Millennials: Much-maligned or martyrs?
By Lynne Bell
Summer is (sadly) behind us, but a survey launched by the non-profit U.S. Travel Association and the end of August released some surprising findings-that is, millenials “are the most likely generation to forfeit time off, even though they earn the least amount of vacation days.”
In fact, according to Toronto Star columnist Emma Teitel- a millenial, herself- “We work so hard, it turns out, we are overwhelmingly represented in a category labour researchers have dubbed 'work martyrs': people so obsessively devoted to their professions, they refrain from taking hard-earned, paid, time off.”
The generation born between 1980 and 1994/2000 (depending upon whom you ask) have been stereotypically-and I believe unfairly- portrayed as lazy, self-centred, spoiled and unable to function without constantly starting at a smartphone screen.
This summation is-dare I say it?- a pretty lazy assessment of an entire generation. I would also argue that they are: creative, flexible and have a keen sense of social responsibility, which is fortunate-because like every generation who has preceeded them, they face daunting challenges.
They are both the creators and the canaries in the proverbial coal mine of a technological revolution that rivals the impact of industrial revolution. They are coming of age in an era of severe economic recession. In the U.S., the cost of post-secondary education and/or training can be economically crippling, especially when employment prospects are uncertain and wages are stagnant. In the UK, the majority of millenials are locked out of the housing market, because prices are, well, insane. Here in Canada, many members of this generation are burdened by all of these factors, to some degree.
And I haven't even touched on terrorism, environmental concerns, and the personal problems that touch every human being, to name a few.
Teitel examined the results of the U.S. Travel Association's end-of-summer study and came up with a few conclusions of her own as to why millenials are leaving paid vacation days on the table. One reason is job insecurity-especially in the U.S. Another reason is that the very technology that makes some parts of life so instantaneous and easy also means that the boundaries between time on and time off work become pretty blurry.
So not only should millenials get a break from the misconceptions placed upon them; they should also give themselves a break- and at the very least, take the vacation days they've earned.
Those lazy, entitled Millennials
By Kelly Running
It’s a label that has been tagged onto Millennials as being lazy. And it’s one that bugs me because yes, there are some lazy people out there in this generation… just like there are lazy people in the generation before me and so on and so forth.
Personally, the when it comes to the socially constructed classification of “generation,” I am on the bubble of either a Generation Y or a Millennial. It just depends where that study has decided where the transition is.
There’s always been lazy people and there will always be lazy people, but it seems to be a common thing to do for older generations to look at the one coming up and saying, “Back in my day it would have been like this.” Yes, maybe back in your day it would have been, but just like technology has changed so to has the economy, society, and life expectations in general.
Ultimately times have changed and things look different than they once did. Unemployment is high amongst Millennials, they don’t typically own houses, and may even still live with their parents. Things are more expensive and youth are having to go into debt more than their parents would have. Yes, there is inflation, but the economic landscape has altered by more than just inflation.
University, college, or a trade school, which are expensive, are now essential in getting a job. It used to be that high school would qualify you for a lot, but once more emphasis was put on schooling it became that employers would favour those that had done some sort of post-secondary schooling over none at all. So, off to school you go and into debt most young people are forced.
Coming out of school you then look for a job… which it turns out are few and far between… oh, and you also have to have “x” amount of years of experience. How do you get experience when the entry-level job requires experience? You’ve got schooling now, but nothing else. So, then with a little luck and a lot of hard work you find one, but it might take awhile to find a career as opposed to a job, which means paying off debt and finding a reasonably priced place to live sends you to your parents’ basement.
Once you have the job, you’re still paying off debt, and in Saskatchewan it’s almost necessary to have a vehicle, which means you’ve put money into that previously or are further into debt. It seems difficult to get ahead and the break you get in living with your parents is the most logical route. They make you pay rent, but it’s not the excessive rent that you’d be facing anywhere else when added to the debt you’ve collected and have been trying to pay off.
Finally, you get something paid off and are able to go out and rent your own place… but, that’s a bad investment you’re told, you need to buy a house. Only houses cost at least $100,000 if not more, so that starter home that was once affordable to previous generations is now out of your grasp and you’re not sure if you want to be tied into a mortgage that will have you paying something off for another 25 years at least. Is this where you want to be for the rest of your life?
Just as you feel like you’re getting ahead maybe you want to have a family, but kids are expensive. So, you wait. Finally you get a house and decide to have a family.
Nagging at the back of your mind during all of this though is how do you save for your retirement… what portion of your wage should go into retirement? And what do you do if you’ve been paying off debt, but just creating more, how do you ever get ahead?
So, are there lazy people out there? Absolutely, in every generation… and every older generation always likes to say “Kids these days are [fill in the blank].” But, classifying an entire generation like this is a little out there.
