I got Millennial'ed at Work

[boomerang]

This is a textbook example of mansplaining.

/s

 

[Zorba]

I am curious, did you at any time ask her to explain her position on the subject and why she thought what she thought?

Many, many times. And I addressed all of them, then she started saying she didn't want to give it a worse safety rating and she just wasn't going to.

 

[Coalfax]

Just be careful, being these days, its not WHAT you know but WHO you know. I would be that the twit is the daughter/cousin/niece of someone higher up in the food chain and that is why she is working there and can have the attitude she has. It doesn't matter that she is wrong, and doesn't care that she is... she will be protected. :-/

Such is the world of nepotism we live in in the business world these days. Its quite sad and annoying...

 

[Zorba]

Sounds like a case of confirmation bias to associate that behavior with Millennials. Do you honestly believe most Millennials behave like her at the workplace?

Seriously people, the thread title was an attempt at being funny. I am also a millienal. I also mentor quite a few younger people and volunteer to take on interns. It was supposed to be funny because she so well fall into the stereotype.

I have never and would never throw down my experience as an appeal to authority and I never said anything about her lack of experience.

 

[purbeast0]

Seriously people, the thread title was an attempt at being funny. I am also a millienal. I also mentor quite a few younger people and volunteer to take on interns. It was supposed to be funny because she so well fall into the stereotype.

I have never and would never throw down my experience as an appeal to authority and I never said anything about her lack of experience.

I think people would have gotten that it was a joke title if you said you got Trident'd at work.

 

[MetalMat]

At my job we have a decent bit of salespeople in their mid 20s (millennials) and for the most part they actually work really hard and are constantly above the top half. I'm in my mid 30s, also do well and I find that our conversations on sales and targeting strategies really help both parties. It's interesting in that they tend to use quite a bit of social media to their advantage and while I do as well I tend to be a bit more old school at my approach. One guy in particular is 24, works his ass off, was top sales person last year and might do it again this year.

I joke around with them that while the older guys are a bit of the "back in my day things were better" type I am kind of the opposite. I WISH I would have had fast internet, awesome smart phones and what not growing up. Dial up internet sucked ass back in the 90s.

 

[Exterous]

Seriously people, the thread title was an attempt at being funny. I am also a millienal. I also mentor quite a few younger people and volunteer to take on interns. It was supposed to be funny because she so well fall into the stereotype.

I have never and would never throw down my experience as an appeal to authority and I never said anything about her lack of experience.

Heh - picking on millennials is a tough topic around here just like tipping or 'trick' math questions. They do seem touchier about their feelings than previous generations though

 

[FerrelGeek]

Given your first paragraph, you had every reason to come down on her. No time like the present for the spoiled brat to learn that the world doesn't revolve around her. Yes, she is typical of many millennials out there as my kids (4, ages 20-27) have told me that this is what many of their peers are like.

I agree, I should've just let her lead handle it and tried to move on in the meeting. But I'm also the technical sign off on the document and the issue at hand deals directly with safety, so I am not willing to just pass it through and let it blow up in her face latter.

That being said, I am in meetings weekly where people say things far worse than what I said, heck what she was saying to me in the meeting was far worse. In my list of top 50 contentious meeting this one wouldn't have even come close.

Note: Before the meeting I already thought it was handled since I personally saw her lead tell her I was right a couple of days earlier and I heard no more about it. I had no idea she was going to pull out the "you're wrong" card on the same subject again.

 

[soulcougher73]

Sounds like she needs to be fired. Doesnt do good work, doesnt take direction, leaves meetings without authorization, has an attitude, etc

 

[JackBurton]

I certainly won't condone the actions of someone who acted like her, but the thought of "I just got millenialed" is why they start with a chip on their shoulder.

lol, bullshit. That has nothing to do with their entitled attitude.

