Feb. 18, 2017 "Calling millennials lazy is just an excuse not to change": Today I found this article by Allison Speigel in the Globe and Mail:
Throughout my career, I have heard partners at law firms complain about “associates these days.” They complain that associates are unwilling to work hard, feel entitled to have it all and don’t know how good they have it, compared with what it was like back in the day.
Undoubtedly, the partners’ views are reinforced by the fact that most of those associates are millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000), a generation that has been repeatedly lambasted as being lazy, self-entitled and coddled.
Although I suspect there may be a kernel of truth in their critique, this article is not about whether the complaints are grounded in reality. Rather, it is about the dangers of disregarding the millennial viewpoint in this generational culture clash.
Law firms ignore millennial ideas at their peril
Change is hard – everyone knows that. The problem is that the status quo, while comforting, can also be dangerous. If you refuse to move forward, you may be left behind.
It is far easier to dismiss an idea if you discredit the person who espouses it as nothing more than a lazy millennial whiner. But this results in good ideas being ignored.
By over-diagnosing an entire generation as lazy whiners, law firms are giving themselves an easy excuse not to change. The irony is that tech-savvy millennials (who also understand how other millennials think) are well suited to help firms adapt to the changing landscape.
By over-diagnosing an entire generation as lazy whiners, law firms are giving themselves an easy excuse not to change. The irony is that tech-savvy millennials (who also understand how other millennials think) are well suited to help firms adapt to the changing landscape.
Not all ideas proposed by millennials are motivated by a desire to work less
Why should a firm care if, instead of working until 9 p.m. at the office, a millennial associate goes home, sees his children from 5-7 p.m., and works remotely from 9-11 p.m.? He is working no less, just in a manner that allows him to see his children. This seems obvious – yet, many associates feel that being seen leaving the office at 5 p.m. every day will be held against them.
Not all ideas are bad even if proposed by a millennial with “unworthy” motivations
If an idea is good, a person’s motivation for proposing it should be irrelevant. If Jen, a millennial associate, suggests her firm invest in technology to reduce the amount of time she spends reviewing documents, the only relevant question should be, “is it a sound investment?”
If the answer is “yes,” then the firm should invest. It should be irrelevant that Jen’s motivation for finding the technology stemmed from her hatred of doing document review, a task that she considers boring. From the firm’s perspective, that Jen will no longer have to spend time doing work she hates should just be a bonus.
If the answer is “yes,” then the firm should invest. It should be irrelevant that Jen’s motivation for finding the technology stemmed from her hatred of doing document review, a task that she considers boring. From the firm’s perspective, that Jen will no longer have to spend time doing work she hates should just be a bonus.
If millennials find ways to accomplish the same results while putting in less effort, or doing more rewarding work, well then good for them. They should be applauded for their good ideas, not reprimanded because their motivations are deemed unworthy.
Decision makers should be careful to ensure that their decisions do not stem from a desire to make the next generation “suffer” in the same ways that they once did. We get it: you walked uphill to school, both ways! That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a better way of getting there today.
Law firms should evaluate the status quo before criticizing those who propose change
I was mocked by a partner at my previous firm because I told him that it was non-negotiable that I needed to eat lunch every single day. Apparently, for him, skipping lunch some days would have been a sign of my devotion to the law and the firm. For me, it was inane. I was willing to give up many things, but lunch was not one of them.
In many firms, discussing worklife balance and law firm culture issues (outside of recruiting season) is a no-no. The problem with this mentality is that it presumes the older generation’s approach to work is the right one.
Before complaining that millennials’ views of work-life balance and firm culture are wrong, law firms should be evaluating whether they currently have it right. How many partners are divorced? How many missed one too many dance recitals? How many battle with anxiety and alcoholism?
Law firms should be asking themselves if they are 100 per-cent confident that the system doesn’t need to change – even a little bit. Because if it does, then the topic needs to be open for meaningful discussion.
Law firms should be asking themselves if they are 100 per-cent confident that the system doesn’t need to change – even a little bit. Because if it does, then the topic needs to be open for meaningful discussion.
Small changes in a firm’s policies and attitudes can make big differences to morale without affecting the bottom line. A small but telling example is the propensity of partners to set false deadlines.
There was nothing more frustrating than the Friday afternoon call requiring me to spend my weekend drafting a document, allegedly due Monday morning, that was not reviewed until Thursday.
If believing that I should not be required to spend a weekend working for no real reason makes me a self-entitled millennial, I accept the title. I suggest, however, that it simply makes me someone who believes that I should be treated with common decency and a modicum of respect. Make a small change; set a deadline when it is really a deadline.
There was nothing more frustrating than the Friday afternoon call requiring me to spend my weekend drafting a document, allegedly due Monday morning, that was not reviewed until Thursday.
