The "Millennials" Are Coming

Morley Safer On The New Generation Of American Workers

(CBS)  This story was originally broadcast on Nov. 11, 2007. It was updated on May 23, 2008.

It's graduation time and once again we say "Stand back all bosses!" A new breed of American worker is about to attack everything you hold sacred: from giving orders, to your starched white shirt and tie. They are called, among other things, "millennials." There are about 80 million of them, born between 1980 and 1995, and they're rapidly taking over from the baby boomers who are now pushing 60.

They were raised by doting parents who told them they are special, played in little leagues with no winners or losers, or all winners. They are laden with trophies just for participating and they think your business-as-usual ethic is for the birds. And if you persist in the belief you can, take your job and shove it.

As correspondent Morley Safer first reported last November, corporate America is so unnerved by all this that companies like Merrill Lynch, Ernst & Young, and scores of others are hiring consultants to teach them how to deal with this generation that only takes "yes" for an answer.

---

The workplace has become a psychological battlefield and the millennials have the upper hand, because they are tech savvy, with every gadget imaginable almost becoming an extension of their bodies. They multitask, talk, walk, listen and type, and text. And their priorities are simple: they come first.

Just ask Marian Salzman, an ad agency executive who has been managing and tracking millennials since they entered the workforce.

"Some of them are the greatest generation. They're more hardworking. They have these tools to get things done," she explains. "They are enormously clever and resourceful. Some of the others are absolutely incorrigible. It's their way or the highway. The rest of us are old, redundant, should be retired. How dare we come in, anyone over 30. Not only can't be trusted, can't be counted upon to be, sort of, coherent."

Salzman says today's manager must be half shrink and half diplomat.

What are some of the do's and don'ts in speaking to the generation of young workers?

"You do have to speak to them a little bit like a therapist on television might speak to a patient," Salzman says, laughing. "You can't be harsh. You cannot tell them you're disappointed in them. You can't really ask them to live and breathe the company. Because they're living and breathing themselves and that keeps them very busy."

Faced with new employees who want to roll into work with their iPods and flip flops around noon, but still be CEO by Friday, companies are realizing that the era of the buttoned down exec happy to have a job is as dead as the three-Martini lunch.

"These young people will tell you what time their yoga class is and the day's work will be organized around the fact that they have this commitment. So you actually envy them. How wonderful it is to be young and have your priorities so clear. Flipside of it is how awful it is to be managing the extension, sort of, of the teenage babysitting pool," Salzman tells Safer.

All of which has led, as you'd expect, to a whole new industry -- or epidemic -- of consultants, experts they allege, in how to motivate, train and, yes, sometimes nanny the extraterrestrials who've taken over the workplace.

Mary Crane, who once whipped up soufflés for the White House, now offers crash courses for millennials in, well, the obvious. "As to the tattoos just make sure they stay covered up within the office, especially if you are going to be meeting clients," she advises her clients.

"It's a perfect storm we have created to put these people in a position where they suddenly have to perform as professionals and haven’t been trained," Crane says.

Basic training, like how to eat with a knife and fork, or indeed how to work. Today, fewer and fewer middle class kids hold summer jobs because mowing lawns does not get you into Harvard.

"They have climbed Mount Everest. They've been down to Machu Picchu to help excavate it. But they've never punched a time clock. They have no idea what it's like to actually be in an office at nine o'clock, with people handing them work," Crane says.

She maintains that while this generation has extraordinary technical skills, childhoods filled with trophies and adulation didn't prepare them for the cold realities of work.

"You now have a generation coming into the workplace that has grown up with the expectation that they will automatically win, and they'll always be rewarded, even for just showing up," Crane says.

"To what extent are you having to tell the boomers, the bosses, the 50 to 60 year olds, 'The people who got to change are you guys, not them?'" Safer asks.

"The boomers do need to hear the message, that they're gonna have to start focusing more on coaching rather than bossing. If this generation in particular, you just tell them, 'You got to do this. You got to do this. You got to do this.' They truly will walk. And every major law firm, every major company knows, this is the future," Crane explains.

