Are your Millennial employees looking for more structure?

A little known fact that many in the workforce forget to consider is that Millennials are the first generation to grow up with a schedule.  For many Millennials, their childhood consisted of going to school followed by a scheduled practice (music, sports, etc), then an organized play date, topping off the evening with a set time to complete homework, shower, eat dinner, and head to bed.

If you compare this to the childhood of many Gen X managers you will find quite a contrast.  Gen Xers were predominantly latchkey kids. They came home from school, let themselves in, made dinner, did their homework, babysat younger siblings, and watched a lot of MTV. They made their own schedules and had to learn to prioritize in order to survive. 

These 2 vastly different ways of growing up in the world can cause some tension across the generations in the workforce.  Rather than assuming everyone accomplishes tasks in the same way you do, be sure to take time to learn each other’s styles. Work toward a compromise when it comes to setting the goals for a project and what makes check-ins most effective.