The ‘Trophy Kids’ Go to Work
With Wall Street in turmoil and a financial system in crisis mode, companies are facing another major challenge: figuring out how to manage a new crop of young people in the work force — the millennial generation. Born between 1980 and 2001, the millennials were coddled by their parents and nurtured with a strong sense of entitlement. In this adaptation from ‘The Trophy Kids Grow Up: How the Millennial Generation Is Shaking Up the Workplace,’ Ron Alsop, a contributor to The Wall Street Journal, describes the workplace attitudes of the millennials and employers’ efforts to manage these demanding rookies.
华尔街剧烈动荡，金融系统摇摇欲坠，而美国企业正面临着另一个重大挑战：搞清楚怎么管理新加入公司的年轻员工－－即“新千年一代”。这代人出生于1980年到2001年间，在父母的宠爱下长大，自我中心倾向严重。本文改编自《蜜罐里的孩子长大了：新千年一代的管理学》(The Trophy Kids Grow Up: How the Millennial Generation Is Shaking Up the Workplace)一书，作者罗恩·埃尔索普(Ron Alsop)是《华尔街日报》的特约撰稿人。该书描述了新千年一代的职场态度，以及企业如何去管理这些要求甚高的职场新丁。
When Gretchen Neels, a Boston-based consultant, was coaching a group of college students for job interviews, she asked them how they believe employers view them. She gave them a clue, telling them that the word she was looking for begins with the letter ‘e.’ One young man shouted out, ‘excellent.’ Other students chimed in with ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘energetic.’ Not even close. The correct answer, she said, is ‘entitled.’ ‘Huh?’ the students responded, surprised and even hurt to think that managers are offended by their highfalutin opinions of themselves.
一天，来自波士顿的咨询顾问格莱勤·尼尔斯(Gretchen Neels)给一群求职的大学生做面试技巧辅导。尼尔斯问学生们一个问题：他们认为招聘企业对他们这一代的印象如何。她给出一个线索，这个形容词的开头字母是“e”。一个年轻人大声喊道：“优秀(excellent)！”其他学生纷纷喊道：“充满激情(enthusiastic)！”“精力充沛(energetic)！”这些答案差得太远，尼尔斯说，正确答案是“自我中心”(entitled)。“啊？”学生们都很诧异，甚至感到自尊心受到伤害，不知道为什么他们的自我好评得不到企业经理们的认同。
If there is one overriding perception of the millennial generation, it’s that these young people have great — and sometimes outlandish — expectations. Employers realize the millennials are their future work force, but they are concerned about this generation’s desire to shape their jobs to fit their lives rather than adapt their lives to the workplace.
职场人士对新千年一代的普遍看法是，这帮年轻人的期望值太高，有时甚至高得离谱。雇主心里很清楚，新千年一代必将成为未来的公司员工，但是很担心这个群体会力图让工作来适应自己，而不是让自己去适应工作。
Although members of other generations were considered somewhat spoiled in their youth, millennials feel an unusually strong sense of entitlement. Older adults criticize the high-maintenance rookies for demanding too much too soon. ‘They want to be CEO tomorrow,’ is a common refrain from corporate recruiters.
虽然其他年龄代的人在年轻的时候也有恃宠而骄的现象，但新千年一代的自我中心感尤为强烈。老员工批评这些眼高手低的新丁要求太高，而且缺乏耐心。“他们希望明天就能当上CEO”，这是企业招聘人员的普遍感觉。
More than 85% of hiring managers and human-resource executives said they feel that millennials have a stronger sense of entitlement than older workers, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com. The generation’s greatest expectations: higher pay (74% of respondents); flexible work schedules (61%); a promotion within a year (56%); and more vacation or personal time (50%).
