No Oldies, Millenials Aren't Lazy - We Just Want Our Time To Ourselves

Recently, millionaire 'lifestyle guru' Martha Stewart slammed modern-day youngsters by calling them lazy, self-indulgent and lacking initiative. Not that her opinions make any difference in my life but this whole notion of millennials not living up to potential has become quite a hot topic of debate lately, and honestly, it's rather moronic. UXC Professional Solutions, an information technology and services company, took a sample of 1,200 workers spread over three generations. While each generation had their share of pros and cons, the millennials were deemed as lazy, unproductive and self-obsessed, which I must admit is true - but we must care to go beyond just that.

Aastha Mittal

What are millennials doing with their time?

Millennials are pushing the boundaries of what we deem as conventional, which is then being conceived and interpreted into millions and billions of opinions. We are turning into couch potatoes, yes. But are you taking into account that life is allowing us to do so? Let's take smartphone apps - also a result of a millennial mind btw - for example. They cater to practically all of our needs clearing up a considerable amount of time. Now, what we do with that time is our prerogative. We are being lazy because we don't see value in doing anything else. We are spending way more time watching movies on television, we are almost always on the phone which is killing the possibility of socialising in person - completely agree. But do you think we'd be behaving in the same very way had televisions and smartphones not been around? Of course not. You provide the resources that make our lives simpler and then you blame us for being consumed by it? What else were you expecting? Catch 22, maybe?

The New York Times, in a rather entertaining read, says more and more individuals are choosing to spend time at home instead of going out for a drink. In 2016, a survey done by Heineken also mentions that when we do end up going out, 75 percent drink in moderation. Which can only mean we are becoming more responsible with our money, and our health. Not to forget going out in a big city like Delhi or Mumbai can also become very expensive. This, of course, doesn't apply to the elite bunch who have been lucky enough to come from well-to-do backgrounds. Sure, they are the entitled bunch but is it their fault that their parents worked their asses off to provide the best for their children? That's true for every parent, isn't it?

Aastha Mittal

So what needs to change?

Workplace ethic has become another major talking point here. We apparently do not value traditional workplace rules like adhering to a dress code, or coming in on time, or mandatory meetings even if it results in a complete waste of time. I seriously do not get the importance of this as long as the work is getting done. What you do, is the reason you're there; but how you do it shouldn't make a difference. If all this is a big issue then don't call yourself a company with a modern outlook. Call yourself a traditional office that still follows processes. Trust me, people will either start following your rules or not apply at all. None of the parties will waste time complaining about things.

Also, and I'm quite proud of this, millennials work to live, not live to work. They realise that work isn't everything in life, and make time for hobbies, for socialising, family and other small pleasures in life that are equally important, if not more important, than work. Which is awesome. Would you really want to spend all your youth working, making someone else rich? In fact, there are a number of young entrepreneurs like Michelle Phan (Makeup artist and YouTuber), Tim Ferriss (Author) and Marie Forleo (Business Coach) who built their businesses doing exactly what they loved and there's not a reason to believe why you can't either.

We have also been labelled as the "entitled generation". But millennials are also not seeking a life-long career to pay the bills. Our needs and wants are constantly evolving. We want to do something meaningful, something that'll serve a purpose. Another survey (bear with me with the surveys here, but I'm just trying to put across a point) done by Deloitte found that 6 of the 10 respondents were working for a particular company because they saw a sense of purpose there. Most companies, and this applies to India more than anywhere else in the world, don't provide young employees with desirable job profiles. Freshers are rejected from most places, and people with two to three years of work experience are paid peanuts to fill out the same excel sheets week-in-week-out. Our output will be directly proportional to what we get, in terms of intangible benefits. Companies should empower workers, explain to them why they should care, how each team member contributes to the larger success of the brand, praise individual accomplishments rather than the entire team or just the manager. (The senior management, I have been told, aren't even 'supposed to congratulate you'. Instead, they are always told to say, "I'm glad you tried to do this." It's workplace psychology more than anything else, but that's a conversation for another time.) Not only will most workplaces not acknowledge you when you do things right, but they'll be the first to point out your mistakes and bitch about you as and when they can. Having an opinion or voicing a concern isn't appreciated either - you're labelled as an individual with an attitude problem. Hiring cattle sounds like a better solution, no?

What do millennials want?

Aastha Mittal

Millennials want flexible working hours. They want to learn from experience and most importantly, they want transparency. "Do this, do that" doesn't apply anymore. Millennials want to know "why" something is important. We might not agree with it, but we definitely appreciate the honesty.

It doesn't make us better than the previous generation. We aren't even calling ourselves smarter. In fact, I have to admit a lot of us are imbeciles living in a bubble (read: those who voted for Brexit and then Google-ed what the hell it was). But we are also more aware of what's happening around the world, we are constantly in touch with what life has to offer. We will not waste time blindly following what you say. Just because it's been done in a certain way up until now doesn't make other options and opinions wrong. There's way too much happening in our lives. Relationships have become fragile, we get stuck in traffic for hours every day and we are always expected to do more at work even though the increments remain consistently abysmal. The Post also did an article trying to dissect the situation here. They got a quote from a neurologist who spoke about how young minds nowadays are being subjected to more responsibilities, leading to exhaustion. We, as a generation are constantly multi-tasking and on some days, we just want to completely switch off. Not respond to work mails. Not socialize. Not respond to WhatsApps and definitely not meet deadlines. Maybe we just want to get back home and pour ourselves drink, roll one, or just "Netflix and chill". It's actually hitting reboot on your system, and if that's being "lazy", then so be it.

Cover image sourced from Dharma Productions.