Last weekend, I invited my 25-year-old son out for hot chocolate. Halfway through the drive, I told him, “You get to pick the café — and you’re paying”. His usually serious expression softened into a smile as he nodded and said, “Deal”. Our conversation drifted naturally from reminiscing about his childhood to his current work life and eventually to his views on millennials’ work ethics.
This conversation reminded me of a popular talk by the motivational speaker, Simon Sinek, titled ‘Millennials in the Workplace’.
In it, Sinek argues that poor parenting practices, addictive technology and a culture of instant gratification have shaped a generation that appears entitled and impatient at work. He suggests that many millennials grew up being told they were ‘special’ and rewarded with participation medals regardless of their performance.
When they entered adult life and discovered that the world does not automatically reward effort with praise, their self-image suffered.
Sinek also explains how social media is shaping behaviour through the ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ which provide constant ‘dopamine hits’, encouraging a dependence on external validation.
According to him, this has replaced deeper human connections with superficial interactions, limiting opportunities for young people to develop resilience, frustration tolerance and emotional coping skills.
He argues that technology has reinforced expectations of instant gratification. Today, you do not need to drive to a bookshop to buy a book when you can download it into your iPad or watch TV series one episode per week when Netflix allows you to binge watch the whole series in a single weekend. When workplaces cannot match this speed, when promotions take time, feedback is delayed, or progress is slow, frustration becomes inevitable.
A research paper analysing viewers’ comments on Sinek’s talk reported many critics who argued that he relied heavily on generalisations and shifting blame onto an entire generation. While parenting and technology undoubtedly influence development, they are not the only factors at play.
Sinek’s description creates a stereotype that overlooks those who grew up in disciplined households, learned perseverance early and entered a workforce shaped by economic instability, rising living costs and shrinking job security. Many millennials work long hours, juggle multiple roles and face pressures their parents’ generation never encountered.
On the other hand, some viewers found Sinek’s message comforting and logical as it offered a sense of relief as their struggles were not ‘entirely their fault’. Others found the explanation helped them make sense of the frustrations they experience daily at work.
In my opinion, generations are shaped not only by parenting and technology, but also by culture, socioeconomic conditions, education systems and global events.
Reducing a complex group of people to a single narrative may be convenient but practically unhelpful.
Perhaps the real question is not whether millennials are the problem, but whether our workplaces are ready to move beyond generational blame. Progress does not come from labelling an entire generation as broken. It comes from curiosity, dialogue and leadership willing to engage with complexity rather than stereotypes.
In the end, the loud reaction to Sinek’s talk tells us something valuable: people want to be seen as individuals, not stereotypes. And that is a lesson every workplace would benefit from learning.
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