Today when I was reading Nick Armstrong’s blog post on the situation of the economy and unemployment, something he said really bothered me.
70% of Gen-Y will leave their jobs as soon as it’s feasible
I don’t know why I am so bothered by this statistic. I’m not even part of that 70% of Gen-Y who want to leave their jobs. But this statistic made me think that Millennials need a serious attitude adjustment. Millennials with jobs are really really lucky to have jobs, and if they are going through each day just waiting until they can leave their jobs than they are doing themselves and their company a huge disservice.
If you hate your job, leave it. Otherwise, change your attitude. Because your bad attitude at work is giving Millennials everywhere a bad reputation.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I guess I am not surprised by the statistic and also think that a high percentage of employees from other generations would also like to leave their jobs when it is feasible. One of the realities of the workplace is that between 60-80 percent of the employees who do leave an organization do so because of a bad boss. (I just googled “bad manager” and got 32.2 million hits!) So much has been written on various blogs about the tension between Gen Y and their managers. Maybe, as you say, Blake, some Millennials could benefit from an attitude adjustment. However, if the statistic saying that “70% of Gen-Y will leave their jobs as soon as it’s feasible” is for real, then that needs to be a wake up call to organizational leadership as well.
Hi Dr. John,
Thanks again for another great comment. I agree that this statistic should be both a wake up call to Millennials and their bosses, but I can’t imagine that 100% of these Millennials have terrible bosses. I also agree that this probably isn’t a gen-y exclusive statistic.
No no no.
Our attitude is just fine. Businesses that do nothing more than promote the “in crowd” – the people with better suits and ties than the people with real, actionable ideas, are everywhere. That’s why 70% want to leave their jobs. It’s not that the other 30% are happy, but that most have been defeated.
The cog mentality, that all workers are interchangeable, is bullsh!t. That’s how we’ve been treated. That’s how we’re going to keep being treated. We have to stop playing that game. 50% of us are unemployed, I’d imagine mostly because of choice, some for laziness, whatever.
The leadership in business (small, big, whatever) needs to wake the hell up. Start respecting your employees – look out for your people. Give us fair pay, equal compensation regardless of gender, fair hours… don’t make the remaining 50% work twice as hard, hire some people back, dummies!
Look – if anything, our attitude needs to be adjusted to be more fired up. We need to get angry, and we need to get angry fast. Certain “old people” are screwing up our healthcare system. They’re screwing up our tax distribution, and they’re screwing up the distribution of wealth in this country (and it’s been screwed up for a long time).
The difference about our Generation’s anger from traditional generational angst is that we will actually listen to the young when we’re those “damn old people”. We don’t have to be bound to the same cycle. Millennials will work with anyone as long as we’re not being BS’ed and we’re supporting the common good.
Your attitude adjustment (millennials, boomers, whoever) should be two big middle fingers followed by a few choice four letter words and an insightful rant about where your boss can take his job and shove it.
-Nick Armstrong
I absolute love this post, and love Nick Armstrong’s comment as well! – While I’m of a different generation, I relate more to yours than mine.
Having a “career” anymore is challenging since companies treat employees as disposable commodities. The challenge for the employee becomes having any long-term dedication, and the challenge for the employer becomes lack of employee dedication.
I’m looking forward to a new generation of employers (led by Millennials/Gen-Y?) that will reinvent an environment and workforce that is nurturing and continually evolving toward betterment.
I like Nick’s attitude adjustment concept! If we keep putting up with BS, it’ll continue to run rampant. It’s far from acceptable, and I believe when we have an employee market again (instead of employer market), many companies are going to be in for a big surprise when they realize the talent they need has become intolerant of anything but authenticity.
Again Blake, nice post. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the post Blake, I find myself in agreement with points made by both John and Nick. However, I think the big underlying theme is beyond individual attitude or the managerial styles in play – the pereception of a career is drastically different for our (Millennial) generation.
The average individual will now have 10+ jobs by age 35 (if not younger). This says something. More than ever people are looking for purpose behind their career. Let’s not be so cynical – it isn’t about being more proud, too bored, or waiting for a moment to find something better. Quite the opposite: it is about feeling we are truly active in something more important, more substantial, and with a deeper purpose. There is a downside here, most certainly, that someone must carry out the mundane office tasks that now exist. The answer will come twofold. One, more and more detail-oriented jobs will be outsourced. India, China and others are no longer limited to simply call centers and fatories; rather, analytical and clerical roles will be transitioned to these locations. Second, we will see a shift towards more innovation, focused on what is best for businesses and the economy, rather than what is best for us as individuals. This goes somewhat against the previous “all about me” outlook on Millennials. What I mean by this anticipated shift is a greater effort towards new business and refining the business models that companies blindly follow. We’ve seen this start to occur in a shift towards more sustainable operations. Businesses realize that a shift towards closed-loop industrial ecology actually saves them money. No longer will these outlooks be seen as a “treehugger” focus, but rather a wise focus! In his book The Great Boom Ahead, Harry Dent Jr. states that generations alternate between being innovators and conformists. According to his theory, we, the millennials, are the conformist generation – we will refind what was set forth by the previous generation. This aligns with what I mentioned about business models and the shift towards greater efficiency above. Another example would be taking the computer and Internet and utilizing these tools to develop Facebook, LinkedIn, and the like. If Mr. Dent is correct, the next book push in technological or industrial innovation (or perhaps renovation) won’t happen till our kids grow up!
An additional side to this story is that the ways of the Millennial are affection other generations which preceeded us. Look at the effects of social networking on Gen X and their increased participation. Also examine the unsettled nature of some of the Gen X folks who previously spent 15-25 years with a firm and now are leaving to do something more meaningful, or just find a better fit for their skill set. My parents included.
As an aside, I am leaving my corporate role with one of the “top 100″ firms in the country (according to Forbes) in a few weeks to intern, unpaid with an ad agency for 3 months and then go volunteer in South America for 3 months. After I return I may be attending graduate school for my Masters in a different industry all together, but I am playing it by ear. I have really focused on answering what my skills are and where they are best suited. I hope to do more for my society by focusing on what I love, versus what I felt I should do. The result will no doubt be better.
Sorry about the spelling errors, typed from my iphone.
You also don’t know the motivation behind those responses. Maybe they are grateful to have a job in this current economy. The phrasing was as soon as it’s feasible. Well, I would be surprised if anyone from any generation would not leave their job if it were feasible to do something better. Maybe these people are entrepreneurial and are waiting to have the resources to start their own businesses. Or maybe they’re just waiting for their next great opportunity.
Companies do treat employees as being disposable. The only smart way to go about your career is to always be looking for your next opportunity before the company kicks you out. That’s the reality of the workplace in this day and age. Your company has no loyalty to you, so you need to look out for yourself and forget about loyalty to the company.