Rules aside, your employees are talking money
Posted On July 29, 2014
A new LinkedIn study on relationships at work is making HR directors across the country cringe. But not for the reason you might think. Despite many companies having direct rules prohibiting it, more than two-thirds of Millennials are comfortable sharing personal information—including salary—with their coworkers. What’s fueling younger employees to commit the ultimate faux pas? The potential reasons are many. Millennials are, in general, more liberal in their thinking. They don’t hold as strictly to social norms and traditional boundaries. The internet certainly plays a role – this is a generation fully accustomed to revealing private information to strangers, so… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Work
If there’s one thing for certain, it’s not taxes
Posted On July 22, 2014
Don’t tell the Baby Boomers, but despite their numbers and impact on the world, they are not going to live forever. Apparently the most universal of truths is contributing to the latest in Boomer-driven business trends: eco-friendly burials. At least that’s what the Associate Press is telling us. According to “Eco-friendly burials gain favor among Baby Boomers,” Al Gore’s generation is feeling a little guilty about the environmental legacy they are leaving behind and are increasingly opting to eschew traditional burials for a more “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” approach. Make no mistake, the 40 green cemeteries in the… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials
Is health insurance still an attractive benefit?
Posted On July 17, 2014
With the recent Supreme Court decision excusing Hobby Lobby from providing certain birth control options in its employee health plan and the goal of Obamacare to make health care affordable and accessible to all Americans the employer-assisted health plan is getting tons of attention. We know costs keep rising and many employers are passing more and more of that cost on to employees. And with the rise in part-time and contract workers, employees are finding themselves increasingly ineligible for employer plans. Will all these trends converge to make employer-provided coverage a relic? I don’t see it happening right away, but… Read More
Categories: Financial Services, Generation X, Generation Y / Millennials, Retirement, Workplace
Today’s young adults are a new breed
Posted On July 11, 2014
Bosses, parents and peers shake their heads at today’s “peter pan” kids – young adults who won’t grow up and seem to have lost their way. There were some in the Xer generation and even more with the Millennials – as they stepped out into the great big world right as the world folded in on itself (at least economically speaking). Where 20 years ago a new college graduate would strike out on his own and start making his own way, today’s graduates are saddled with debt and having trouble holding onto even the lowest rung on the corporate ladder…. Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Recession Economy
Out of the mouths of baby boomers. Or is that Xers?
Posted On July 8, 2014
I was scrolling through the online news when this caught my eye “I think (Generation X) is the last hardworking generation[…]Generations after us have become more spoiled. Kids aren’t disciplined.” And if it weren’t for the parenthetical I would have drifted right on by, expecting yet another complaint from a Boomer against the Xer work ethic. Except perhaps we’ve outgrown that one. Apparently the Xers are claiming a spot on the “back in my day” soapbox. Was it only a matter of time? The quotes are from an article discussing the Pew Research Center’s series “The Next America.” That series… Read More
Categories: Generation X, Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace
Want good Millennials workers? Do good.
Posted On July 1, 2014
Corporate foundations, social responsibility committees, paid volunteer days – these may seem like “nice to haves” to many business leaders. For Millennials in the workforce, however, they are increasingly important to overall interest in working for company and job satisfaction once employed. The 2014 Millennial Impact Report surveyed Millennials about their interests and expectations around cause-related work and charitable giving associated with the workplace. The results indicate that companies that put an emphasis on doing good are more likely to appeal to Millennial workers. It is not enough to give generously – underwriting a board chair position at the university… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Generation Y / Millennials, Succession Planning
Snapshot of the generational gap: Humans of New York
Posted On June 24, 2014
Have you followed Humans of New York? Photographer Brandon Stanton takes portraits of random individuals and asks them a question or two. The answers appear at the photo captions. It’s utterly captivating art and social commentary. Every so often an image will strike a nerve with HONY followers as with this recent portrait. Or more accurately, the caption that accompanied the image. “I’m a little headstrong at work, which can get me into trouble with my manager. But if my way works just fine, why do I have to do things his way?” The generational gap in two sentences. The… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
Part-time nation
Posted On June 19, 2014
For better or worse, the American workforce is increasingly focused on flexibility. Some workers want the flexibility to work on their own time, often in their own environments. Some want the flexibility to pursue personal passions outside of their 9-5 jobs. Some companies want the flexibility of hiring and firing at will, with minimal HR administration. Some want the financial flexibility of limiting employee benefits. No matter which side of the conversation you are on, there are serious conversations happening about flexibility in the workforce. In “Rise of the ‘flex’ economy,” Christian Science Monitor writer Simone Baribeau provides a 360-degree… Read More
Categories: Generation X, Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
Is customer service a lost art form?
Posted On June 17, 2014
Much time is spent lamenting the work ethic of younger generations in the work force—they are disengaged, too attached to their social networks, not focused on the needs of their coworkers…they just don’t understand the way things work in the real world. And for years my argument has been you have to teach them. The same may be said of customer service. News stories and personal anecdotes tell a disturbing tale, especially in the professional services industry. Where Boomer and Mature workers valued and relied on face time and relationships, today’s workers value efficiency and technology. As a result, they… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
Millennials march to a different beat, or is it different beats?
Posted On June 10, 2014
In a recent meeting, a high-level leader lamented the conundrum of managing the younger members of his team: “They want everything done so differently.” Same complaint, different person. But then he continued…“Each one of them wants to be dealt with differently. So I can’t have a way that I manage; I have to have a way that I manage him, a way that I manage her, and another way that I manage the next person. It’s exhausting.” And it can be. There are some similarities that cross personalities, and leaders certainly have the right to lay down some ground rules,… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace