 As soon as the mom of a young employee learned her son had received a mediocre performance review, she called HR to loudly complain. Another recent hire, fresh out of college, went straight to the CEO to tell the top executive what the business should be doing better. And one twenty-something was so excited about her company’s new product that she published what were supposed to be confidential details on her Facebook page.
 These sound like crazy and, hopefully, rare stories of young and inexperienced new employees, right? Not according to Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman, authors of The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation is Rocking the Workplace (HarperBusiness, April 2010).
Using case studies, findings from large-scale surveys and hundreds of interviews, their book makes the case that so-called Millennials (born between 1982 and 2000) who are now entering the workplace bring with them talents, expectations and attitudes -- and, often, "helicopter" parents hovering nearby -- that can annoy and confuse co-workers and employers of other generations.
On the other hand, Baby Boomer Lancaster and Generation Xer Stillman, co-founders of BridgeWorks (a research, speaking and training company focused on helping generations work together) emphasize that understanding and managing the Millennials’ approach to their jobs can not only help the generations work together, but can actually benefit the workplace by tapping into the Millennials high energy, creativity, technological expertise, and social networking savvy.
Generation gaps and gaffesSo what causes the most understandings and irritations between the Millennials and co-workers of other generations?
"For Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), it’s probably the sense that Millennials feel entitled. Boomers had to work so hard to stand out from that crowd of 80 million, they paid their dues, dressed for success, and dutifully climbed the ladder," Lancaster answers. "When Millennials want to leap frog the established hierarchy, or ask for more before they’ve 'earned' it, Boomers get testy."
On the other hand, Generation Xers (born between 1965 and 1980) tend to get riled at the Millennials’ seemingly constant desire for communication, attention and collaboration. "Xers were the true latchkey kids and they learned to operate very independently," Lancaster says.
For Traditionalists (born before 1946), it’s the etiquette issues that grate the most. "They resent seeing someone wearing a hat in church or not putting their hand over their heart when the national anthem is played. At work, it’s things like showing up late or calling a senior executive by their first name, or using slang in letters and emails. They wonder 'what’s wrong with these kids!' We try to point out that these 'kids' can still be excellent employees even if their approach is a little different," says Lancaster. "We also try to teach Millennials how to show the proper signs of respect so they can navigate effectively in a particular culture."
Understanding the MillennialsSeventy-six million strong, the Millennials are currently searching for jobs, just entering the workplace or already there and often creating unintentional conflicts and leaving employers and older coworkers scratching their heads and wondering, "What do these Millennials want? Why are they so different? How do we get the good ones in the door? How do we keep them there without alienating the other generations?"
 Lancaster and Stillman have compiled trends they say are key to understanding the so-called M-factor at work and to figuring out how to communicate and work effectively with the Millennials.
At the top of the list? The fact that Millennials’ parents, who were big on coaching and helping their offspring with school projects, still tend to be involved in their now adult kids’ lives -- even acting as non-official job consultants. In fact, in a Michigan State University survey of employers, 31 percent said parents submitted resumes for their offspring. The M-Factor authors suggest tapping into this parental involvement can be a plus -- reaching out to mom and dad can be a strategy for recruiting and retraining the best and bright brightest of the Millennials.
A bigger problem that can lead to generational conflicts at work is the Millennials’ sense of entitlement and expectation of frequent feedback." It’s true, Millennials are accustomed to lots of praise and often see themselves of deserving special treatment in the job market and the workplace," Lancaster says.
What’s more, Millennials expect frequent feedback and input from their supervisors and managers. Lancaster points out that this constant need for communication can rile Boomers who complain they don’t have the time, and Gen Xers often see Millennials as needy and lacking independence. But changing perspective and realizing that Millennials are simply trying to be efficient by checking in often to see if they need to change course is a way to soothe any conflicts between the generations, the M-Factor authors say.
The M-factor advantageLancaster and Stillman also explain how the Millennials bring specific skills to the workplace that can help companies thrive in the 21st century.
"Social networking, for example, is rapidly becoming business networking and organizations need to know how to put it to work -- whether for recruiting, staying in touch with customers, expanding business networks, conducting research, or a host of other applications. We’re not going to be able to avoid it. So the question becomes, how do you put it to work in safe ways? That means establishing reasonable policies, training like mad, and holding people accountable," Lancaster notes. "But it also means asking the Millennials to help us apply social networks for the good of the company. They are going to be in vanguard of making this happen."
In addition, Lancaster and Stillman see the Millennials as natural "coaches" for co-workers of other generations, especially when it comes to technology. After all, Millennials have been coaching the rest of us their whole lives, and usually doing it very good-naturedly -- from teaching their parents how the TIVO works to setting up a web page for a less tech savvy friend.
"Companies miss the boat when they don’t engage Millennials as mentors. We see them as young, but we can’t assume they don’t know things. We have to give them the opportunity to fly with projects and see what they come up with," Lancaster explains. "Likewise, Millennials would do themselves a huge career favor if they’d ask great questions of the older generations and be willing to listen. That’s probably the fastest way to get promoted I can think of. "
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