85%以上的招聘经理和人力资源负责人表示，他们觉得新千年一代的自我意识比老员工强得多。这一代人的最大期望是：工资更高（74%的受访者），工作时间更灵活(61%)，一年内就能晋升(56%)，以及更多的休假和个人时间(50%)。
‘They really do seem to want everything, and I can’t decide if it’s an inability or an unwillingness to make trade-offs,’ says Derrick Bolton, assistant dean and M.B.A. admissions director at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. ‘They want to be CEO, for example, but they say they don’t want to give up time with their families.’
斯坦福大学商学院(Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business)的院长助理兼MBA招生主任德瑞克.博尔顿(Derrick Bolton)说，他们真的好像什么都想要，不知道这些人是不能还是不愿做出妥协。比如说，他们想当CEO，却表示不愿意减少与家人相处的时间。
Millennials, of course, will have to temper their expectations as they seek employment during this deep economic slump. But their sense of entitlement is an ingrained trait that will likely resurface in a stronger job market. Some research studies indicate that the millennial generation’s great expectations stem from feelings of superiority. Michigan State University’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute and MonsterTrak, an online careers site, conducted a research study of 18- to 28-year-olds and found that nearly half had moderate to high superiority beliefs about themselves. The superiority factor was measured by responses to such statements as ‘I deserve favors from others’ and ‘I know that I have more natural talents than most.’
当然，在当前经济衰退的大环境下，新千年一代想要找到工作，将不得不降低期望值。然而，他们的自我意识根深蒂固，等就业市场转暖，难免又会故态重萌。一些研究报告指出，新千年一代之所以心高气傲，是因为有一种自我优越感。密歇根州立大学(Michigan State University)的大学生就业研究中心(Collegiate Employment Research Institute)和一家招聘网站MonsterTrak联合对18岁至28岁的年轻人进行了一项调查，发现几乎一半的受访者有中度或强烈的自我优越感。在调查中，衡量优越感的方式是看受访者是否认同问卷单中的一些陈述，如“我应该得到别人的关爱”和“我知道自己比大多数人更有天份”等。
For their part, millennials believe they can afford to be picky, with talent shortages looming as baby boomers retire. ‘They are finding that they have to adjust work around our lives instead of us adjusting our lives around work,’ a teenage blogger named Olivia writes on the Web site Xanga.com. ‘What other option do they have? We are hard working and utilize tools to get the job done. But we don’t want to work more than 40 hours a week, and we want to wear clothes that are comfortable. We want to be able to spice up the dull workday by listening to our iPods. If corporate America doesn’t like that, too bad.’
新千年一代认为，他们有理由挑三拣四，因为婴儿潮一代陆续退休，就业市场将会出现人才短缺。“那些公司会发现，他们必须调整工作方式来适应我们的生活，而不是让我们调整生活方式来适应工作。”一个名叫奥利维亚(Olivia)的十几岁青年在Xanga.com网站的博客上写道。“不然他们有什么办法？我们这一代在努力工作，并利用各种工具完成任务。但是，我们不想一周工作40个小时以上，我们喜欢穿舒适的衣服上班，喜欢一边听iPod一边打发无聊的工作时间。如果美国企业制度不认同，那就一拍两散好了。”
Where do such feelings come from? Blame it on doting parents, teachers and coaches. Millennials are truly ‘trophy kids,’ the pride and joy of their parents. The millennials were lavishly praised and often received trophies when they excelled, and sometimes when they didn’t, to avoid damaging their self-esteem. They and their parents have placed a high premium on success, filling r谷sum谷s with not only academic accolades but also sports and other extracurricular activities.
这种优越感从何而来？要怪溺爱这一代的父母、老师和辅导员。新千年一代真的是“蜜罐里的孩子”，是父母的骄傲和快乐源泉。当他们表现出众时，父母毫不吝啬对这些孩子的溢美之词，还会买各种奖品；而当他们表现不好时，父母也会给予奖励，以免伤害到孩子的自尊心。这一代孩子的些许成功都会被人为放大，他们的建立不仅罗列了学业上获得的各种嘉奖，还包括了运动和其他课外活动上的种种成绩。
Now what happens when these trophy kids arrive in the workplace with greater expectations than any generation before them? ‘Their attitude is always ‘What are you going to give me,’ ‘ says Natalie Griffith, manager of human-resource programs at Eaton Corp. ‘It’s not necessarily arrogance; it’s simply their mindset.’
