Let us start with the fact that many in the workforce see my age demographic as somewhat soft when it comes to employment. “Snowflakes” I believe we’re called. Now, I can’t speak on behalf of all Millenials, but I (naturally) see this as grossly unfair and is simply a case of two pockets of people at odds with how we approach jobs and, more importantly, job satisfaction.
My current beef (of which there are numerous) is how we both approach the rocky terrain of what constitutes a company culture.
“Culture, my dear business owners, is more than a Friday drinks trolley.”
Please, don’t confuse culture with ancillary office trinkets. Yes, I am a cash-strapped thirty-something who, when given the chance, will hurdle over the office manager for a free lunch. However, I don’t throw the covers off me every morning at the prospect of playing table-football in the break room and, furthermore, I’m not inspired to be more innovative when the culture insists I’m “to be seen” at my desk, rather than actually achieving anything productive or creative.
I don’t need an obsequious employer. You’ll find me at my best when the culture you impress upon employees, is from the top, down.
I want, nay, need to be exposed to people who are burning, like the core temperature of the sun, for what the company is trying to achieve. And, it’s important that what we’re trying to achieve is singed into the memory banks of everyone, from top to bottom, so there’s a collective cognitive understanding. I also want a manager or management team that are motivated to push boundaries and think/work in ways that help develop them too.
Don’t get me wrong, working in a cool office with electric scooters and soft, bouncy beanbags sounds awesome, but a culture driven by unified purpose is something even the flakiest of Millennials can get on board with.
Thankfully at BlueMelon Design culture and fit comes before job aptitude and in my brief time with the company, I can say hand on heart, it has been nailed.
