Boomers believe they needed to pay their dues and work hard before the boss would notice them. It was ingrained in them to feel lucky they had a job and they rarely question authority. Gen X on the other hand, entered the workforce when layoffs due to globalization were the norm. And they learned that large institutions would no longer offer promises for long-term stability.

Right-sizing, down-sizing, you pick the acronym. Thus, Gen X developed the “what's in it for me” attitude and leaving a company for a better opportunity or reward was the norm.

Gen Xers are characterized by an independent spirit and a high level of entrepreneurship. In addition, they ushered in the technology boom. Of course, that resulted in the tech bust. But in their usual fashion, Gen Xers once again relied on themselves to build their career security.

Meanwhile, those Gen Xers are the parents of the millennial generation. So, the result is Millennials in the workplace took what their parents and grandparents showed them and expanded it to demand a work-life balance. They put their own spin on it though and advanced their own personal freedoms and individual styles.

Millennials in the workplace have changing notions of work culture

A millennial would have no idea what you're talking about if you brought up the concept of a job for life. This would be beyond their scope of comprehension. They believe in long-term career planning, long term to them is 12 months not 30 years.

Millennials in the workplace actually expanded on the Gen X foundation of casual Fridays to not only make everyday casual but to further show that how they dress is an extension of their individualism. While Gen X or boomers see this as sloppy, the millennial generation views their dress as freedom of expression in color and style and furthermore, as an extension of how they speak.

The millennial generation expects challenges. The flip side is that if they only get projects that are menial, they’re not going to perform. They are first going to complain as we know they're more vocal. If that does not improve the situation, they're going to bolt for better opportunities.

And interestingly, this is not unlike the Gen Xers who preceded them. The Millennials just take it to the larger extreme as they’re quicker to leave. Company loyalty is not something that Gen X parents taught them, couple that with their ability to take multiple frenetic inputs. It's no wonder that their expectations on their managers and their companies are so high.

You really need to be organized and have projects laid out for them from day one. Couple that with tying those projects into their personal goals and you're going to have a millennial generation employee with the same work ethic of accomplishing projects on time as boomers and Gen Xers. They just may wear funky clothes getting it done.