现在，这些“蜜罐里的孩子”踏上社会，对工作所抱的期望值比以往任何一代都高，接下来会怎样呢？Eaton Corp.人力资源项目经理纳塔丽·格里菲斯(Natalie Griffith)说：“他们的态度始终就是‘你能给我什么’，这不一定是骄傲自大，而是源自他们内心根深蒂固的想法。”
Millennials want loads of attention and guidance from employers. An annual or even semiannual evaluation isn’t enough. They want to know how they’re doing weekly, even daily. ‘The millennials were raised with so much affirmation and positive reinforcement that they come into the workplace needy for more,’ says Subha Barry, managing director and head of global diversity and inclusion at Merrill Lynch & Co.
新千年一代希望得到就职单位的重点关注和悉心指导。每年一次或者每半年一次的考评是不够的，他们想知道公司每星期、甚至每天对他们的评价。“新千年一代在成长过程中得到过很多赞美和肯定，因此踏上工作岗位后，他们会要求得到更多的认同。”美林公司(Merrill Lynch & Co.) 董事总经理兼全球多元化及融合部门负责人苏巴·巴瑞(Subha Barry)说道。
But managers must tread lightly when making a critique. This generation was treated so delicately that many schoolteachers stopped grading papers and tests in harsh-looking red ink. Some managers have seen millennials break down in tears after a negative performance review and even quit their jobs. ‘They like the constant positive reinforcement, but don’t always take suggestions for improvement well,’ says Steve Canale, recruiting manager at General Electric Co. In performance evaluations, ‘it’s still important to give the good, the bad and the ugly, but with a more positive emphasis.’
然而，经理们在工作中如果想批评新千年一代，态度得柔和一点。这一代一直被小心翼翼地伺候着，甚而有之，许多在校老师在给他们批改论文和考卷时，都不敢使用刺激醒目的红墨水笔。一些新生代员工在经理对其工作给予负面评价后，居然嚎啕大哭，甚至辞职走人。“他们喜欢源源不断的正面鼓励，但往往对改进意见置之不理。”通用电气公司(General Electric Co.)的招聘经理施蒂夫·克奈尔(Steve Canale)说道。在评价这些年轻人的工作表现时，“既要讲好的地方，也要讲不好的地方，也要严厉，但必须更多地强调他们的优点。”
Millennials also want things spelled out clearly. Many flounder without precise guidelines but thrive in structured situations that provide clearly defined rules and the order that they crave. Managers will need to give step-by-step directions for handling everything from projects to voice-mail messages to client meetings. It may seem obvious that employees should show up on time, limit lunchtime to an hour and turn off cellphones during meetings. But those basics aren’t necessarily apparent to many millennials.
新千年一代希望有啥说啥，如果不提出确切的工作要求，很多人会不知所措；而在规则清晰、制度明确、符合其主观意愿的工作环境下，他们会有上佳表现。经理们必须手把手地教他们处理各种事情，从项目执行、电话留言到与客户会面等等。一般人视为天经地义的职场基本规则，如按时上班、午餐时间控制在一小时内以及开会期间关闭手机等，对新千年一代的许多人来说都不算理所当然的事情。
Gail McDaniel, a corporate consultant and career coach for college students, spoke to managers at a health-care company who were frustrated by some of their millennial employees. It seems that one young man missed an important deadline, and when his manager asked him to explain, he said, ‘Oh, you forgot to remind me.’ Parents and teachers aren’t doing millennials any favors by constantly adapting to their needs, Ms. McDaniel says. ‘Going into the workplace, they have an expectation that companies will adapt for them, too.’
