What to Expect From Generation M

Holger Reisinger explains what we can expect as the baby boomers give way to the Millennial Generation in the workplace. 

It’s time to say hello to the M (Millennial) generation or Generation Mobile (GenM), as we initially defined them in 2012. Also known as the “Me, Me, Me” generation.

GenM was born sometime between the early 1980s and the year 2000 and is a more refined version of the generations before it. Growing up in wealth and security and, more importantly, with the Internet, has given GenM completely different norms and values from their parents and grandparents.

Scientific studies of high school and sixth-form students conducted since 1966 show that GenM consider wealth a very important attribute (45% for Baby Boomers and 75% for Millennials).

They have also been told that they are special from the very beginning. But with the rise of social media, Millennials have a platform for self-expression never seen before. And they embrace it vigorously, finding their position in life while the rest of us are watching. GenM is less concerned with privacy than any generation we have ever witnessed.

While GenM may seem very obsessed with themselves, they have good reason to be. Living their lives on social media, most Millennials have grown gigantic networks by the time they hit the labour market. Here, they shape new ideas and solve challenges. They do it alone, but with the back-up of their ever-expanding global network.

However, being constantly exposed to new ideas, new people and a huge diversity of interests, nationalities and needs, staying true to themselves becomes more important than ever. They simply need to know who they are; if not, they go crazy trying to cope with the immensity of information in their networks.

However, GenM also love the connectivity in its own right and over time, connectivity becomes meaningful in itself. It’s the relationship, not hierarchies or the content of the conversations that matter. GenM will pick and choose whoever and whatever might catch their interest.

On top of that, GenM may not be that interested in working for anyone but themselves. The first Millennials hit the labour market at the beginning of the financial crisis, forcing them to walk the paths of non-traditional employment and education. With no job security, this generation has completely different notions of what “work” really is. And that has, unsurprisingly, also prevented them from just “falling in” with the way most companies traditionally define a job, a career and “workplace loyalty.”

Recent studies from Australia show that GenM have an annual job turnover rate of 40%, with two-thirds of them leaving each job they hold within two years. And recent research suggests that 40% of all Millennials will be freelancers before the year 2020. The era of the company gold watches for long and faithful service is well and truly over.

So here you have your super-employees of the future: self-sufficient, super-connected “Me, Me, Me” types with immense networks where everyone helps each other solve all challenges. The good news is that they will probably be the best employees you will ever have. They are smart and they constitute the first generation truly capable of working in groups.

But they are also really hard to please. And they don’t take “no” for an answer, not even from a boss. So you need to hurry and find out what makes them happy.

The baby boomers are leaving and the next generation is waiting in line to get their share of the labour market. And they are not just connected – they are completely wired in.

With thanks to Holger Reisinger, Vice President of Marketing, Products and Alliances at Jabra