If believing that I should not be required to spend a weekend working for no real reason makes me a self-entitled millennial, I accept the title. I suggest, however, that it simply makes me someone who believes that I should be treated with common decency and a modicum of respect. Make a small change; set a deadline when it is really a deadline.
Bigger changes can affect a firm’s bottom line because they relate to the overall number of hours that lawyers spend working. I understand that firms are reticent to open this can of worms because, generally speaking, hours worked translate into dollars earned. What I don’t understood, however, is why law firms seem to believe that there is only one way to skin a cat.
In many firms, either an associate is willing to put work above all else, or he or she is unlikely to rise to the top. If a brilliant lawyer wants to work four days a week, does that make him any less brilliant? No – it just means that his pay should be adjusted accordingly.
Law firms’ rigid one-size-fits-all mentality only ensures that they will continue to lose great lawyers for no good reason.
In many firms, either an associate is willing to put work above all else, or he or she is unlikely to rise to the top. If a brilliant lawyer wants to work four days a week, does that make him any less brilliant? No – it just means that his pay should be adjusted accordingly.
Law firms’ rigid one-size-fits-all mentality only ensures that they will continue to lose great lawyers for no good reason.
Our profession is only as strong as the minds it attracts and retains. If firms refuse to listen to those moving up their ranks, they risk losing bright millennial minds.
Instead of wasting time complaining, firms should be spending their time trying to understand how to best harness the millenials’ energy. They are, after all, the future.
Instead of wasting time complaining, firms should be spending their time trying to understand how to best harness the millenials’ energy. They are, after all, the future.
Allison Speigel is a commercial litigator with Speigel Nichols Fox LLP, a boutique commercial litigation law firm.
May 5, 2017 "Tracking the consequences of a part-time generation": Today I found this article by Paul Attfield in the Globe and Mail:
Like many millennials, Jenner Pratt knows only too well the “soul-sucking” challenge of finding full-time employment.
After getting the travel bug out of his system by working abroad as a teaching assistant and an editor in Taiwan for just under two years, Mr. Pratt returned to Canada last summer and began the employment hunt in earnest in July.
A paid internship at a downtown public-affairs company followed, before his quest ended successfully with a full-time position as an analyst at Gravity Partners Ltd., a business-management consultancy in Toronto, in January.
“It’s a full-time job trying to find gainful employment,” the 29-year-old says.
He was far from alone in his struggles. The lack of full-time jobs on offer has relegated many millennials in this country to settling for part-time work and temporary-contract positions.
This situation is far from ideal, and one of the problems it creates is that it undermines any sense of loyalty between a worker and a company. This, in turn, can create a problem of perception about millennials.
This situation is far from ideal, and one of the problems it creates is that it undermines any sense of loyalty between a worker and a company. This, in turn, can create a problem of perception about millennials.
Natalie MacDonald, co-founder and managing partner at Rudner MacDonald LLP in Toronto, says that millennials are perceived as almost flighty in the sense that they don’t appear prepared to commit and they seem ready to go from job to job as long as the work makes them happy.
“Employers tend to see [millennials] that way, and maybe that’s why they’re offering part-time work and contract work and temporary positions,” she says.
Part-time work is now very much the norm for millennials starting out in the working world. According to Statistics Canada, the rate of full-time employment for those between the ages of 17 and 24 from 2014-16 was 59 per cent for men and 49 per cent for women, down from 76 and 58 per cent respectively for the same age groups in 1976-78.
Another problem that Mr. Pratt discovered was that working in a part-time capacity had a limiting effect on his sense of adventure outside of work. With minimal access to health benefits or sick leave, even something as trivial as a running injury could be damaging to his income.
But in jobs where, as Mr. Pratt describes it, “You’re left to feel fortunate to have a job at all,” he didn’t feel in a strong enough position to demand more from his employers.
“Part-time work often means that you are replaceable, so I think there’s some apprehension to stir the pot, so to speak,” Mr. Pratt says.
Mr. Pratt is far from alone in that opinion. Peter Caven, a Toronto-based recruiter, says that millennials, in particular, “are very unaware of their legal rights and obligations.”
Part-time workers enjoy the same rights and protections as full-time employees, such as overtime pay and statutory holidays, and there is no law that says that part-time workers aren’t entitled to benefits.
With contract workers, if an employer renews a contract with neither discussion nor negotiation with the employee, then it turns into an indefinite contract, granting the contract worker the same rights and protections as their full-time colleagues.
With contract workers, if an employer renews a contract with neither discussion nor negotiation with the employee, then it turns into an indefinite contract, granting the contract worker the same rights and protections as their full-time colleagues.