[mbumba-2009]

OK--I admit at 50 years old I am a baby boomer--but I don''t know where these offices are that would put up with such infantile behavior in the workplace. I work in health care--and its not happening here--thank heavens.

I say let them find another job that will take them--cause that just means a better fit--there are lots of people out there who HAVE work ethnic (not necessarily a need to give all for work--thats silly)who want jobs--and us older people that plan to hang on to them for a long time.

Funny, I don''t hear this as an issue in Europe--what does that say about our future?

[thebiggamehu]

This story seemed extremely familiar. Isn''t this the same one you ran about the 60''s generation when they started working?

and Gen-X?

and Gen-Z?

The one big difference is that this time, there are workers who are striving to take over the world economy. Look across the Pacific and be prepared to give them your lunch box, kids.

[mohriner]

Unbelievable investigative journalism CBS! The 80 billion dollar consulting industry thinks that the catastrophe posed by the "millennials" necessitates an industry of consultants to guide us through this transition! A few overlooked facts: most jobs that earn enough to raise a family require a masters degree and the average college graduate is 25k in debt. To dismiss the hardships, yes hardships, of professionals attempting to enter the workplace today as character flaws is profoundly insulting. Good thing so few of them watch your broadcast.

[mohriner]

Unbelievable investigative journalism CBS! The 80 billion dollar consulting industry thinks that the catastrophe posed by the "millennials" necessitates an industry of consultants to guide us through this transition! A few overlooked facts: most jobs that earn enough to raise a family require a masters degree and the average college graduate is 25k in debt. To dismiss the hardships, yes hardships, of professionals attempting to enter the workplace today as character flaws is profoundly insulting. Good thing so few of them watch your broadcast.

[dlstevens2]

I just watched the programon the "Millennials" and while it''s right on the money concrning the self centeredness of the "Most Coddled Generation", it misses two very important things. First, this generation is good at SOME technology. My experience is that when it comes to personal tehnology there is no one better than a millennial. When it comes to the use of most workplace based technologies, including most Office applications, then not so much.
The second and most glaring miss in this piece was the fact that we boomers are not gone yet. Not by any means. Organizations that cater strictly to Millennials will find themselves at a considerable competative disadvantage. Workers who are skilled, experienced, dedicated and who actually show up will make the difference between excellence and mediocrity.

[ewyzgowski]

Hello Millennials....welcome to the real world. It''s time to grow up and join the workforce as intelligent employees.
Or MADE IN CHINA will be your wakeup call...because you won''t be needed.
ELW

[backlin1]

What a bunch of selfish pampered do-nothings, those millennials. I say fire all of them. When they get hungry enough they will do what the rest of us did: work hard to put bread on the table.
Incredible!
Jim Backlin
Frederick, Maryland

[wiley37]

It is bad enough when they pull this in the office, but now we in the fire service have to put up with these people asking why they can not take their i- pod into a burning building with them. They text message friends as you respond to a call, instead of preparing for what is ahead. And then they ask why they have to clean the bath room. I am sure my brothers in the police see the same thing.

[cityshapes]

As an employer of several 18-25 year olds over the past five years, I can say you''ve got it dead wrong. Employers do not and should not have to pander to "extended adolescence", but should praise hard work, commitment and dedication to a job. It is an employer''s responsibility to promote those values.

[orvellis]

We''ll I must say that I''m amazed that this Millennial generation seems so upbeat about their future. I wonder if they realize their generation would not exist if it were not for the generations before them. If this country is going to see future generations prosper, we as Americans will have to get back to a country of manufacturing. We will not be able to depend on foreign countries to do the manufacturing for us. As your parents stated: You can have anything you want......we''ll that''s still true, as long as your willing to work for it. Somebody still has to feed the hogs and I-pods, cell phones and working when you feel like is not going to work.

[wilk42]

The Millenials?

