Wunmi Adelusi: The Unique Attributes that Differentiate Millennials in the Workplace

Millennials have been described as so many things, including being a very entitled generation. Well, we have somehow gotten the #EndSARS protests the global recognition it has received so far. Asides exposing the level of police brutality in Nigeria, and other social-economic issues, the protests also exposed the strength millennials carry.

Interestingly, these traits also differentiate us at work and can be used to our advantage if adequately harnessed:

Millennials are tech-savvy and social media-driven

Nigerians across the globe created a powerful movement against police brutality, extortion, and corruption. Statistics show that on October 21st, 65% of all tweets in Nigeria contained the hashtag #EndSARS. The protest has be described as one of the most unified mass protests in recent times, despite the absence of a ‘leader’. We saw youths converge online to decide the time and place of meeting for each day that the protest lasted. It was phenomenal and got the attention of the world, including Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter.

What does this mean for you?

Employers seeking to attract and retain millennials must know that millennials value online presence for themselves, and any cause they represent. If your company isn’t employing social media effectively, millennials will think you’re irrelevant. For millennial employees, this shows that social media is a critical tool for career advancement. We saw everyone coming online to know the latest news about the protest. This calls for intentionality about your brand and online content, because how you position yourself determines what you will attract.

Millennials are more purpose-driven

The protests brought to the fore that millennials want whatever they represent, including their place of work, to have a social purpose. A study conducted by CONE shows that “three-quarters of millennials would take a pay cut to work for a socially responsible company.”

What does this mean for you?

Employers seeking to reduce high employee turnover may consider introducing platforms that provide employees with the opportunity to make positive impact on social and environmental issues. With this, millennial employees know they can satisfy their craving for social impact while advancing their careers.

Millennials are diverse and inclusive

From crowdfunding to the cleaning of streets and organising meals and so on, we saw youths set aside their tribal and ethnic differences. We also saw more of gender equality during the protests.

What does this mean for you?

Having millennials on your team is great because they are team-oriented and inclusivity-driven. As a result, they enjoy collaborating and building friendships with their colleagues.

Millennials want authenticity and transparency

During the protest, we saw millennials having honest and open relationships with themselves virtually. They were unabashed about how they felt, and they gravitated towards leaders who seemed to understand their plight.

What does this mean for you?

Millennial employees cherish and are more productive where line-managers are straightforward, give honest feedback, and maintain open communication channels.

Millennials are disruptors

Millennials are characterised as the generation that wants to know the ‘why’ for literally everything. They don’t easily ‘fit in’ and have no desire to do so; they want to challenge the status quo. As a result, they are fondly called “disrupters” and because of their large population, they are, as a group, significant enough to create any desired change. That, we saw during the protests.

What does this mean for you?

Employers should understand that millennials will often ask for ‘reasons’ for any move before getting onboard. So you’ve got a new strategic target to meet? Give detailed explanations on why it is important to the organisational goal. The ‘inquisitive/disrupting’ nature of millennials makes them creative thinkers and very innovative.

So tell me, what stood out for you during the protest?

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