What is it with these kids?

1. What is it with these kids? A Generational Insight into Student Workers and Customers

2. What is the Millennial Generation? Technology Rewards Work Ethic Communication Millennial Customers The Next Generation

3. Who is this guy? Sean McLane Worked at Purdue University since August 1997 Has been studying toward a BS in OLS for three years Is a part of Generation X

4. Generations What is it? A group of people who were born at about the same time. Baby Boom – 1946-1964 Generation X – 1965-1981 Millennials – 1982-1995 Digital Natives – 1996-~2010 Generational trends are NOT a guarantee of a particular behavior. Just a generalization

5. Millennial Generation Experienced greatest development of child-protection technology ever Were coddled and protected as a result Given trophies for finishing in eighth place Have been told they can do anything… and they believe it! A generation of achievers that doesn’t know the meaning of failure

6. Millennial Generation They have a strong collaborative mindset Function well in teams Embrace group projects Think outside the box Celebrate Diversity Nearly as large a population as the Baby Boomers

7. Millennials and Technology Watched the world transform from analog to digital Music went from cassettes to CDs to MP3s Telephone went wireless, then became smart Now phones can send text messages listen to music watch movies sometimes even make phone calls World Wide Web came into being

8. Millennials and Technology Internet is key part of the life of a Millennial Texting Facebook Twitter GPS Wikipedia If the information is there, why not use it?

9. Rewards Can’t I just pay them? Isn’t money good enough? Baby Boomers value public praise. Generation X likes salary increase and more time off Millennials not only want praise, they expect it Being given more work is a reward They are eager to please and contribute to group success Frequent communication is very appreciated

10. Millennial Work Ethic Do they have one? Of course they do Millennial view of the work environment is different from previous generations, but that does not mean they have a poor work ethic Forcing Millennials to standards held by Baby Boomers and Generation Xers may cause dissatisfaction and make them leave Policy changes that don’t affect performance can make a big difference

11. Millennial Work Ethic So what do Millennials value? Pay check, of course Flexible work schedule Friendly, encouraging work environment Ethical leaders and mentors Clear expectations Give them goals to attain and exceed They want to learn new skills and apply them to the job

12. Millennial Work Ethic Don’t they have a short attention span? Millennials like to multitask, doing many things at once Some willing to work very long shifts

13. Millennial Work Ethic Excellent in peer-to-peer communications Like to work in groups, though not necessarily face-to-face Communication with older generations can be problematic Face-to-face meetings can be considered boring (especially if they aren’t allowed to text ) Focusing on just one task is a drudge Gen X can help bridge communication gap

14. Communication Communication is a forte of the Millennial generation They are used to quick responses May become impatient if they do not receive an instantaneous reply They will tend to be polite and upbeat

15. Communication Don’t talk down to them They wish to be considered intellectual peers May not know as much as elders… yet …but they’re eager to learn! Use positive action verbs and direct speech Millennials are doers, and this will motivate them

16. Millennials as Customers How should Millennial customers be handled? Communication is key Consider methods other than the phone Text Tweet Message boards Keep self-help pages up to date Obsolete information will be noticed, though Millennials may try to offer suggestions

17. Millennials as Customers Keep communications brief Over 140 characters may lead to tl;dr Respond promptly Provide updates and progress reports Be respectful – show that you value their time

18. What Comes After the Millennials? Next Generation is getting ready to arrive on the University scene Generation Z, Generation I, or Digital Natives Grew up with Internet constantly in their lives Parents even more protective Helicopter Moms Likely to be even more self-entitled than Millennials

19. Digital Natives Even more immersed in Information Technology Texting since they were toddlers Have had cell phones since grade school Have a question? Check the Web What trends will they exhibit? They will probably have a lot of similarities to Millennials… but several differences as well.

20. Questions?