First, this is a superb example of the type of media that has plagued this country since the ''baby-boomers'' seized control of the media. The underlying message of this story is: ''see, the baby boomers were really better than any other generation (complete garbage of course, but it is the message)''. This stereoptyping of an entire generation effects people''s perceptions of that generation, and causes them to modify their behavior accordingly. The end result is accomodation of the spoiled, pants-wetting whiners portrayed in this story, eventually placing them in a position of power they don''t deserve. When they reach that position, this country will fall.

Secondly, the fact is that most young people in this ''generation'' are not part of the group portrayed in this abortion of a story. Many are fighting today in Iraq, others are working for a living at the tough jobs that most Americans have to make do with. It is only a small, spoiled minority of losers that have gone to private colleges that make up the group portrayed in this story. Unfortunately, with the way this country is socially structured, they will end up being the ''leaders''.

Forget those clowns, don''t accomodate them. When they start having to eat out of garbage cans, they will learn what it truly takes to succeed. If we accomodate them, we only weaken our country, and insure that one day in the near future we will be asking Russia, India and China for loan guarantees.

[bshahn-2009]

Morley Safer''s comments on the "Millennials" is oh so true. I retired a year ago. I could see the new attitude already raising its ugly head.

Andy Rooney is my hero. His comments were right on track. Keep them coming, Andy.

[marobinson8-2009]

As a middle-aged (53) African American male who was always told to pull myself up by my own boot straps and that I must be twice as good as others merely to break even I%u2019m thoroughly mystified by these new entitled ones who aren%u2019t required to be good at all.

At least the old entitled ones did have to work.

[stpdem]

Wow. Where were Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters tonight? That was far closer to an episode of 20/20 than the 60 minutes I''m used to.

On the millenials, what a BS report. First off, what''s wrong with promoting ourselves as if we''re "for auction on eBay"? To me, a person who shops for companies that will pay them more and treat them better sounds more like a savvy member of the workforce than a narcissistic brat. On moving back in with our parents after graduating college...maybe that''s because our parent'' generation is responsible for saddling us with $20K in student loan debt and a disastrous housing market, so it''s impossible to step out into the world right away. Additionally, on not knowing how to handle a full-time job, that''s simply not true. Many of us grew up with schedules more packed than our parents'': school, sports, church, volunteering, band, plays, etc. Those things seem far more valuable than pushing a mop at McDonald''s alongside a crew of dimwits.

It''s a sad sight to see a man who grew up during the depression and two middle-aged managers attempt to dissect the psyche of people they obviously have not attempted to understand. How about addressing the fact that this generation is far more service oriented than previous generations and that we value personal relationships and lifestyle over the almighty dollar.

[lordmayor-2009]

Horrible, horrible segment. Dead wrong. I was shocked that they kept referring to "middle class" Americans. This is just not right. Most middle class Americans have been working since high school. And living at home until 25? It probably has more to do with student loans than anything else. Of course, rich kids don''t have these problems. This was skewed reporting. 60 Minutes must only have contact with Ivy League grads. So out of touch.

[drewstermc]

You don''t like it, I don''t like it, maybe it doesn''t happen in Europe, but I also don''t like managers where I work not accepting well trained, productive young ladies who happen to where flip-flops. 40 year old managers who act like grandpas telling stories of how thay made it to the top and managing in a "my way or the highway" fashion had better get used to high turnover of recent graduates that their companies invested real money into recruiting, orientation and training.

[normdepalma]

Wow Morley, for an altacaker Canadian, you sure are smug about this generation''s employment choices.

And pretty inaccurate. In fact, the main reasons for today''s generation''s approach to work do not lie with ''coddling'' and Mr. Rogers. Rather:

1) The union movement''s losses and ascendancy of Reagan Economics and shareholder rights led to the corporate downsizing of the early 90''s. The corporate compact with employers had been irrevocably broken.
2) The loss of blue collar economy forced almost all youth to go to college.

3) The huge demand for college and government lobbying drove college costs sky high.

4) In college, students pay astronomical sums to study assorted concepts and ideas, that are complex enough to require college instruction.

5) However, there is a huge disconnect between college curriculum and what is actually required to perform a white collar job---seventh grade math and eleventh grade english. Consequently, there are millions of overqualified employees at white collar employers.

