If you work with someone you suspect or know to be a Millennial, there are some phrases you may want to avoid (just as with any generation) for the most effective, respectful discussion. That’s because, to Millennials, the phrases in question can come across as disrespectful or derogatory, even if you don’t mean it that way, which can cause additional problems and be generally unhelpful.
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Since there can be confusion about who a Millennial is (especially since “Zillennials,” born in the in-between stage of Gen Z and Millennials, also exist), let’s clarify who makes up this generation. In short, Millennials were born around 1981 and 1996, so they're currently around 29 to 44 years old.
How To Best Communicate With a Millennial and Why, According to an Etiquette Expert
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The most important communication value for Millennials is being genuine.
To explain, Dreizen gives some context concerning what Millennials have experienced:
Millennials grew up straddling analog and digital worlds, which shapes how they communicate. Millennials are curious, collaborative and assume digital fluency.Millennials have been through the wringer with jobs and the job market, throwing themselves at their jobs and believing they could be treated poorly because their coworkers are their “family.” Now, they believe that work-life balance is non-negotiable.Without further ado, here are the key phrases to delete from your email to a Millennial coworker.
“Millennials entered the workforce during the recession of 2008 and have watched entire industries get disrupted,” Dreizen explains. “This phrase closes down conversation without offering any actual reasoning.”
2. “You should feel lucky to have this opportunity”
“Millennials are the most educated generation in American history and have often heard this line to justify poor working conditions and/or low compensation,” Dreizen says. “Phrasing like this makes it sound like they haven’t worked hard, often still paying off the debts of their education, to get to where they are.”
“Coming into the workforce during a recession meant many Millennials took any job [they] could get and worked really hard to keep it,” Dreizen shares. “This often meant no boundaries. Now, as ['elder Millennials' are in their] 30s and 40s, [they] often repeat to each other, ‘Your urgency is not my emergency’ and ‘There is no such thing as a marketing emergency.’”
4. “Can we jump on a call?”
“Phone calls are important," Dreizen acknowledges, but then shares that there have been a vast number of times that someone has insisted on "just a 15-minute call," only to share questions via email that she's answered "many, many times before." Not to mention, she can answer it in an email "in a few seconds, rather than marking time off in my calendar for a call,” Dreizen recalls. So while older generations might not think about the quickness of email versus a call, Millennials are painfully aware.
While Millennials are young, they aren’t the youngest generation, nor did they always have technology.
6. “We’re a family here”
Millennials are no stranger to this phrase, and they’ve watched their work-life balance blow up in the midst of it.
According to Dreizen, “few phrases land worse” than this one.
Related: Etiquette Experts Say These 7 Office Behaviors Make Coworkers Dislike You Fast
Alternative Phrases To Use With Millennials
“Here’s the goal and why”
According to Dreizen, Millennials might get their work done differently, so knowing the goal helps them do their best work while also achieving what’s necessary. It “allows them to solve the problem in their own way,” she says.
“In a diverse workplace, Millennials (and all generations!) have a unique perspective—[Millennials have] straddled the digital and analog, they’ve survived too many unprecedented events—their input has value, and [this phrase] shows you value them,” Dreizen says.
“Here is what success looks like”
“They succeed when they know clear benchmarks and goal posts,” she continues. “If you move the goal posts, recognize this and don’t act like it’s their failing.”
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Related: 7 Phrases To Avoid When Emailing Gen X Coworkers, According to an Etiquette Expert
Sources:
Genevieve (Jenny) Dreizen is the COO and co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry and a modern-day etiquette and boundaries expert.For Millennials, a bachelor’s degree continues to pay off, but a master’s earns even more, Pew Research CenterHence then, the article about 7 phrases to avoid when emailing a millennial according to an etiquette expert was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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