For millennials working part-time jobs, getting treated fairly can only help in fostering a sense of loyalty toward the company.
“Loyalty comes in my view from an employer who treats an employee right, treats an employee with respect and dignity and shows an employee that they care,” Ms. MacDonald says.
She argues that resolving the problem of part-time work requires a three-pronged solution:
the various levels of government need to assist businesses with things such as tax incentives so employers can offer more full-time positions;
employers themselves need to recognize some of the advantages of creating full-time jobs, such as employee retention;
and millennials have to understand the need for developing a sense of loyalty toward a company.
the various levels of government need to assist businesses with things such as tax incentives so employers can offer more full-time positions;
employers themselves need to recognize some of the advantages of creating full-time jobs, such as employee retention;
and millennials have to understand the need for developing a sense of loyalty toward a company.
“[Employers] want to ensure that we’re offering positions that are meaningful to our workforce so that they actually provide the employees who are … millennials with a sense of loyalty and a sense that they don’t want to go from job to job, that they want to work hard for the company,” Ms. MacDonald says.
Doing so will not only provide fulfilling, full-time jobs to the many millennials looking to get on the career ladder, but it will also have a knock-on effect on Canada as a whole, she says.
One example of that would be the housing market, as without full-time jobs, many millennials aren’t able to qualify for loans with banks. But there are many other additional examples.
One example of that would be the housing market, as without full-time jobs, many millennials aren’t able to qualify for loans with banks. But there are many other additional examples.
“It’s very important we understand this because if employees do not have permanent, full-time employment and they’re relegated to these temporary contact positions and part-time positions, they don’t have the revenue to invest in our country,” Ms. MacDonald says.
Father to Five
6 hours ago
I recall growing up in the sixties that we were excited about the coming age of robotics and technology because they were going to do all that work for us and give us more leisure time. It looks like we overdid it.
So many of those entry level jobs that got us started in life are gone, the victim of robotics and technology. For example, my young adult children shop on-line. How many retail jobs have disappeared because of that?
My guess is that if you aren't educated or employed in the development of robotics and technology you have been left behind or will be left behind. There just aren't any jobs for you.
So many of those entry level jobs that got us started in life are gone, the victim of robotics and technology. For example, my young adult children shop on-line. How many retail jobs have disappeared because of that?
My guess is that if you aren't educated or employed in the development of robotics and technology you have been left behind or will be left behind. There just aren't any jobs for you.
How's that for more leisure time.
EvanOttawa
3 hours ago
Entire industries have sprung up creating and supporting technology. Canada's tech sector generates 7.1% of our GDP and employs 864,000 Canadians. These are good jobs with good salaries. We may have lost a cashier, but we gained a server admin. We may have lost a stock boy, but we gained an application developer.
oldgit_gittinolder
2 hours ago
It was no easy row to hoe in the early 80s when I came of age with unemployment over 10%. Still, I think we had it better than the millennials do today. Corporate America has done a great job of conning the working class; the attitude is now “Why should you get that – I don’t” rather than “If you get that, I deserve it too.”
But the robber barons at the top making unconscionable salaries will eventually have their pigeons come home to roost. Without disposable income, the working and middle classes don’t feed the economy, and with a highly mobile workforce lacking any sense of loyalty, quality employees with solid skills will be all but impossible to find. Result? A tanking economy and unsustainable businesses.
We need to find better ways to share the wealth and to foster employee engagement. Today’s model is unworkable.
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EvanOttawa
3 hours ago
Every one of these stories seems to feature someone with a Liberal Arts or Social Studies degree. Graduates of computer science and computer engineering classes from UofT, UW, etc, have nearly 100% employment records. Millennials need to be more strategic in their education.
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De Woodenshoe
6 hours ago
Good read as well as a similar article I read yesterday. What going on with the corporate/ hiring world? No loyalty (we have all experience this in the last 10 years), and many corps have record earnings. I blame what I call the America form of capitalism. Everyone out for themselves, no trust, senior execs get all the gravy.
I am a capitalist/ conservative, but this style of business is getting ridiculous. The rich are getting richer at the expense of the middle class (and lower wage earners), far less ability for most people to afford a condo/ house or have any disposable income.
Who is going to be the tax base in 10 years? I honestly think we need to all be more vocal with our MP's etc. as there are serious consequences ahead.
All CEO's should look themselves in the mirror an say, "how many millions do I really need, and if we hired more employees full time, spread the corporate earnings/ wealth amongst more of the employees, life will be better for many people, jus not me".
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Progressive111
1 hour ago
There is hope for part-time workers
Wynne of Ontario is contemplating BASIC INCOME
everyone gets about $1,300
this is not welfare
.
maybe you don't even make that much part time
.
not sure if this is Socialist Utopia or Dystophobia
