DETROIT – Who are millennials and what do they want? Those are questions challenging businesses everywhere.
While there is no precise answer, workers under age 30 are considered millennial, and by the year 2020 will make up half of the American workforce. And this new generation of worker presents an unprecedented challenge.
A recent survey of millennials says 74 percent expect a high-paying job that includes a flexible work schedule, promotion within a year and more vacation.
"They don't see the need to pay their dues," said Joan Morehead, a human resource manager. "They see that as part of a bygone era."
So what do millennials want? According to Michelle Salvatore, vice president of recruiting Quicken Loans, "Millennials want to be heard. They want work that is meaningful. They want to be involved in their community and feel like they're making a difference. And they want to be noticed."
So, millennials are a living contradiction: all about others and all about self. This is, after all, the generation that invented the selfie.
If you're 35 or older, you can fear them, judge them, or simply endure them. Better to embrace them. They are the future.