Millennials have been transforming the workplace for the past decade or so, emerging on the scene with new attitudes and striking characteristics that inspired excitement and resentment from previous generations. But the millennial generation we’ve been tracking, criticizing, and celebrating for years is undergoing a dramatic shift; they’re no longer the youngest generation on the scene, and they’re starting to mature into older and higher-ranking professionals.
The big question on all our minds, then, is how are millennials going to change as they gain more experience? Will they preserve the values and characteristics that have made them such a unique addition to the workforce, or will they transform into something else entirely?
Either way, millennials aren’t done shaping the workplace, and 2018 is going to be an interesting year.
The Coming Changes
Though grounded with evidence, these are five of my predictions for what we’ll see from millennials, starting in the coming year, and potentially stretching out for decades to come:
1. They'll set new standards of leadership. There are three important factors culminating in a surge of millennial leadership. First, baby boomers are starting to retire, creating a power vacuum that can only be filled from the bottom. Second, they’ve taken over as the largest population in the workforce. Third, they’re getting older—with the oldest members of the generation entering their mid-30s—and with that age, they’re growing to be more experienced. Even now, millennials hold about 20 percent of all leadership roles, and that percentage is set to grow in 2018. Millennial leaders will prioritize values, ethics, flexibility, and feedback, and while they’ll likely be more timid than previous generations, they may also hold stronger convictions. Either way, they’re about to define a new generation of leadership and influence.
2. They'll start preparing for generation Z. Millennials are getting older—but remember, there’s a lower bound to those generational borders. Though definitions of the next generation (tentatively referred to as Generation Z) vary, most demographers describe it as starting between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s. That would make its oldest members in their late teens to early twenties—and ready to enter the workplace for the first time. In 2018, older millennials will start noting the key differences of the generation about to replace them, and will start preparing to address those differences with new approaches.
3. They'll push harder for diversity and inclusion. Millennials feel strongly about diversity and inclusion for several reasons. They’re the most diverse generation we’ve ever seen, they’re naturally more enthusiastic about their philosophies and political battles, and they feel that diversity has been handled poorly by generations past. With more millennials taking the helm of leadership positions, even in major companies, we’re bound to see a bigger push for diversity and inclusion programs and incentives.
4. They'll settle down. Most scorners will tell you that millennials are notorious job hoppers, unable to commit to any one employer. To an extent, that’s true—but it’s most likely because of their age, rather than their generational characteristics. Pew Research shows they aren’t job hopping any more than Gen X did when they were of a similar age. But by 2018, with more stable company positions and more experience under their belts, millennials may be ready to settle down, and start showing more employer loyalty.
5. They’ll face the dilemma of automation. One of the biggest tech trends we’ve seen in business in the 2010s has been the increased presence of machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation overall. Technological sophistication continues developing at an exponential rate, and more automated solutions are going to be available in 2018 than ever before. This is going to pose a critical conundrum for millennials: will they embrace automation, or try to restrict or regulate it? Surveys show that millennials have great hopes and great fears about automation, making them one of the most conflicted generations on the subject, so we may see polarization in the workplace, or a gradual shift of millennials toward one side or the other.
As they get older and take more positions of leadership, millennials are going to have an even more pronounced effect on how the workplace develops in the near future. If that frightens you, don’t worry—no generation stays in power so long that the next generation can’t change things back, or progress things even further.
It’s nearing time to start looking to Generation Z, working alongside Generation X and millennials, as the main driver of workplace changes.
