Millennials at Work

Much has been made in recent years about the Millennial Generation – those who came to age around the year 2000.  Indeed, there has been much digital ink (and some real ink) spilled assessing the implications of this generation’s impact on society.  Whether it’s in the context of the church or the culture, Millennials can seem to be the only group anyone is concerned about (I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve seen or read that discuss how the church is losing Millennials, how the church can retain Millennials, what Millennials preferences are, and so on ad nauseaum).  One of the interesting areas where this particular generation seems to be standing out, though not in a good way, is in the workplace.

Just as there are a ton of articles in the church world about Millennials, the same goes in the business world – and for good reason.  It would seem that employers are having a difficult time attracting and retaining people from this age group.  One recent article in a popular business magazine noted three reasons:  the need to constantly coach or parent this generation (that is, the inordinate amount of praise needed to motivate); the unacceptable expectations regarding work (that is, the demand for both flexibility and reduced work load – though not at reduced compensation levels); and the desire for certain perks that are supposed to make work “fun” (that is, onsite gyms, games, and such).  Not surprisingly, what ends up happening is Millennials become bored with the existing levels in each of these areas, resulting in ever increasing demands.  Inevitably, these ever-increasing expectations cease to be met, leading to termination – whether voluntary or involuntary.

From a Christian worldview, we should not be surprised that our fleshly natures can develop such an entitlement mentality, especially when all we hear from those around us is how awesome and wonderful we are (an unfortunate consequence of the movement to imbue kids with artificial self-esteem).  If all we hear from our parents, teachers, and (sadly) churches is that we are good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, people like us, we begin to believe our own hype.  We are sheltered from the consequences of failing such that we have no idea how to handle falling flat on our faces.  This is one of the reasons the Gospel is so offensive to us in our sinful state:  it shines a spotlight on that very sinfulness that necessitates the Gospel and our utter inability to do anything about it!

Having a Gospel-focused self-awareness will impact every aspect of our lives, including how we act and what we expect in our careers.  We seek to apply Colossians 3:23:  “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…”  We recognize that when we do our best to serve our employer, we are bringing glory to God’s name by our example, which can in turn provide multiple opportunities to share the Gospel with our coworkers.  It is not wrong to expect a day’s pay for a day’s work (cf. 1 Timothy 5:8), but when we expect our every whim to be catered to, we become less like the servants God calls us to be and more like the Pharisee looking for the best seat at dinner (cf. Luke 14:7-11).  Just something to think about…