a psychological battlefield and the millennials have the upper hand, because they are tech savvy, with every gadget imaginable almost becoming an extension of their bodies. They multitask, talk, walk, listen and type, and text. And their priorities are simple: they come first.”

“It’s their way or the highway. The rest of us are old, redundant, should be retired.”

“Today, fewer and fewer middle class kids hold summer jobs because mowing lawns does not get you into Harvard.”

“they’ve never punched a time clock. They have no idea what it’s like to actually be in an office at nine o’clock, with people handing them work,”

“You now have a generation coming into the workplace that has grown up with the expectation that they will automatically win, and they’ll always be rewarded, even for just showing up,”

“”Where does this fantasy about ‘I’m going to find the dream job’ — there’s no such thing as a dream job. I mean, a few of us like me happen to have it. But where does this fantasy come from?” Safer asks Dorsey. “

“Family and friends are the new priorities, while blind careerism is beginning to fade.”

Chris’ Thoughts:

Who stuck a gun to the head of these employers and forced them to hire these lazy employees. Are these the same employers who strongly encourage hard-working older employees to retire early so they can hire these lazy kids? If the reporter got this right, then it’s the employers who should be criticized, not the kids. The millennials are acting the way they are because the employers allow it.

If our current employers don’t hire these kids, they are going to get together on FaceBook or Second Life and create their own company that makes sense to their generation. Maybe it’s time for the big dinosaur-like companies to close up shop. This next generation does not seem to need them.

What’s wrong with a focus on family and friends rather than on career? Don’t happy people make happy employees?

Pointing the finger at Mister Rogers for telling a generation that they are “special” is not what has lead to the trouble in the workplace. I grew up with Mister Rogers, and I’m not the lazy bum that the author describes. Everyone is special, and we all need to help this next generation realize the special gift that they have, that when used appropriately, can make the world a better place in which to live.

School-to-Career educators, it’s our job to help find that special quality in each kid that can be turned into a fruitful and rewarding career.

Well, that’s the way that I see it. Let me know what you are thinking, and stop by again soon for more of my ramblings.