
Law firms which subscribe to common misconceptions about the millennial generation are missing a trick, says Matthew Kay
‘Building a better future will depend on our ability to appreciate generational differences.’ So says author and commentator Mal Fletcher, and it is true (Fascinating Times: A Social Commentary , 2012). At the moment, it is the millennial generation which is shaking up the workplace, but as Mal mentions, it is so important that employers are focused on specifically catering for the different generations, especially as we are in a unique situation currently where some businesses may have five generations working at any one time. Much has been written about the millennial generation and how their different upbringing has created an outlook which is impacting the workplace; back to Mal Fletcher, who describes this: ‘Millennials aspire to marry the blue skies thinking of the Boomers with the grass-roots mindset of GenX’.
Snowflake generation?
Misconceptions about millennials are common: you only have to open a newspaper or scroll through social media to see accusations that this generation can be self-entitled and tech-obsessed; and let’s not