Employers believe Millennials are the most demanding workers ⁰

It seems unfair to brand Millennials difficult, when you consider they are the less experienced generation of workers, but new research suggests they require more hand holding in the workplace. When asked about workers they’ve dealt with, 48 percent of bosses felt that millennials were more reliant on detailed targets and required regular progress meetings in order to stay motivated. However, the majority of bosses (89 percent) agreed that these demands indicated that millennials were highly career driven. Over one third (39 percent) named generation X as the most self-sufficient, as this group required less guidance, with Baby Boomers a close second (34 percent). Millennials were also cited as the generation most incentivised by reward and praise (41 percent), followed by Generation X (26 percent), Baby Boomers (22 percent) and Generation Z (11 percent), while Generation X had the biggest desire for a work life balance (37 percent).

A Cascade HR study of 1,000 bosses and senior level managers from companies across the UK found that, out of the four generations; Baby Boomers, Generation X, millennials and Generation Z, millennials came out on top as the most demanding set of employees. Just under two-thirds (63 percent) of bosses said that workers of this generation required the most guidance and support from managers.

With millennials expecting more from their employers, 51 percent of managers admitted that it’s difficult to find and retain these workers for a long time. Baby Boomers were cited as the most loyal towards their employers from UK bosses (47 percent).

Oliver Shaw, CEO of Cascade HR, said: “The modern office has become a diverse working environment, with three or perhaps even four generations now working in the same space.

“As our research highlights, each generation has varying traits and requirements. For example, millennials seem to demand the most time from their managers, possibly due to their eagerness to learn new skills. As a typically well-educated generation, personal development is really important to them and so the use of set targets and frequent praise helps to reinforce that they’re doing a good job.

“For employers to retain and motivate these different sets of employees, it’s important that managers gain a better understanding of what makes each generation tick so that they can meet their needs and get the best out of each employee.”