With values like family, tolerance and respect for the environment, millennials put balance at the center of their lives. Educated, connected and independent, today they increasingly occupy high-level positions in companies, which they transform with their new ideas. A revolution is underway.
“Millennials are carrying out a quiet revolution in the workplace through their great mobility, their autonomy, their skills, their ease of adaptation and the way they are rethinking work spaces,” says Mircea Vultur, professor of sociology at the Institute National Scientific Research Institute (INRS).
Millennials and members of the next generation, Generation Z, will make up three-quarters of the workforce in 2030, according to a BDC report. And even if they give little importance to hierarchical rank, they are currently climbing the ladder in all professional fields and in all spheres of activity.
Aged 25 to 42, they are defined by their great skills… and their thirst for knowledge and experience. “For them, changing jobs is stimulating,” says Jacques Hamel, professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Montreal. They see flexibility and precariousness positively. They don’t want to get stuck in a job. It has become a value for them. »
It must be said that work is an element of their life, and not the essence. Work-life balance takes on a new meaning: millennials prioritize leisure time, meetings with friends, and reflection. “I have big personal ambitions,” says Habi Gerba, president and designer of the Gazelles brand, “and I have always seen my work as a vehicle to achieve them and to have fun. »
At 42, Jonathan Durocher is president of National Bank Financial. It also aims for pleasure – and a certain balance. “It takes a little bit of everything,” he says. There is work, family… I see it as cycles during which priorities evolve. »
This vision of things leads to a metamorphosis of interpersonal relationships, particularly between colleagues, with their boss or their employees, suggests Mircea Vultur, sociologist.
Jacques Hamel agrees: Millennials favor friendly relationships in the office. “They are resistant to hierarchy, it doesn’t impress them,” he emphasizes. The company is seen as a family. »
Judith Fetzer, co-founder and president of Cook it, focuses a lot on the human portion of her work. “My office gang is very important in my life,” she confides. These are people who play a significant role in my life. I need this closeness. »
Unions are not popular among this young generation. “They are not at all confrontational,” says Mr. Vultur, “and prefer to solve their problems themselves. »
This aspect of millennials’ personalities is called “individualization” by Mr. Hamel. “It’s this tendency to design oneself and act on one’s own initiative,” he explains. We see this in their training, among other things: they like to design their own program. And their way of learning extends beyond the confines of school. »
“Let’s say that diversity and inclusion is not a debate,” says Jonathan Durocher.
Habi Gerba is allergic to companies that make “cosmetic” changes. Authenticity takes precedence… even in questions of ethics and orientation. “Some agree with the issues of equity, diversity and inclusion,” insists the 32-year-old businesswoman, “but in fact, they agree with the principle. They are not ready to take action to change things. I think there are still invisible barriers. »
In the opinion of researcher Mircea Vultur, millennials could cause an increase in productivity. “This is to be anticipated,” he points out, “because of the way they exploit their knowledge, their autonomy, their tolerance, their openness to the world. They are not in a relational logic where the feeling of belonging is put forward. They are in a transactional mode, they ask themselves what they have to gain by working here or doing this task…”
Another non-negotiable point for millennials: managing their resources. They talk about mental health issues and they make a point of respecting everyone’s limits.
“We are seeing the emergence of a generation for whom working hard is not a value,” concludes Jacques Hamel. They don’t want to work 70 hours a week, because they know the perverse effects of that… They saw their parents go! »