Kill Poisonous Attitudes

This is a true story: I was recently at a conference and attended an incredibly insightful diversity-related session; however, it rubbed me the wrong way when one of the breakout groups turned into a hard-core millennial-bashing fest.

Comments such as, “Millennials suck the life out of you,” “They’re so needy; can you believe they come with their parents to orientation?” seemed to pop up rather freely, indicating to me a general hostility that certain individuals have toward us. I include myself in that group since I’m 26, a detail none of my group members seemed to notice.

What do you think is the role of the diversity leader in creating an environment that fosters more inclusive behaviors and more effective collaborations among the various generations in today’s workforce? Because if something isn’t done about such attitudes, the poisonous feelings can only spread and infect others.

I’m definitely not suggesting millennials are close to perfect or don’t need to get rid of their misconceptions. In fact, in my next blog, I plan to outline some interesting facts I learned at another session, geared toward changing millennials’ attitudes to better acclimate them in corporate America. Stay tuned…