Millennials are also referred to as the Gen Y generation, born between early 1980s to mid-1990s. Millennials are often regarded as a generation of people who grew up during the rapid development of information communication technology, which involves the internet and social media. They are people who are pretty familiar with digital technology, and have a desire for work-life balance, and a tendency to appreciate experiences over material possessions. The different generations look somewhat like this:
| Generations | Years Born |
| Gen Alpha | 2010 – 2025 |
| Gen Z | 1996 – 2009 |
| Millennials | 1981- 1995 |
| Gen X | 1965 – 1980 |
| Boomers II | 1955-1964 |
| Boomers I | 1946-1954 |
| Post war | 1928-1945 |
Millennials are the 1st generation to grow up with the internet and digital technology. That affects their values, attitudes, and behaviors- deeply. Millennials are also more diverse and educated than previous generations. Here are some of the key ways in which Generation Y differ from previous generations:
Technology: They are the children of the computer. They grew up with the internet and digital technology, hence they are not afraid to use them in every aspect of their lives. It has empowered them to be more open-minded and embrace change.
Diversity: They are way more likely to be multiracial and multicultural compared to other generations of society. They have acquired a widened view of the world and do not hesitate to be inclusive.
Education: They have a higher percentage of people with a college degree than the previous generations. This has made them more ambitious and career oriented.
Values: Millennials have a number of values more deeply ingrained in their psyche. These include, as earlier said, a desire for work-life balance as well as social responsibility and a need for personal fulfillment. – Thus, millennials are not at par with the previous generations concerning these values.
To engage millennials better in the workplace, the following strategies can be considered by the employers:
1. Growth and Development: Millennial employees are likely to look forward to learning more throughout life as well as self-improvement. Aids such as training programs, mentoring, and practical pathways that a worker can take for career development can re-engage these employees and motivate them with the ability to move on in their careers.
2. Promoting a collaborative and inclusive working environment: People of the Millennia are proud to work in groups; hence, encouraging diversity is one of the elementary ways of including them and creating an environment of participation and belongingness.
3. Offer choices for flexibility and integration of work and life: the majority of members hold either the value for balance between work and life or value flexibility at work which can be achieved through telecommuting, flexible time, and paid time off.
4. Reward their efforts: Feedback and positive acknowledgment motivate millennials in their work. Implementing a regular feedback system with acknowledgment of their performance and opportunities for upward mobility is necessary to keep them motivated and interested in the work.
Reward and recognition software empower millennials in the workplace with timely, personalized feedback and acknowledgment that motivates them to perform better and stay engaged.
5. Technology acceptance and digitization: Millennials are digital natives and are pretty comfortable with technology. For instance, adequate provision of tools and resources to work effectively may make this generation focus and stay engaged.
6. Align with their values and purpose: Meaningful work, sense of purpose, and positive impact are among some of the desires frequently expressed by millennials. Aligning company values with theirs and ways of engaging in social responsibility can broaden their participation to a more intimate level.
Anyone born between 1981 to 1996 is regarded as millennial whereas anyone born from 1996 to 2009 is regarded as GenZ. However, this line gets blurry sometimes and people born in 1995 are also regarded as GenZ and people born in 1996 are regarded as millennials as well.
Every generation lasts 15 years. Gen Alpha come after GenZ. The people born between 2010 to 2025 are defined as Gen Alpha. So, Gen Alpha generation is now 14 years old or younger.
This is hard to answer. But people born after mid 1990s are regarded as GenZ. But they can also be considered millennials.
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