6) Those employees, dissatisfied with their day to day tasks and uncertain of any career advancement at their employer, look for other options.

That''s basically it, Morley. Now take off that smug smile, give up your cushy interviewing gig to one of the 2 million better qualified youngsters out there, grab a laptop and enter some data.

[zerocharismo]

Wow, CBS, NOT a smart move. No wonder you''re far behind in teen and 20s viewership... but your viewer demographic stats aren''t exactly a reason to insult the few younger viewers you have left.

Thanks for incorrectly informing me that I was congratulated and coddled no matter how I performed at school and in my extracurriculars, and that I didn''t have a minimum wage food service job in high school. The former was like rubbing salt in a wound that''s still open a decade and a half later. You have no idea what kind of pressure many of my cohorts went through to succeed as mere children, while our parents, teachers, and coaches put all their neuroses and failed hopes and dreams on our shoulders.

And coming from the baby boomers of all populations! The generation that said "sure I did lots of drugs, but we''re going to vote for city ordinances that make it illegal for you to be out of the house at night." Who cried "free love" in the ''70s and "abstinence only" in the 90s and beyond. At least you got one thing right -- these "millennials" are different -- they''re not at all like their parents!

If I watch CBS again in the near future, it will be to see who is advertising, so I can know not to buy the products of those who indirectly bring me such drivel.

[muddie9]

My heart is pumping faster after watching this piece. Having 2 kids in this age bracket, I am appalled that we are being conditioned to coddle them in this manner. We better expect a slippery slope as we watch the Chinese take their place while they slink home to Mama and Papa. Shame on the business community for falling prey to this propaganda.

[gillybean07]

Wonderful. Lets take a generation where "it''s all about me" and continue to coddle them through the workplace. Shame on the parents who decided to promote self esteem at any cost instead of failure that builds character...you''ve done a great dis-service to everyone.

[redelefnt2]

Wow. What a myopic, unfair representation of the work ethic of my generation. First off, I was raised by parents who taught that "everybody is a winner???" I certainly missed that lesson. What a worthless piece of non-scientific psycho-babble that has no basis in the real world.
Secondly, we do not yearn for employment from anybody, considering that a substantial amount of employers in the U.S. do not offer health insurance or suitable benefits, and the prospect of a pension is laughable. Why don''t you do an expose on the amount of debt a person with a Master''s Degree has accumulated by the time they have their first job? Or how about an expose on how EMPLOYERS view their employees as pieces of property? We might have more respect for our employers if they treated us with respect, and offered us a benefits and pay package that is enough for us to pay our living expenses.
Thirdly, that is assuming you even get a job in the first place! I hold degrees in biochemistry and law. I am currently unemployed. Since I did not go to Harvard or Stanford, no employers will give me the time of day (thank you, Google, etc.). One of the reasons that you report many college graduates living at home after graduation is the fact that they don''t have a job, and have no prospects! We are still waiting for people like Morley Safer to finally retire, so that ANYBODY else can get a job. So 60 Minutes, if you want me to work for you, drop me a line! (I won''t hold my breath).

I''m surprised that nobody so far has looked at the link between this story and the MRSA story. This coddled generation has never had to experience "real life" whether it''s failure in a competition (they all get trophies) to playing in the dirt, to getting (and getting over) routine infections. These kids were rushed to the doctor for every little ailment and they were given antibiotics for things like colds. Now many antibiotics don''t work, many more kids have allergies to common things like peanuts and these same kids have allergies to real work and the consequences of not doing the job they are asigned. I worry about the future of our country.

