Generation Y is controversial and it cannot be denied. The number of articles and studies on people born between 1979 and 1995 is enormous, including in relation to differences within the group itself.

Leaving controversies aside, each generation has its own realities, influenced mainly by the world in which it developed. In the case of millennials, the big difference is that they grew up with technology.

For many older people, the arrival of new technologies required an adaptation period; for Generation Y (millennial), it was parallel learning to what the parents taught from the life they knew. Younger people now, on the other hand, have already been born amid the internet and smartphones, which leaves them without many clues as to what the world was like before that.

Millennials have grown and are taking up more and more of the work market. The notions they learned in the last 20 years are part of their identity and have a lot to do with dynamism, flexibility and diversity.

Generation Y, Generation X, and baby boomers: what’s the difference?

The birth period of each generation is the subject of extensive debates among experts, but it is possible to refer to them as follows: from 1950 to 1960 they are baby boomers; from 1961 to 1978 they are Generation X; and from 1979 to 1995 they are millennials.

Each group has matured and discovered the world – and the market – through the situations experienced. In the first case, they were in a post-World War II era, when television had just been invented and there were many ideals on the agenda. In the second case, insecurity about the government, political apathy, new forms of relationship and environmental concerns prevailed for the first time on a large scale. Generation Y, on the other hand, brought a great concept of freedom, questioning, immediacy and multiproductivity.

Each characteristic of millennials is related to the technological revolution, even though there were other simultaneous factors at work. In such cases, however, a local analysis would be needed to better understand the differences of the same generation in different places, such as countries and even cities.

The millennial impact at work

When they reached the market, millennials started to cause a revolution. In fact, some would say that they demanded it. In any case, they are dominating the professional area, and companies are adapting to this new reality, prioritizing factors such as:

• sense of purpose and social impact;
• flexibility in times and spaces;
• equality and inclusion;
• personal life balance, well-being and happiness;
• emotional engagement with daily activities.

Following their parents’ environmental concerns and adding a series of new social guidelines, millennials are restless until they feel they are making a difference to society. This can be expressed in simple ways, such as recycling the work environment, for example, in addition to internal employee diversity policies.

Flexibility is one of the most common requirements and largely responsible for the obvious change we see in companies today. Alternative schedules, home offices, open offices, all of this is part of the changes that the generation is applying. These are resolutions that help to fulfill two other points we mentioned: balance in personal life and emotional engagement.

Work occupies most of people’s lives. Millennials began to view this fact with disbelief, searching for two complementary solutions: a way to have more time to take care of themselves, friends and family and a way to feel good even during their hours of activity, creating bonds with colleagues and with their own profession.

A lot can be done to make more companies adapt to this news. Even the architecture of the spaces makes a difference, with new projects focused on well-being, good experiences, health and a sense of belonging. Based on these principles, it should be easier to understand and accept the millennial culture as a new way of working.