CHAPTER 2 It’s Not Lazy, It’s Productivity Redefined

When I see a gen Y concentrating on their smartphone, my first thought used to be that they were playing video games or conversing with friends. Knowing now that technology plays a larger role in a gen Y’s life than my own boomer life, I recognize that such technology helps a gen Y participate and communicate at work.

—Post-Program Learnings, participant in Invati Consulting’s Generation University training program

A millennial employee arrives to work at half past nine, plugs in some headphones, and stays at their desk until five thirty, eating snacks and lunch along the way. A boomer arrives at eight, proceeds to alternate desk time with conversations to complete various tasks, and leaves at six. A gen Xer arrives at seven, rushes from meeting to meeting, and leaves at three thirty to pick up their child from school. How do we know which one is working hardest?

Let’s consider the definitions of hard work and laziness. The Oxford Dictionary defines laziness as “the quality of being unwilling to work or use energy.” Hardworking is defined as “tending to work with energy and commitment.” Whether it is the farmer working from sunup to sundown or the manager darting from one meeting to the next, it can be argued that each is doing hard work. Notably, neither definition says anything about the goal of the work or the process used to complete work. Both definitions position hard work and laziness as subjective qualities. There is clearly room for interpretation.

How have we been interpreting the work and work ethic of millennials? Is our interpretation correct? Has the perceived definition of work always stayed the same? If the word “lazy” doesn’t describe millennial behavior, what does?