It’s been eight years that Ken and I have been away from Rockdale. In those years, I’ve held jobs in the newspaper business and as a college professor.
The one constant in all jobs is that my co-workers who were younger than me were upending the traditions and economy that I grew up counting on and believing in.
And I like it.
For instance, Millennials or Gen Y consumers, the 83 million Americans born between 1981 and 1996 who are our nation’s largest population, want convenience, fast service, connectivity and price transparency.
They are forcing the health care and auto industries to rethink how and what they offer their customer, since they are doing things later than the previous generous like getting married, having a family, moving out, owning a home and/or a car.
This generation is going to urgent care clinics that have weekend and evening hours that post their prices on their websites.
When buying cars, Gen Yers are waiting, because they don’t need cars with the advent of Uber, using public transportation or asking friends and family, and they’re getting their drivers license later too.
Owning a car isn’t associated with freedom like it was for we Gen Xers. They are pragmatic car buyers. They think of vehicles as a commodity like an appliance. In fact, owning is considered a liability because of mounting school and home loan debt.
But when Millennials do decide to take the plunge, they have fully vetted and researched their vehicle online. They know exactly what they want and are not brand loyal.
They want a good price, gas mileage and technology. And they are taking that plunge, to the tune of 4 million cars and trucks in 2015 and 30 percent of vehicles in 2016, according to J.D. Powers Automotive Marketing statistics.
Now that Gen Z, people born after 1996, is entering the workforce, they too are changing the landscape of America, especially in the workplace.
Those 61 million individuals have lived in a world that has always had smartphones and free Wi-Fi, which means they have a digital footprint and can pick up new software quickly and multi-tasking easily.
Switching between different tasks and paying simultaneous attention to a wide range of stimuli comes naturally to them. When they look at their phone during work hours, don’t assume it will distract them for hours; they are used to checking their phone for updates between tasks. They are used to getting information instantaneously and lose interest just as fast.
They are coming into jobs ready and willing to work, because they watched their parents take large financial hits during the Great Recession. However, this doesn’t mean that they are motivated by a paycheck, although security is important. They are motivated by their ideals, purpose and relationships. They want to make a difference and want a life outside of work.
They have the work ethic of Americans of the 1930s, with a millennial sensibility.
Both generations are changing workplace social norms. The management courses I took in the ’90s clearly delineated a manager from a worker and advised maintaining a distance, but these generations are busting those norms.
The young worker expects more face-to-face communication with their managers, because they are used to the constant feedback on their smartphones. They expect and want a relationship with bosses outside of work. It helps to give their work the purpose they need.
Theirs is the first generation that mixed schooling with community service and working for the public good is at core their ethos.
Even though each generation worries about its succeeding ones, in this case the country seems to be in good hands.
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