California State University, Sacramento

Communications Plan:
Millennial Mindset

Francis Banks
Coms 183
Professor Mark Powers
27 October 2015

Throughout time, stereotypes have become a common standard of descriptions for various groups
throughout the world. However, there is always a negative connotation attached to these commonly
accepted generalizations. Even though there may be some truth linked to these descriptions they serve
as a constant reminder of inferiority to those being described. Furthermore, as we journey further into
2015, we see a constant struggle to combat these stereotypes and generalizations. The internet is
constantly being bombarded with articles such as 7 Reasons Why Millennials Are The Worst
Generation by Ben Shapiro. The seven statements made by Ben Shapiro (2014) are as follows: They
think Colbert should be president, They dont know anything about politics, They dont know anything
about money, They disproportionately oppose vaccination, They smoke, Theyre lazy, and Theyre high
on Self-Esteem. As previously stated this particular artifact is extremely relevant regarding current
college students because we are members of the generation at hand. However, there have recently
been several recent artifacts embracing the millennial culture, reinforcing their hard work and creative
attributes. Three Reasons You Need To Adopt A Millennial Mindset Regardless Of Your Age written by
Jeanne Meister for Forbes Online does just that. What she has done is taken a stigmatized generation
and presented it into a new light. If more people become capable of seeing this generation as being
capable of accomplishing great things, and make major contributions to the work force, then older
generations would lose their ambivalence towards them.
Objective:
The purpose of this paper is to become aware of certain negative stereotypes towards millennials and to
come up with tactics for battling them.
Stereotypes:
There are stereotypes that seem to follow the millennials to the work place, but for the sake of this
paper we will analyze the following: Millennials are Entitled and Lazy, Millennials are incapable of
handling high stressed situations, and that we must be social media experts.
Entitled and Lazy:
This may arguably be the largest misconception regarding millennials. People are constantly making
statements that people from this generation dont work for what they seek; that they expect everything
to get handed to them. That is not true at all. In fact, millennial's being lazy, because we all still live at

home and are worrying about student loans. And actuality, nearly 80% of all students work between 20
and 40 hours a week in addition to going to school full-time. King and Bannon (2000) state:
Nearly half of all full-time working college students are working enough hours to hurt their academic
achievement and the overall quality of their education. At the same time, the majority of these students
report that they would not be able to attend college if they did not work. As college costs have risen,
federal grant-aid has failed to keep pace, and students in the future face even greater pressure in paying
for college. Data about student employment are from 1,031 surveys completed by students across the
United States. They show that 46% of all full-time working students work 25 or more hours per week,
and 42% of these students reported that working hurt their grades. Fifty-three percent of all full-time
working students who work 25 hours or more per week reported that employment limited their class
schedule, and 38% said that work limited their class choice. Sixty-three percent of all full-time working
students who work 25 hours or more each week reported that they would not be able to attend college
if they did not work. One in five full-time working students works 35 or more hours each week.
We cannot afford to be educated and the lazy. Another comment I would like to make is that I feel like
the source of the sense of entitlement has a lot to do with the fact that millennials have less siblings
than those from earlier generations. Meaning that the parents of millennials had less children, on
average 1-3 in comparison to the 3-6 children in the average baby boom and generation y family.
Cannot Handle Stressful Situations
This is another common misconception towards our generation. People are constantly commenting on
the fact millennials are constantly seeking mental help, instead of applauding us for doing so. It has been
proven that millennials are more stressed than any other generation, and its totally understandable. As
previously stated, nowadays most millennials are going to school full time while having to work full time.
We are trying to better ourselves, and trying to prepare ourselves the best we can for a world that is
already against us. There is nothing wrong with seeking mental help, its much better than keeping
everything bottled up or lashing out at others which is what it seems older generations want us to do.
Social Media Experts
Yes it is true that this generation is technological and social media enthusiast. But that does not mean
that we are all geniuses and know exactly what it takes to make all of your online material to flourish. It

simply means that we are more accustomed to online content, and the functions of social media. We all
dont have millions of followers, but we are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
Tactics For Combating Stereotypes
The best tactic for combating stereotypes is becoming aware of the. If you know about the negative
stigma towards you then you can either adjust your game, or play it up. Meaning take something such as
being social media experts to the next level. If you dont have a Facebook, Instagram, or twitter, try
making one or learning the basic foundation of it because it may lead to a position. Many corporations
are seeking young social media savvy professionals to handle their social networks. In regards to our
generation being entitled and lazy, show them exactly how hard you have worked to get where you are
now. It wont be easy, and theyll think its strange, pull the diversity card when they ask why youve
worked so many different jobs over the past few years. I didnt want to limit myself, I was interested
in testing the waters in something new, and I thought it might add to my professional diversity are all
great responses. Eventually the generations before us are going to have to embrace us.
Millennials will be roughly 50% of the USA workforce in 2020 and 75% of the global workforce
by 2030. The sheer size of this demographic segment will force organizations to re-think many of
their policies and practices such as delivery of training & development, (think mobile and social)
vacation time (unlimited and a focus on performance not face time in the office) and commitment to
global job rotations early in ones career.
Jeanne Meister stated that this generation will soon be the majority of the workforce, how can we
accomplish anything if there is such an overbearing stigma against a generation simply trying to find their
place in the world.

Work Cited
Meister, Jeanne. "3 Reasons You Need To Think Like A Millennial." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web.
26 Oct. 2015.
"Millennials Tearing Down Stigma Around Mental Health." NBC4 Washington. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct.
2015.
Shapiro, B. (2015, February 3). 7 Reasons Millennials Are The Worst Generation. Retrieved October 26, 2015,
from http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/03/7-reasons-millennials-are-the-worstgeneration/