[thinkamerica]

I am very concerned about the report I saw tonight on The "Millennials" Are Coming. Our society and country are in grave danger. We have a generation of individuals who know nothing of hard work and sacrifice. What are we going to do when the ".... hits the fan?" All the warning signs are in place and the life of prosperity is diminishing daily. We are in for a disaster of some type, and this new generation will be in for a very rude awakening. Parents STOP!!!!!!!!!!! hovering over your kids. You are harming them more than you know. Not only are you harming your child, you''re jeopardizing the future of America. It is time to face reality. History is our greatest predictor of tomorrow. The cycle of prosperity is on the decline and a generation of hardship is on the rise. Parents please prepare your children by providing them with responsibilities! Stop doing things for them they can do for themselves! Let them fall on their face and experience the full weight of negative consequences they receive based on their own choices! Parents, STOP!!!! rescuing your children, because they will not be able to rescue themselves when the time comes. It is time to raise a generation that thinks of others and is not out for only number one. I am a 39 year old female and I am concerned about America''s future.

[abcd81-2009]

i''m a 25-year-old with 50-year-old parents constantly berating me to get a serious career, and yes, i loathe the idea of working an 8-5 job as do the vast majority of my peers. the main reason is that we see our parents on the verge of suicide, having the life sucked out of them, constantly taken for granted by whatever supervisor/boss/corporate figurehead they answer to, and we intend to figure out ways to avoid that. we choose to identify ourselves by our interests and hobbies rather than just what job we do.

[bowie-51]

I just watched and, frankly, laughed my non- millennially correct way through the 60 Minutes segment, %u201CThe Millenials.%u201D I suppose my parent%u2019s generation had their doubts about my generation, the Boomers, so this is likely some repetition of their take on their successors.

I was especially amused by the young author talking about changing jobs until he found himself and his perfect job. Also, he didn%u2019t want to sacrifice as his father did only to face a lay-off. When I graduated from college, without parental intervention by the way, I was expected to earn my way as I %u201Cfound myself.%u201D Moving back home was tantamount to failure. Seems as if the Gen-Y%u2019ers use back home as their safety net. If expenses outrun income while they search for themselves, they can fall back on the hard-won benefits of their rustic, but clueless parents %u2013 those people who sacrificed, remember?

That we boomers may have raised a generation that was never weaned from affirmation, praise, and intervention is our own fault. The author%u2019s promise that they will not make the same mistakes as their parents is not a new concept. To this will be added accusations of a thousand woulda-coulda-shoulda misses the Gen-Y kids will discover as the reality of life tempers their outlook.

I love the freshness of their hopefulness and expectations. I hope it survives better than other hot-house blooms outside the protection that made it possible.

[designer12]

You just described my 29 year old "boss!" At least now I know that I''m not going crazy. At 45, I have practically run his father''s business while his son "came to work in flip flops, surfed the net, checked his email, chatted on his cell phone, planned parties with equally irresponsible peers, and went to the beach. Trips to doctors, therapists, drycleaners, etc. often interrupted his "work day." He acted as though he deserved the company-paid car, free gas, car insurance, health insurance, EZ pass, salary, cell phone service, because of ... ? I''m not sure! Now he''s got to deal with the company, which is failing, and I''m off to work for someone else. I hope he hits bottom and learns what working for a living really means! Him and his friends! He''s fun to be around, but not to work with, ''cause I was the only one working.

[stpdem]

Designer12--

That sounds like a great reason to leave a job. If you''re unhappy where you are...get out. Your situation is exactly the type we millenials successfully avoid.

[kll510]

I weep and fear for our future when these people are in charge. Our country will go to hell then.

[russpoot]

THANKS FOR THE LAUGHS, MORLEY

In the coming recession, 50% of these yahoos will be laid-off and will be working at Mickey D''s. Then they''ll finally read "The Prince" and try actually working for a living, instead of being a putz.

Geez, Morley, one would think that a 75-year-old Canadian would know better. Keep trying, and say hello to Mike [Myron] Wallace, 89.

[stpdem]

At least we aren''t stoned out of our minds like the boomers were at our age.

(This is sort of an advertisement)

If you want to read more on this topic -- and want to read interviews with Gen Y vs. us telling you what Gen Y is like, check out:

Millennial Leaders: Success Stories from Today''s Most Brilliant Generation Y Leaders

By the way, Jason Dorsey, who is featured in Chapter 20 of Millennial Leaders, was featured on 60 Minutes tonight''s segment about Millennaills.

