Since Gen Y joined the workforce, employers have been scrambling to figure out what these young workers want. Are they really the narcissistic generation obsessed with instant fame and success? Or do they just have an urgency to change the world?
Whichever it is, managers need to have some sense of what will keep their younger workers satisfied, since this generation has been projected to make up 75% of the global workforce by 2025.
To get a better idea of what
The following is based on more than 9,650 company reviews shared by employees between the ages of 21 and 31 on Glassdoor in September:
What millennials hate about their jobs:
The low pay, long hours, lack of training and development, intense pressure, and lack of transparency are the five things
Below are a few reviews posted by these young professionals on Glassdoor about what they loath most about their jobs:
"Lack of transparency from upper management. Promotion politics. Lack of compensation for employees who perform above expectations." -Barclays Technology Analyst (New York, NY)
"The worst work-life balance. Work could be monotonous and really long (depends on team and division). Extreme competition for bonus and reviews, so gets really political." -Goldman Sachs Senior Analyst (Bangalore, India)
"No transparency. Ops and sales don't work together. No concrete career growth path for the employees." -Groupon Employee (location n/a)
"Work/life balance. Constantly under pressure, panic and chaos. Most projects reach fire-fighting mode. Managers don't respect employees personal time and expect them to work on weekends most of the time." -Amazon Software Development Engineer (Bangalore, India)
"Sometimes you do have to work some pretty long hours. Generally, it averages out over the year though. There is a little lack of transparency when it comes to upper level decisions. There seems to be no logic beyond pay raises and bonuses and they often appear to be random." -Ernst & Young ITRA Staff II (San Jose, CA)
"I feel like I could probably be making a better salary elsewhere. To me personally, I feel like the benefit of enjoying coming to work probably outweighs the difference in salary though." -National Instruments Staff Software Engineer (Austin, TX)
"Expected to work insane long hours. Regional Management has no idea what they're doing, all very young and mismanaged. You'll only be promoted if your boss likes you." -Hollister Co. Store Manager (San Jose, CA)
"In addition to long hours, work from home on weekends is not far fetched. You might find yourself struggling to maintain a work-life balance at early stages, but that becomes better as you learn to efficiently manage your schedule and deadlines. One long term potential disadvantage with working with several industries is that you may find yourself becoming a generalist; i.e. knowing a little of everything but not a lot in one particular thing." -JWT Senior Account Executive (location n/a)
"No work-life balance, supervisor some time are too busy to guide you and you will be on your own. No free time to do training." -Accenture Employee (location n/a)
What millennials love about their jobs:
Based on reviews, Glassdoor found that young people love challenging work, benefits, flexible work schedules, free food, and their co-workers.
Below are comments millennials shared on Glassdoor about what they love most about their jobs:
"It's the first time I've ever been happy for a Monday because I know the week will be filled with challenges and successes." -Facebook IT Analyst (Menlo Park, CA)
"Excellent benefits, compensation and vacation package. Employees are extremely knowledgeable and intelligent." -General Motors Manufacturing Engineer (Pontiac, MI)
"Fun events - young professional group, wine tasting, food trucks, summer picnics in the parking lot, special team celebrations, lots of employee discounts, numerous on-site perks, inexpensive and tasty food on campus, massage chair! Great people, good camaraderie." -Thomson Reuters FindLaw Employee (Eagan, MN)
"If you are a people person and enjoy challenging work in a fast paced environment this is great. The company also allows you to take care of customers in a way that I have not seen before." -Home Depot Department Supervisor (Seattle, WA)
"They allowed me to work super flexible hours and were really understanding of when I wanted to leave on vacation with my family." -Harris Teeter Cashier (Mount Pleasant, SC)
"Great overall benefits, free food, drinks, beer, and lots of offsite events. The company is growing very fast and going in the right direction. Stock options grant if you're lucky enough to get some." -Yelp Senior Account Executive (Scottsdale, AZ)
"Great hours and benefits, strong product, good pay, challenging work without being stressful or overwhelming." -Pinnacle Promotions Marketing Employee (Atlanta, GA)
"Flexible schedule, potential to move up and gain a well rounded knowledge of business operations, and of course, free movies." -AMC Entertainment Operations Manager (location n/a)
"Flexible hours, challenging work, high emphasis on learning and progressing, soda on tap, Managers that understand and appreciate developers." -Rain Web Developer (American Fork, UT)
"Great staff, upbeat and enthusiastic. Some of the best people/personalities and hard workers I have ever met. The discount is also a bonus." -Restoration Hardware Sales Associate (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)