 

[Zorba]

At my job we have a decent bit of salespeople in their mid 20s (millennials) and for the most part they actually work really hard and are constantly above the top half. I'm in my mid 30s, also do well and I find that our conversations on sales and targeting strategies really help both parties. It's interesting in that they tend to use quite a bit of social media to their advantage and while I do as well I tend to be a bit more old school at my approach. One guy in particular is 24, works his ass off, was top sales person last year and might do it again this year.

I joke around with them that while the older guys are a bit of the "back in my day things were better" type I am kind of the opposite. I WISH I would have had fast internet, awesome smart phones and what not growing up. Dial up internet sucked ass back in the 90s.

Yeah, we have a lot of lazy old farts and very advanced younger people. There is another girl, same age as her, that I took on as an intern got her a full time gig and will sing her praises to anyone that will listen.

I don't believe the stereotype of millennials or any other generation. At the end of the day if you can perform great, if not but you are willing learn great, if you aren't a great performer and you aren't willing to learn then I probably won't think too highly of you, regardless of age/rank.

 

[dawheat]

Yeah, we have a lot of lazy old farts and very advanced younger people. There is another girl, same age as her, that I took on as an intern got her a full time gig and will sing her praises to anyone that will listen.

I don't believe the stereotype of millennials or any other generation. At the end of the day if you can perform great, if not but you are willing learn great, if you aren't a great performer and you aren't willing to learn then I probably won't think too highly of you, regardless of age/rank.

I agree with this. I manage a varied team that includes a couple folks a year out of school and they are excellent. Sure they're a bit green and regularly need help to think things through, but they know when to ask for help.

Honestly this mostly sounds like bad hiring and can happen at any experience level.

 

[rh71]

As an experienced professional, you have to realize how much of the basics there was to learn. Such as:
- being doubly-sure of something before calling someone out on a mistake
- how to call out mistakes without offending anyone
- how to stand up for yourself while keeping the high road
- when to just shut up and listen, don't assume too much
- think thoroughly before making yourself sound/look dumb
- don't be cocky because you will look like an ass if you're wrong
- how to articulate thoughts concisely
- respecting seniority (at least just enough)
- how to accept praise / take criticism
- not to apologize and just reassure it doesn't happen again / steps taken to fix it

I'm sure there's more - not much of this can be learned through school. Also the big generalization is that a lot of technical people lack in these areas throughout their career.

 

[Ancalagon44]

This is a textbook example of mansplaining.

/s

Triggered!

Also you used the gender specific pronoun man without being sure that the OP in fact identifies as a man.

People in third world countries don't have access to textbooks - it is very offensive of you to use language like that, reminding them of things they will never have.

 

[Homerboy]

Not sure why people always blame this sort of stuff on millenials these days. Maybe it's just convenient. This type of stuff has happened for just about forever.

Was going to post the exact same thing. People really need to get over this "this new generation is horrible" thing that happens... umm... every new generation.
There are shitty, stupid, lazy no good employees in EVERY generation.

 

[Ruptga]

lol, bullshit. That has nothing to do with their entitled attitude.

Yeah, I know that when I deal with people who talk down to me and make digs at my demographic that it doesn't affect my attitude at all. It's just an excuse people make to cover the fact that they suck.

 

[Ichinisan]

Sounds like a case of confirmation bias to associate that behavior with Millennials. Do you honestly believe most Millennials behave like her at the workplace?

Well, she was offended after being told she was wrong and stormed out.

Did she even wonder why OP didn't storm out when she told him he was wrong?

My impression of millennials is that they tend to be extremely self-centered.

 

[Mike64]

I agree, I should've just let her lead handle it and tried to move on in the meeting. But I'm also the technical sign off on the document and the issue at hand deals directly with safety, so I am not willing to just pass it through and let it blow up in her face latter.

