3 Reasons Why Millennials are Having More Fun at Work

The millennial generation is full of surprises. From their clothing choices to their diets, it seems like their entire existence is a coordinated attempt to get society to rethink its old and inefficient practices.

The workplace is no different, with millennials reported to be far more motivated and forward-looking in the early stages of their careers than popular stereotypes would have you think, with no marked difference in their job satisfaction scores when compared against professionals from older generations.

Broad data suggests millennials don’t hate working life, but a closer look reveals that an increasing number of them are finding ways to enjoy it. The following are three examples of how society’s newest productive members are squeezing satisfaction out of their nine-to-five:

1. They’re Seeking More Dynamic Workplaces

Traditional office spaces don’t exude an air of fun; most of the time, they barely exude an air of life. The workforce’s latest entries seem to understand that a positive environment leads to a positive outlook on work, which naturally leads to greater productivity, hence the birth of companies like The Common Desk and what we’ve come to know as coworking spaces.

Coworking spaces are attractive for their emphasis on dynamism and the importance of nurturing an employee’s human side throughout the business cycle. Stable office spaces can be rented at added cost, but shared access to common spaces and amenities are accessible to all paying members. This means that rather than being chained to a cubicle with moderated time to get up, interact, or take a minute to stretch, professionals operating out of coworking spaces have free rein over the pace of their day.

This isn’t to say that professionals who turn to places like https://thecommondesk.com/ seeking office spaces for rent spend their days distracted or bumming around. On the contrary, the myriad other businesses and freelancers surrounding them are reported to actually increase overall productivity by fostering a sense of urgency and professionalism. The in-house gym and planned fellowship events are treated as they should be: as rewards for powering through the week.

2. They’re Making Good Use of their Weekends

There’s a popular misconception that people who are on the job 24/ 7 are bound for success somewhere down the line. Quite the opposite is true, as the American Psychological Association finds that while it may be positive for career prospects in the medium run, workaholics are bound for a slew of negative outcomes looking into the short and long term.

Most of today’s younger workers reject this lifestyle, and the benefits show in their performance. Business Insider lists at least a dozen of the most popular ways millennials spend their downtime, and there isn’t a negative habit among them. By all appearances, they’ve caught on to the secret that devoting the necessary focus to your passions and health while away from your desk can give you an edge behind it --a lesson many of us could stand to learn.

3. They Have Their Priorities in Check

The foregoing point leads to an even deeper conclusion about the reasons and methods behind millennial happiness at the workplace. There’s a more basic impetus informing this behavior, and it’s a matter of priority.

To older generations, millennials embody an almost alien hierarchy of values: waiting longer ‘til marriage, preferring to rent rather than own, and seeing luxury purchases as fringe benefits rather than core metrics of success. All signs point to the idea that the cohort prefers their happiness based in the realm of the social, the abstract, and the functional rather than the materialistic.

It’s no surprise, then, that they enter the workforce with high resistance to stress when necessary, and fewer hesitations in leaving employers who simply fail to meet their standards for fulfilling work.

The case of millennial happiness in the workplace comes with a wide range of lessons for employers, employees, and employees-to-be. The talents of this generation are intrinsically opposed to dehumanizing working conditions, and have much to teach in the way of navigating a healthier and more stable career path in the long term.

When all's said and done, they’re more than capable of shrugging off the bad press and carrying on with the search for a satisfying life.