企业顾问和大学生就业培训师盖尔·麦克丹尼尔(Gail McDaniel)接触过不少典型案例。他最近接触过一家医疗保健企业的经理们，后者对公司的新生代员工感到十分沮丧。事情是这样的，有个年轻人没有及时完成工作，经理让他做出解释，结果他说：“哦，你忘了提醒我。”麦克丹尼尔说，父母和老师对新千年一代的纵容和过份体贴其实是在害他们，一旦踏上工作岗位，这些年轻人同样会以为公司应该围着他们转。
Millennials also expect a flexible work routine that allows them time for their family and personal interests. ‘For this generation, work is not a place you go; work is a thing you do,’ says Kaye Foster-Cheek, vice president for human resources at Johnson & Johnson.
新千年一代还希望工作方式灵活，为其家庭生活和个人兴趣留出足够时间。强生公司(Johnson & Johnson)的人力资源副总裁凯伊·奇科(Kaye Foster-Cheek)说，对这代人来说，工作不是去某个地方上班，就是做事。
Although millennials have high expectations about what their employers should provide them, companies shouldn’t expect much loyalty in return. If a job doesn’t prove fulfilling, millennials will forsake it in a flash. Indeed, many employers say it’s retention that worries them most.
虽然新千年一代对雇主的要求很高，而企业却无法指望他们会很忠诚。如果工作没有满足感，这代人会立马跳槽。事实上，很多雇主表示，他们最头疼的就是怎么留住这些员工。
In the Michigan State/MonsterTrak study, about two-thirds of the millennials said they would likely ’surf’ from one job to the next. In addition, about 44% showed their lack of loyalty by stating that they would renege on a job-acceptance commitment if a better offer came along.
在密歇根州立大学和MonsterTrak网站的联合调查中，约有三分之二的受访者说，他们很可能会从一份工作跳到另一份工作。此外，约有44%的受访者表示，即使已经和企业签订了工作意向，如果有更好的机会出现，他们会毫不犹豫地毁约。这也表明这一代在忠诚度上的缺失。
These workplace nomads don’t see any stigma in listing three jobs in a single year on their resumes. They are quite confident about landing yet another job, even if it will take longer in this dismal economy. In the meantime, they needn’t worry about their next paycheck because they have their parents to cushion them. They’re comfortable in the knowledge that they can move back home while they seek another job. The weak job market may make millennials think twice about moving on, but once jobs are more plentiful, they will likely resume their job-hopping ways.
这些职场上的“游牧人群”丝毫不会为简历上一年换了三个公司的记录感到羞耻。即使当前经济低迷，找工作需要花更长时间，他们对自己能再找到一份新工作依旧充满信心。与此同时，他们不必担心日子过不下去，因为父母会给予帮助。他们知道自己在找下一份工作期间，大可搬回家和父母同住，因此一点也不着急。疲软的就业市场可能会让新千年一代的频繁跳槽行为收敛一点，但等市场回暖，他们又会立刻活跃起来。
Justin Pfister, the founder of Open Yard, an online retailer of sports equipment, believes he and his fellow millennials will resist having their expectations deflated. If employers fail to provide the opportunities and rewards millennials seek, he says, they’re likely to drop out of the corporate world as he did and become entrepreneurs. ‘We get stifled when we’re offered single-dimensional jobs,’ he says. ‘We are multi-dimensional people living and working in a multi-dimensional world.’
