Bob CollinsThis won’t be the end of the discussion about what makes millennials different from other generations, but perhaps it should.
A CNBC poll finds that, at least when it comes to work, millennials aren’t much different, and where they are different from other generations, it’s all to the good.
The survey considered six traits said to be important to potential employers, including strong ethical and environmental practices, good work-life balance and diversity.
The result? Considering the poll’s margin of error, millennials pretty much matched other generations, including on the work-life balance.
Far from being a generation of disgruntled and whiny youth, millennials appear to be more satisfied with specific aspects of the workplace than the average worker.
For example, 87 percent are satisfied with the training and skills development they receive at work, compared with 76 percent of the rest of the population; 76 percent say they are satisfied with their opportunities for promotion and advancement, 10 points higher than the rest of the population.
Millennials are different in some key areas: They are more likely to be concerned about opportunities to advance in their careers and about flexible work hours.
They also care less about an employer’s retirement benefits. But it’s difficult to know if these are the differences of a unique generation, or if they are simply the expected results from a younger generation.
Millennials are also more likely to be optimistic about the economy than other generations, which is impressive considering the very real problem of burdensome student loans.
Granted, they don’t think the economy right now is better than other generations think it is, but they see hope in the future where the rest of us don’t.
Kids today, eh?
