Employees are feeling fulfilled in their jobs, and Millennials are especially dissatisfied. Mixet — Getty Images
Burnout Millennials are no newcomers. Even before the pandemic, no one was speaking out about the troubled generation other than BuzzFeed, a media outlet beloved by millennials. In 2019, reporter Anne Helen Petersen noted that her generation was experiencing a period of intense burnout. This is partly a reaction to being misled by the hustle culture in which they grew up. Nearly five years later, Millennials remain the reigning generation as the most dissatisfied with work, still experiencing the same malaise and not enough resources to rebuild their company’s workforce. do not have.
Next time you’re in the office, look to your left and right. Chances are, everyone around you feels just as lukewarm about working there. Most workers have experience in their own companies…well, that’s fine. According to a Forbes Advisor survey of 1,000 U.S. workers, the average employee job satisfaction score is 5.5 out of 10. Anxiety in the United States is pervasive, but it is concentrated among younger generations. But surprisingly, the youngest employees do not report the greatest dissatisfaction. In fact, the people most miserable are mid-30s millennials who love Blink-182 and wear Warby Parker glasses.
Millennials, who became the epitome of “hustle culture” in their 20s, are now realizing that their companies are more or less misguiding them, and are aging into a new stage characterized by cynicism. be.
Nowadays, many people become managers, with more responsibility but less authority. They are understandably miserable and have recently realized that their busyness alone cannot overcome financial fatigue. And despite what the data says, they manage to climb the housing ladder and actually earn higher salaries despite having far fewer assets than baby boomers. Many people feel understandably fed up.
It’s no secret that Millennials have been dealt a particularly tough card. Once stereotyped as 2010s go-getters who landed dream jobs, many of these young(ish) people worked extra hours to make ends meet and faced challenges (in the white-collar sector). Because of this, you find that your employer is not fulfilling its promises. Round of dismissal. Millennials are upset not only by the collapse of old ways of working, but also by the stress of reaching senior positions without real power.
“One of the key contributors to Millennial workplace unhappiness is the fact that Millennials hold the majority of managerial positions in many organizations,” said Jen Fisher, Human Sustainability Leader at Deloitte. explains. luck He added in an email: “Business owners are in a particularly difficult situation right now.”
From hustle and bustle to a culture of disillusionment
Millennials are responding by providing reviews at work that are often saved for restaurants that accidentally put long blonde hair (not yours) in their lasagna. In other words, they rate their job satisfaction as low as an average of 4.6 out of 10. Millennials are the least satisfied of all generations, followed by Gen Z at 5.2, Boomers at 5.6, and Gen X at 6.6.
Americans seem to have become increasingly disillusioned with their jobs in recent years. Many report a loss of trust in almost all professions, while economic dissatisfaction and skepticism about the country’s institutions are on the rise. COVID-19 and socio-economic disruption have added to this disillusionment, as many question the purpose of their work and watch the promise suggested in the early days of the pandemic evaporate. There is a high possibility that it is.
He is a workplace expert and author of “ Unleash happiness at worksays Jennifer Moss luck. Pointing to Gallup data showing a decline in employment engagement over the past decade, with reports of social anxiety on the rise and loneliness continuing to be prevalent, people are simply less happy in their lives outside of work. points out Mr. Moss. Saying you love your job has become like saying you like the taste of shredded wheat or that traffic jams are refreshing. According to a Forbes survey, only 16.2% of employees have a job satisfaction rating of 8 (out of 10) or higher.
But what exactly happened to the children of today’s past? Millennials make up the largest percentage of the workforce and have risen through the ranks despite ill-timed economic downturns that have hindered wealth building and career growth. Although millennials have reached a stage of seniority, they now appear to be facing growing pains as they still live in a corporate world where older generations set the rules. It just means that millennial business owners aren’t having fun.
Many middle managers are now experiencing increased burnout, caught between the whims of CEOs trying to maintain traditional practices and employees trying to maintain their newfound autonomy. There is. Deloitte’s Fisher says it’s no easy task, given the “increasingly fractious” relationship between employees and their companies. Employees say they are feeling frustrated over layoffs, paranoia about AI, and distress over reduced flexibility. She explains that while companies provided additional support during the early stages of the pandemic, rollbacks are now causing even more dissatisfaction among employees.
No wonder they feel especially nervous. “Millennials have lived through several economic crises, some are still paying off school debt, and many are juggling young families, which has been a huge challenge during the pandemic.” Wolf added.
But all is not lost for employees and millennials alike. Perhaps dissatisfaction will eventually drive change within the workforce as young people age and move into more senior roles. “As Millennials rise through the ranks, we expect their dissatisfaction will drive greater innovation and change in the way we work,” Fisher says. “I believe that through their experiences and struggles, they seek to address systemic problems in the workplace and move from extractive and transactional thinking to human beings focused on creating greater value for each person involved in the organization. We hope to see a shift in thinking towards a sustainability approach.”