As a millennial well into the workforce (7 years into my career after attending graduate school), I can’t help but think about many of the baby boomers around me who are starting to retire, millennials filling those gaps, and how that might impact our workforce.
According to Forbes.com, there are several ways that millennials will transform the workplace in the years to come:
- “[Millennials] will set new standards of leadership.”
Millennial leaders will prioritize values, ethics, flexibility, and feedback. My workplace prioritizes work-life balance and has strong values such as integrity and respect. These are so important to me, as I know that if I am happy in my personal life, I will be more productive and effective in my career.
I also know that I may be retiring (if ever) later than my parents did, so I want to be sure that I am healthy and happy for a long period of time, and be able to enjoy traveling and flexibility throughout my career.
- “[Millennials] will face the dilemma of automation.”
The workforce now will most likely look incredibly different in a few years from the workforce we know today with the rapid changes in technology. Even in my workplace, we are discussing the possibility of artificial intelligence and automation to make our jobs easier.
The question is whether the millennial generation will embrace all of the automation, as this poses a fear that our jobs will be overtaken by computers.
I’m encouraging my generation to attempt to embrace all the changes to come, as it is ultimately how we deal with these changes and interact with technology that matters.
Jillian Gibson