[hypnotoad72]

So that''s why America is offshoring jobs!!

Besides, the "it''s all about me" stuff also happened while these toddlers were popping out of their mothers. The 1980s is known as being the "decade of greed".

While I agree with some of the article''s points, in 2007 the gulf between cost of education and wages to pay back the hard efforts put into getting the grades is wider than in past times.

Also, regarding the maxim "pulling one''s self up by one''s own bootstraps", does that apply to large corporations who get "government subsidy", which is just a fancy word for "welfare"?

Where was the educational system, not training the kids to be managers during the 1990s? Wait, that''s college stuff, not high school fluff...

Lastly, are the Millennials in charge of the financial mess we''re in right now? Or the offshoring mess where we''re giving jobs to countries that say "We hate you, United States, but thanks for the jobs for pennies on the dollar and can we have some more while we laugh at you?"

The situation isn''t as one-sided as some people want it to be. Especially when the article claims they have exceptional technical skills yet corporate America claims there aren''t qualified Americans to do the work! So what''s the truth?

[hypnotoad72]

badgirl2day - thank you for your post. It''s nice to see some reality being brought into this topic.

[jwbrant18]

Morley missed a big angle on "The Millennials" story or perhaps 60 Minutes should consider a follow-up story: Big Business and Big Government have gotten exactly what they asked for in The Millennials.

Big Business destroyed the notion of employee loyalty and created the age of disposable employees with their favorite themes of merger, down sizing, layoffs, out sourcing and off shoring. To drive home the point they have been running away from pension commitments as fast as they can.

At the same time, their lackeys, Big Government, were busy creating IRA''s and 401K''s and making them portable from employer to employer.

Now the complaint is that Baby Boomer parents and Mr. Rodgers created a generation of employees only interested in themselves?!?

I say look in the mirror. At worst they made their own bed and are uncomfortable laying in it or at best they didn''t do a thorough risk analysis on their earlier decisions.

[wmalex59]

So now the spoiled rotten generation of "I want it now" brats come home to roost...literally. Many business people I am associated with are already seeing this type of behavior but are eventually able to find good, reliable help without having to coddle the the USA''s latest crop of screw-ups. Meanwhile, in China, India. Japan and other countries, their kids are spending many disciplined hours learning an proving this whole Millennials fiasco a bust. I recently spoke with an IBM manager and asked him why they bring so many engineers in from outside the USA. His response was "...because we can''t find American kids smarter or motivated enough to do the work. Not even from the best colleges in the USA."
With the falling dollar and the economy slipping, here comes the nail in the coffin of Uncle Sam. May God have mercy on our American souls.

[waterduck123]

Having taught for over three decades at the University level I%u2019ve been able to observe first-hand the change in student attitudes. However, the attitudes and preoccupation with things not essential to living are usually relatively short lived - one recession with unemployment sitting above 8% or so has a tendency to help people discover the difference between %u201Cwants%u201D and %u201Cneeds%u201D. When you can%u2019t get a job because there are none available it is surprising how one can do without an i-pod or a cell phone if it means you will go without food or shelter.

[wmalex59]

So now the spoiled rotten generation of "I want it now" brats come home to roost...literally. Many business people I am associated with are already seeing this type of behavior but are eventually able to find good, reliable help without having to coddle the the USA''s latest crop of screw-ups. Meanwhile, in China, India. Japan and other countries, their kids are spending many disciplined hours learning an proving this whole Millennials fiasco a bust. I recently spoke with an IBM manager and asked him why they bring so many engineers in from outside the USA. His response was "...because we can''t find American kids smarter or motivated enough to do the work. Not even from the best colleges in the USA."
With the falling dollar and the economy slipping, here comes the nail in the coffin of Uncle Sam. May God have mercy on our American souls.

[hypnotoad72]

jwbrant18 - yours too is an excellent response. Loyalty and dedication means little today. Only quick money.

Case in point was a recent event by a company, name changed to "Shircut City" to conceal their true name, where they fired higher-paid employees and offered to re-hire them at lower wages.

