Many studies suggest that millennials and older generations are actually more alike than we think.
According to a recent study by the IBM Institute for Business Value, the three generations have very similar aspirations, needs, and attitudes. For example, as the findings suggest, millennials desire financial security, seniority, performance-based recognition and promotions, and inspirational leadership – just as much as Gen X and Baby Boomers do.
Perhaps this negativity stems from the preceding generations’ insecurity, as millennials overtake the workforce, bringing more advanced technical skills with them.
The Census Bureau classifies millennials as those born from 1982 to 2000; they will be 15 to 33 years old this year. According to the Bureau, millennials now outnumber baby boomers by nearly 8 million, accounting for 83.1 million of U.S. residents compared to just 75.4 million baby boomers.
Millennials are hungrier and more educated than any generation prior. Their command of technology far exceeds that of Gen X and the Baby Boomer, and with their increasing numbers, older employees, who are less familiar with technology, may perceive these youngsters as threats to their comfy spots.
This negative perception could also be a result of millennials having almost everything at their fingertips or was it the boomers?
Having grown up in the digital age, younger generations are used to a world where everything is just a click away. Documents are literally floating above our heads in this cloud-centric age, allowing us to access information from anywhere but have we decided if this way of life is actually better or worse?
Actor Chris Elliott, 55, and his daughter Abby, 28, talk to Parade about how Baby Boomers (Chris’s generation born between 1946 and 1964) differ from his daughter’s Millennials (born between 1981 and 1997). They both have show business in common — Chris gained fame as a comic on Late Night With David Letterman and Saturday Night Live and as the creepy guy in There’s Something About Mary and Abby is an actress and SNL alum currently on Bravo’s Odd Mom Out — but freely offer advice and insight to each other. Some excerpts, below:
What Abby Elliott Wants Baby Boomers to Know:
– Hey, boomers, LOL does NOT mean “Lots of Love.” So when sending someone condolences, do not say “RIP LOL.”
– Phone calls freak out millennials. If you call us, we assume it’s the worst news on the planet.
What Chris Elliott Wants Millennials to Know:
– Boomers live in the past and are incredibly nostalgic, especially for the ’80s (but they’ll never admit that).
– Boomers say they enjoy binge-watching Netflix and cable, but secretly wish TV still only had three networks…and maybe PBS.
– Boomers never get bottle service at a club (but they can still drink any millennial under the table.)
And what about those tattoos? Parade reports that only 5 percent of boomers admit to having a tattoo, compared to 40 percent of millennials and 30 percent of Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1980).
For more on the Abby & Chris Elliott and their generational face off, see Sunday’s Parade, or go to Parade.com: https://parade.com/?p=417118
