What Do Millennials Really Want? Part II

It has taken me a few days to absorb the 750+ comments to Tuesday's post about what millennials want from the workplace. Glad to have sparked a discussion. Let me try to respond to a few of the points raised.

First, to the many who said millennials want the same thing in a job that everyone else does - I heartily agree! And I suspect so do most of the employers who made this year's list of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For. The best companies don't differentiate among generations. Whether it's Google, or Boston Consulting Group, or Publix Supermarkets, these 100 companies have created an environment that makes employees of all ages feel valued and that their work is meaningful. Hats off to them!

But there are differences among generations -- an inevitable result of the differing circumstances members of those generations grew up in. I relied heavily on research done by the Pew Research Center, where I previously served as president. In particular, I'd urge you to look at the 2014 report Millennials in Adulthood. It's that report that found that millennials rate making money very low on their list of priorities -- but no lower than other generations. I share the scepticism in many of the comments about this finding. People may tell pollsters they don't care about money, but actions suggest otherwise. I'm guessing money has a little bit to do with why Goldman Sachs keeps showing up on the Best Companies to work for list.

Several people also raised the problem of student debt burdens - a well-document issue for the millennial generation - as driving their strong desire for job security, and also their low rate of running their own companies. That rings true. My former colleagues at Pew Research have done some fine work in this area as well.

Jacques Pavlenyi and Martin Silcock pointed out that the Pew conclusions are similar to those found in a study by IBM, which I had read, but didn't cite. It's worth reading.

A number of readers objected to the whole idea of generational analysis. Interestingly, that complaint also reflects a documented tendency of millennials -- they don't like to affiliate with exclusive groups. Indeed, one interesting finding of the Pew study was that while millennials have stronger views on the environment than older generations, they are less inclined to call themselves "environmentalists." If the comments here are any guide, they don't want to be called "millennials" either.

Finally, it's worth pointing out the time has come to declare a new generation. The millennials are ages 18-34, a span of 17 years, which is long enough. But the conventions for naming generations aren't set. There is no parallel to, say, the Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research, which sets the dates of recessions.

So I nominate this very active and interested LinkedIn community to do the job. Time to name the new generation. Suggestions?