Millennials: Ways to best meld generations at the workplace

They’re tomorrow’s leaders but often misunderstood and underappreciated in the workplace today.

Generation Y, the Millennials born after 1980, are often perceived as the “me” generation, folks with a sense of entitlement, tied to their computers or mobile devices and more loyal to friends than work.

But put yourself in Millennial shoes: Your defining moments are corporate scandals, 9-11 and the Great Recession. You were raised on information technology. Where would your focus be if you saw life as fleeting, corporations not to be counted on and IT speedily evolving?

David Galindo, 31, regional deployment manager for Ricoh Latin America, says Millennials don’t think long-term because everything is constantly changing. Photos by Carlos Miller

“We move at a faster pace. We like to change things and improve things. Others instead fear change,” said panelist David Galindo, 31, regional deployment manager for Ricoh Latin America. “We don’t necessarily think about the long-term… because things will keep on changing.”

How generations can better meld in the workplace was the theme of WorldCity’s Global Connections meeting held July 26 in Doral and attended by more than 85 people.

Four emerging leaders – ages 28 through 33, all with masters degrees or post-graduate technical certifications – shared their views as panelists in a session led by Baby Boomer Ken Roberts, who joked throughout about the age-old clash between experience and youth.

The panelists rejected perceptions that their generation is self-centered. Andrea Ochoa, project management analyst at German-based shipping line Hamburg Sud, millennials are very community based.

“We are very group-based. We care about our community. We care about forming groups and being part of groups,” said Andrea Ochoa, project management analyst at German-based shipping line Hamburg Sud.

Teamwork, not hierarchy

At the workplace, the Millennials want to feel part of a group too, not a hierarchy. They want their ideas to be considered, to feel empowered as part of a team , panelists said.

“We don’t see you as a manager per se,” said Ochoa. “We see you as a peer.”

Millennials thrive on feedback through Facebook and other social media.

Yet audience member Charles Kropke, managing partner of Dragonfly Expeditions, said he’s found an often “brittle response” from youth when pointing out weaknesses during evaluations, “like you damaged them for life.”

Al Norweb, marketing manager for Medtronic Diabetes Latin America,says companies should considering using a 360-degree feedback system for evaluations.To improve responses to evaluations, companies might consider a culture of 360-degree feedback, where each employee is evaluated by supervisors, by direct reports and by peers, suggested Al Norweb, marketing manager for Medtronic Diabetes Latin America, who holds an MBA from Harvard University. A 360 culture helps youth feel empowered, but building a 360 environment takes training and trust.

There’s also a movement in some workplaces for evaluations to focus on positive strengths and build first from those, focusing only later on deficiencies, said Norweb.

“Don’t point out only bad and good,” added Ochoa of Hamburg Sud. “Teach me. Help me move forward to try to integrate into the company and your expectations.”

Hands-on learning, not lectures

And how best to teach Millennials? How do they you like to learn?, asked Jorge Guerra, executive director of Workplace Education and Partnerships at Miami-Dade College.

With information readily available online and in books, the key to education is hands-on learning –to practice and perfect results , the young leaders said. A recipe is easy to get. Help with cooking isn’t.

Speed matters too.

“We like to learn by keeping it short and efficient and to the point,” added panelist Nushine Hosseini, human resources and recruitment manager for the North America division of Del Monte Fresh Produce Co.

Nushine Hosseini, human resources and recruitment manager for the North America division of Del Monte Fresh Produce Co.

True social responsibility, not window-dressing

Millennials are known for embracing causes, from the fight against global warming to campaigns to stop human trafficking. What role does corporate social responsibility play in building relationships with employers?, asked Marcelo Castro, chief executive of marketing agency MarketLogic.

Activities outside the office such as a cleaning the beach or helping the homeless are nice, but it’s the day-to-day operations and mission of the company that really matter: “That’s where the rubber really hits the road,” said Norweb.

Millennials from Latin America versus the U.S.

Are their differences between Millennials from Latin America and the United States?, asked Ana Guevara, president of AVENTI Associates. Unlike U.S. residents, Latin Americans generally have preferred to start their own businesses and not work for others, she said.

Millennials from Latin America may be more conservative, based on traditions in their home countries, panelists said. Galindo recalled growing up in Colombia and standing up when his teacher entered the classroom. He was surprised on moving to the United States in 1999 that no one did that.

Latin Americans’ preference for entrepreneurship stemmed partly from decades of limited foreign investment in the region. Older generations had few options to work for global corporations, Galindo said.

That preference may be embedded in Latin Millennials too: “Our generation is very motivated to be our own boss, to dictate our own future,” with new technology making that easier to do, said Galindo.

Whatever their origin, all Millennials in South Florida have endured tough times at the workplace in recent years, weathering the financial meltdown and Great Recession just at the start of their careers, said Dragonfly Expedition’s Kropke.

“We have to work through intergenerational issues to come up with solutions,” Kropke told the Generation Y panelists. “Because you have the advantage of youth, but you haven’t had the advantage of prosperity.”

Global Connections is one of six event series hosted by media company WorldCity to bring together executives on international business topics. The series is sponsored by public relations company Edelman, Florida International University- College of Business, the office campus of Waterford at Blue Lagoon and Daikin McQuay, a Japan-based maker of air-conditioning and heating equipment.

The next Global Connections event, WorldCity’s first Latin American Energy Forum, is set for Sept. 27.