Challenging Stereotypes of Workers Under 30 in the Media Workspace

Despite negative stereotypes haunting the media industryamp8217s younger workers I wanted to believe I could avoid being typecast as the clueless youngster by simply presenting a strong body of work and a whole lot of gumption amp160But during my five years of work in the journalism and media space I have continued to witness the biased treatment and pigeonholing of workers under 30 including Millennials Generation Zers and even the often ignored Gen X amp160I observed many of these experiences while studying interning freelancing and working through entry level positionsamp160 They didnamp8217t begin to ebb until I joined MediaVillage in 2018amp160 But memories linger and reminders are everywhereHere is what I have heard seen or otherwise experienced during those five years and even before when I was still in schoolWorkers Under 30 are amp8220Childrenamp8221The majority of the time Iamp8217m fine laughing off the odd nickname or goodnatured ribbing after all everyone should strive to laugh at themselves amp160But just as senior employees donamp8217t appreciate implications that their age indicates they are out of touch and have outdated ideas younger team members might take issue with comments implying that they donamp8217t have the experience to impact a company amp160Itamp8217s a fine balance of mutual respect amp160No employee young or old enjoys feeling disrespected or patronized in the workplace these excessively negative comments and feelings of condescension can make for toxic work environments which can lead to employee dissatisfaction and eventually higher turnover ratesWhile we may think of Millennials as collegeaged kids the oldest are nearing their forties while the youngest are inching past 23amp160 Meanwhile the oldest members of Gen Z are graduating from college and entering the workforce amp160As an inherently judgmental society leaders must strive to overcome their unconscious bias for the sake of fostering a positive work environment amp160Nip any assumptions in the bud by sitting down with younger new hires and really getting to the meat of their experiences their career accomplishments thus far projects theyamp8217ve worked on programs theyamp8217ve worked with amp160In order to best mentor the biggest generation in the workforce more openminded conversations free of biased thought need to take placeWorkers Under 30 are Lazy Shouldering a backbreaking load was the norm among my undergrad peers maintaining high GPAs while working with various student publications parttime jobs freelance jobs networking opportunities etc amp160It was a standard that was maintained in preparation for the chaotic pace of the media world amp160So it was jarring to come across articles labeling Millennials as amp8220lazy entitled and selfishamp8221With so many young individuals juggling their budding responsibilities anything to help get a leg up in a competitive industry with dwindling jobs where are these accusations coming from amp160After working the media scene in New York and digging my heels into the industry I think I have an idea amp160If Baby Boomers carved out their place in the world by being a generation that values working harder then Gen Xers Millennials and Gen Zers are becoming generations of working smarterWhen hard work is sometimes equated to the number of hours being put into a workday itamp8217s easy to mistake the intrinsically techsavvy younger workeramp8217s ideas as lazy amp160Such a notion can lead to employees feeling unappreciated that their efforts have been entirely discredited amp160In fact as the media landscape evolves to favor and incorporate the technological innovations from Millennials and Gen Z there isnamp8217t a need for as many hours of work to be put in amp160Senior leaders who remain openminded towards their juniorsamp8217 ideas might see a reduction in labor costs due to shorter workdays not to mention more time for frequent breaks which are shown to alleviate burnout promote a healthier worklife balance and increase overall workplace productivityWorkers Under 30 are Hopelessly Attached to the InternetThough itamp8217s no secret that Millennials Gen Zers and even Gen Xers love digital and social media the degree to which younger generations are characterized as technologydependent social media obsessed individuals is surprisingLike 43 of my generation I primarily use social media to keep in touch with friends and to stay in the news loop and I utilize its networking capabilities a habit shared by 37 of Millennials amp160Just as junior members of the workforce shouldnamp8217t assume that their senior counterparts are only interested in amp8220age specific activitiesamp8221 like golfing or bingo assuming that a younger coworker is solely interested in uploading selfies to their social media page can lead to adverse interpersonal interactions in the workplace amp160These types of negative interactions can cause resentment and eventually affect team cohesion like throwing a wrench into the cogs of the workplaceItamp8217s no secret that generational differences have been the cause of friction between young adults and seniors for hundreds of years and the trend is likely to continue amp160For now itamp8217s best to stay as aware as possible of our unconscious biases and limit the amount of judgement we pass upon our colleagues young or old amp160Because at the end of the day no amount of stereotyping is worth the sacrifice of positive work relationshipsClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Challenging Stereotypes of Workers Under 30 in the Media Workspace

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Hayley Virgil

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Hayley Virgil

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