Employees’ and business leaders’ approach to social media is where much of a company’s suitability for millennials is determined. Older workers may perceive that millennials staring down at their smartphones all day are unproductive, unserious or rude. But for Generation Y, the devices—and the various worlds they intertwine with them—are integral to their lives and their jobs. They’re productivity tools, especially in the hands of workers who grew up with them. They believe, as Edelman wrote, that social media “is a phenomenal tool for crossing and breaking down boundaries.”
Sure, some CEOs and company owners will say that every employee from 18 to 88 would love to have a job without routine, working for a company that has purpose and integrity and can be open about what it’s doing. The difference with millennials, experts say, is that they are much more often only going to work for employers and jobs that meet those criteria. That’s important to note as millennials are fast becoming the largest generation in the U.S. workforce.
“Millennials are the future of business,” as Edelman put it. “Businesses just have to figure out how to get out of the way enough to let them lead.”