I'm inclined to try to help/teach people too (given that it's how I like to be treated myself) but I'm here to tell you (as an apparently much older Boomer/Xer cusp-baby) that more often than not, it just blows up in your face. After the first time or two she copped attitude, I wouldn't have bothered to try again and would've just followed whatever the formal procedure there is for when you don't "technically approve" something that shows up on your desk, and let her go through channels if she didn't like it... Just be glad she's not some higher up's best-friend's daughter or god-daughter or something, 'cos then you'd be stuck with her long-term and you'd probably wind up getting the short end of the stick when she has her little tantrums...

Just be careful, being these days, its not WHAT you know but WHO you know. I would be that the twit is the daughter/cousin/niece of someone higher up in the food chain and that is why she is working there and can have the attitude she has. It doesn't matter that she is wrong, and doesn't care that she is... she will be protected. :-/

Such is the world of nepotism we live in in the business world these days. Its quite sad and annoying...

I missed this when I posted my comment, but I hafta say, nepotism is nothing new<sigh> even when there are formal (or even strong unwritten) anti-nepotism policies in place.
That's why I mentioned the best-friend's/god-child thing - even when they can't hire their own, they just find a buddy or two to "swap" with - but the end result is the same...

 

[pete6032]

Well, she was offended after being told she was wrong and stormed out.

Did she even wonder why OP didn't storm out when she told him he was wrong?

My impression of millennials is that they tend to be extremely self-centered.

I don't believe they are that way any more than Gen X. Everyone thinks they are hot shit when they finish college and get their first job. This is just a case of an older generation looking back and seeing less mature people. In reality, the older generation lacked just as much maturity when they were that age too. I am a millenial and I look back at people even 5 years younger than me and think about how immature they are. I can only imagine what it is like to be 40+ and look back at the 20-somethings.

 

[Thebobo]

Are you dating her yet?

 

[clamum]

Sounds like an entitled, self-important, know-it-all. Ugh... I'd try and interact with her as little as possible. Sorry, people like that just annoy me so I don't want to deal with them lol.

At my current job, my co-workers are older than I've normally worked with (except at my high school job where they were all my parents age except for a couple) and I like my co-workers here WAY more than my previous job that was full of younger folks. They're more conservative here but there's way less shit talking behind backs and clique-iness (yes that's a word). While I don't necessarily think that sort of behavior is tied with age, I'd guess that in general older people are gonna be more mellow.

 

[Ajay]

ATOT never disappoints 😛

 

[Eug]

Sounds like an entitled, self-important, know-it-all. Ugh... I'd try and interact with her as little as possible. Sorry, people like that just annoy me so I don't want to deal with them lol.

At my current job, my co-workers are older than I've normally worked with (except at my high school job where they were all my parents age except for a couple) and I like my co-workers here WAY more than my previous job that was full of younger folks. They're more conservative here but there's way less shit talking behind backs and clique-iness (yes that's a word). While I don't necessarily think that sort of behavior is tied with age, I'd guess that in general older people are gonna be more mellow.

In our practice we've been leaning towards hiring younger (meaning 30s) because it's often easier to mold them to our way of working while at the same time they bring new more up to date ideas in many cases. The older ones (50+) have more experience but also often expect people to accommodate them more, and often want more authority too. This is of course an overgeneralization but in our line of work it often holds true.

For the record, I am Generation X, whatever that means.

 

[Mike64]

there's way less shit talking behind backs and clique-iness (yes that's a word*). While I don't necessarily think that sort of behavior is tied with age, I'd guess that in general older people are gonna be more mellow.

Maybe in a few cases it's just youthful exuberance and they will get over it, but the ones you really have to watch out for - the ones who do it with malice aforethought, so to speak - aren't likely to change unless their behavior gets them in serious trouble at some point and, the way office politics usually works, that's rare...

____________________
* PS: It is a word, but the word is "cliquishness" and apparently even "cliquiness" is an acceptable Scrabble word these days (fwtw, and according to Google, anyway.😀)

 

[Yakk]

I train a lot of people as a part of my work. Through the years basically if they listen and apply what I thought them, I will work with them later on and encourage them. If not and they are not under my direct supervision, I wish them good luck, forget about them, and move on.