Is loyalty not a two-way street?

True, some employees are not as adaptable as others. But that is an entirely separate argument.

And a note to wmalex59, I pity you. Offshoring is about cost and cost only. Some conspiracy theorists would suggest it has more to do with "peak oil", but that depends if you believe in "peak oil" too. And BTW - who was in the government racking up all those deficits the last 30 years? Not the Millennials; they''re only starting to enter what''s left of the job market. But I will agree; the truth is in the middle.

[uckleduckl]

Be afraid, be very afraid (everyone on social security who is still perfunctorily paying school taxes for 50 or more years to educate these people to the cruel reality that life can be often tedious and boring) that the pot may well be empty long before projections now indicate.

[jb015]

Meanwhile a portion of that same group is out fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and having a TOTALLY different experience. It''s a bit frightening.

[dewey1121]

This is another excuse for companies to say they can''t get good workers. There are good worker here they just don''t want to work 60-70 hours a week. When kids get into trouble at school they want to know where the parents are. Well let see O'' there working to put food on the table. This story was unfair and did not tell the true story. Companies always say their is a shortage of workers. Well the people that were suppose to retire can''t becouse they don''t have the money or health care coverage. These workers are no different than what companies have been doing for years to thier employees. Except these worker have seen past history of what companies have done for years and that was to take advanage of employees. I suppose S.S. is going to take care of them. I''ll be lucky to see any. Why don''t you do a story on when Congress is going to fix S.S. Not one Congress person%

[dewey1121]

This is another excuse for companies to say they can''t get good workers. There are good worker here they just don''t want to work 60-70 hours a week. When kids get into trouble at school they want to know where the parents are. Well let see O'' there working to put food on the table. This story was unfair and did not tell the true story. Companies always say their is a shortage of workers. Well the people that were suppose to retire can''t becouse they don''t have the money or health care coverage. These workers are no different than what companies have been doing for years to thier employees. Except these worker have seen past history of what companies have done for years and that was to take advanage of employees. I suppose S.S. is going to take care of them. I''ll be lucky to see any. Why don''t you do a story on when Congress is going to fix S.S. Not one Congress person will touch S.S. becouse they know this is the third rail on the subway and they would lose thier seat. What about how companies shut down plants and suppose to retrain thier workers.
Can I get some cardboard in my meals. What about lead in children toys. Toy companies don''t want to be helded responsable for what thier company in China do. I watch your show and was really let down. Most of us are not this way. We just want to be able to watch are kids grow up and be able to retire unlike the people now.

[beafields]

As someone who has spent the last 18 months researching Gen Y, I want to say that there is a lot to learn from this generation about what is going on in our greater world. (I am also a parent of 3 Gen Yers. I did not really understand them until I went through this research project).

I know that it''s easy to say that this generation is spoiled, entitled, self absorbed and narcissistic...Ah...guess who raised them? The Baby Boomers (and I am a Baby Boomer). So...Gen Y is simply a reflection of what''s going on in our greater world. They did not get where they are alone!

[gsu0599]

The idea that Mr. Rogers instilled in these "Millennials" that they are special and they deserve to do exactly what they want and take nothing less is ridiculous. These %u201Cadults%u201D are no more than self-righteous, self-centered, spoiled brats. I%u2019m 34 (which is approx. 8 yrs older that the demographic in this story) and my parents told me the same things that these millennials were told. However, the difference is %u2026 I worked hard to get were I am today and I never expected anyone to just hand it to me on a platter. I would never run home to mommy after my boss gave me a bad performance review. Learn from it and become a stronger person. Stop being pansies and grow up!!!

[goldesprit]

If you are 36, or 12, or 55, or 3-- these are all generally more descriptive of a "group" of americans then calling them the "we will act like _____ generation". This makes it really difficult to group people in order to collect advertising dollars for "news" media.
Its the OLD madison avenue wind-up pitch.
It all smacks of "the Pepsi Generation".
This is a good example of industrialized thinking.
This is no longer "the industrial age"...