体育用品网上零售商店Open Yard的创始人贾斯汀·普菲斯特(Justin Pfister)认为，他们这一代人不会妥协自己的意愿。如果雇主不能给予新千年一代所需的机会和奖励，菲斯特说，这些人就可能会像他一样离开职场，自己创业。“单一的工作让我们窒息，”他说，“我们是多维度的人，喜欢在多维度的世界里工作和生活。”
These outspoken young people tend to be highly opinionated and fearlessly challenge recruiters and bosses. Status and hierarchy don’t impress them much. They want to be treated like colleagues rather than subordinates and expect ready access to senior executives, even the CEO, to share their brilliant ideas. Recruiters at such companies as investment-banking firm Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Amazon.com describe ’student stalkers’ who brashly fire off emails to everyone from the CEO on down, trying to get an inside track to a job.
这些外向的年轻人往往固执己见，经常毫无顾忌地挑战招聘者和上司。他们不太注意身份和地位，希望被视为同事而非下属，而且期望随时能与包括CEO在内的高管层对话，交流自己的创意想法。高盛集团(Goldman Sachs Group Inc.)和亚马逊网站(Amazon.com)这类公司的招聘人员将新千年一代的求职者形容为“学生潜行者”，他们会狂风骤雨般地给公司每一个人发电子邮件，从CEO到一般员工，无一幸免，目的是建立一个内部关系，提高求职的成功率。
Companies have a vested interest in trying to slow the millennial mobility rate. They not only will need millennials to fill positions left vacant by retiring baby boomers but also will benefit from this generation’s best and brightest, who possess significant strengths in teamwork, technology skills, social networking and multitasking. Millennials were bred for achievement, and most will work hard if the task is engaging and promises a tangible payoff.
企业希望降低新生代员工的流失率，这也在情理之中，因为他们不但需要新千年一代填补婴儿潮员工退休后留下的岗位空白，而且还希望依靠这代人中最聪明和最优秀的群体来为公司创造价值。这些年轻人拥有出色的团队协作能力、技术上玩得转，社交广泛，而且有能力同时处理多项工作。新千年一代寄托着其父母望子成龙的希望，只要工作有趣，薪水称心，他们中的大多数是会努力工作的。
Clearly, companies that want to compete for top talent must bend a bit and adapt to the millennial generation. Employers need to show new hires how their work makes a difference and why it’s of value to the company. Smart managers will listen to their young employees’ opinions, and give them some say in decisions. Employers also can detail the career opportunities available to millennials if they’ll just stick around awhile. Indeed, it’s the wealth of opportunities that will prove to be the most effective retention tool.
显然，想要争夺优秀人才的公司必须向新千年一代的价值观做出一些妥协，需要向新员工展现出他们所作工作对公司的重要性，及他们的工作为何对公司这么有价值。精明的经理会听取年轻员工的观点，并给他们参与决策的机会。雇主还可以向新生代员工详细阐述长期留在公司的职业发展前景。事实上，提供充分的发展机会将是留住这些员工的最佳方式。
In the final analysis, the generational tension is a bit ironic. After all, the grumbling baby-boomer managers are the same indulgent parents who produced the millennial generation. Ms. Barry of Merrill Lynch sees the irony. She is teaching her teenage daughter to value her own opinions and to challenge things. Now she sees many of those challenging millennials at her company and wonders how she and other managers can expect the kids they raised to suddenly behave differently at work. ‘It doesn’t mean we can be as indulgent as managers as we are as parents,’ she says. ‘But as parents of young people just like them, we can treat them with respect.’
从另一个角度看，两代从业人员之间的紧张关系也有点讽刺意味。毕竟，对新生代员工颇为不满的婴儿潮经理们正是娇惯出新千年一代的父母们。美林公司的巴瑞女士看到了这一点。她一直教育女儿重视自我意志，勇于挑战权威。现在，她看到很多固执己见的新生代员工出现在自己公司，因此不得不考虑一个问题：她和其他经理人怎么能期望他们这代人培养出来的新千年一代在工作中突然改变原来的行为模式呢？“当然，这不是说我们在工作中可以像父母一样纵容他们，”巴瑞说，“但我们也有跟他们同龄的孩子，我们可以带着尊敬和他们打交道。”
