News

Actions

Generational switch on the job: How millennials are impacting the workforce

Posted at 10:29 AM, Apr 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-19 14:45:26-04

They're known as millennials or "Generation Y." 

While the parameters of the demographic are debated, the group usually consists of people who became an adult around the start of the 21st Century. Some of the big influences of the generation: technology and social media. 

Now, those millennials are starting to move up the corporate ladder.

Mark Lanfear, a vice president at Kelly Services, stopped by the studio today to talk about the generational shift happening in the workforce today and why it's creating so much discussion. 

"They're already taking such a large part of the workforce, they're already one in three workers and I think the difference in this generation is that it's happening so fast, we see the silver tsunami where everyone is retiring very quickly right now and folks gotta take control of the wheel...and it's just an exciting time for them to contribute," said Lanfear. 

The goal of millennials, according to Lanfear, is to achieve. It's a characteristic that can set them apart from their older peers. 

"Millennials...and really technology driven folks want to come in and accomplish and drive your company to its goals as quickly as possible and so there's a balance in dealing with that and its really incumbent on the employer to do it," he said.

But what attracts them to employers in the first place? Lanfear points to projects that move and employers that make sure their workers' interests are satisfied.  

"The big, open workforce areas...where folks can interact with one another easily -- that's one of the things they are looking for. It's not just about fun though at work, millennials see the mountain and they just want to climb it as fast as they can. It is about accomplishing, said Lanfear. 

The focus of the employer should be on trying to get as much out of the millennial workforce as possible, instead of trying to retain them for the long haul, he says. 

"It's OK to let folks come in and contribute, be a part of everything that's going on -- kind of get the energy of the sun off of them and if they want to go on to another company and do the same thing and help them, that's a good thing too."