"Take a puff...its springtime!"

DUH, its a headline!

[vellinge-2009]

This story is a prime example of American journalism at its best, one-sided, inaccurate, and completely irrelevant. I kept waiting for Morley to address the economic realities facing most "Millenials" as they enter the workforce, but he never did. When we are constantly bombarded with news that social security is massively underfunded, and yet another company just laid off thousands of employees, we are reminded of the uncertainty of our own financial futures and the loyalty we can expect from our own employers. If you consider that the typical "Millenial" is expected to pay off thousands in student loans, fund their own retirement, and pay into social security without the expectation of ever receiving a single dollar in benefit, maybe we won''t seem so spoiled.

[cmcapen]

As a high school teacher I see more and more students who have this "I am special and you should treat me as such" attitude and it is reflected in their work ethic and the assignments they produce. They get belligerent if they don''t receive an "A" on sloppy, poorly written work, most don''t understand deadlines, or what an education is about and neither do their over-indulgent parents. Why should schools and employers have to give out "gold stars" because this generation simply shows up and shows up late for that matter? My daughter, who is also part of this super -pampered generation, fortunately knows that life takes work, good and bad, and that it''s not all about her cell phone, her iPod and her. I didn''t work hard to take care of her for the rest of her life (or those of her generation). I raised her to be able to take care of herself. Shame on other parents who didn''t get it. May they support their children for the rest of their children''s lives and exhaust their hard-earned retirement money to keep up the pampering.

[hypnotoad72]

dewey1121 - 70 hours a week is a bit much. I used to do it in my early-mid 20s and it was not fun. School + work as well. Yadda yadda yadda.

Most people I know of (30s~40s) say the amount of time Chinese laborers in sweatshops put in is obscene. Rightly so. Maybe that''s why more and more products from their country are contaminated?

Humans were not meant to be slaves. How many of God''s creatures were meant to be? Well, maybe it''s allowed in Communist countries, but this is America - land of freedom and self-determination to use one''s God-given talents to prosper. A land where people fought and died to have such freedoms. And a civil war because nobody wanted to talk about the truth. And as I recall, correct me if I am wrong, the South (the slave traders) started it.

And you''re right; the article definitely does not tell the full story. But since when is any media outlet going to discuss both sides, equally, with all pertinent tangents, and let the reader decide? None of them. Because who wants to read every relevant detail? Nobody. After all, time is money. Facts are tedious.

[cmcapen]

As a high school teacher I see more and more students who have this "I am special and you should treat me as such" attitude and it is reflected in their work ethic and the assignments they produce. They get belligerent if they don''t receive an "A" on sloppy, poorly written work, most don''t understand deadlines, or what an education is about and neither do their over-indulgent parents. Why should schools and employers have to give out "gold stars" because this generation simply shows up and shows up late for that matter? My daughter, who is also part of this super -pampered generation, fortunately knows that life takes work, good and bad, and that it''s not all about her cell phone, her iPod and her. I didn''t work hard to take care of her for the rest of her life (or those of her generation). I raised her to be able to take care of herself. Shame on other parents who didn''t get it. May they support their children for the rest of their children''s lives and exhaust their hard-earned retirement money to keep up the pampering.

[streetrod8]

Read the statements made by redelefnt2 and abcd81, AGAIN. I am a 59 year old lady who has fought internally for years trying to figure out why the corporate world treats the working "baby-boomers" like slaves; i.e., long hours, criticised, never complimented, fewer and fewer benefits in order for the corporation to maintain or increase their profit margine, sucking the life from our souls. Read the statistics on the number of us on antidepressants, anti-anxiety, diebetes and other medications for physical problems grown out of control from working long hours, stress and abuse in the workplace; and, continuing to put up with this from the upper level corporate world because we are are driving ourselves crazy worrying about failure and lack of funds on which to survive when we are too old and no longer physically able to work. Hoooray for the new generation to reprioritize...themselves and their family come first..not putting up with the b.s. that corporate and polictical American shoves down the throats of the "baby boomers". The younger generation shown on 60 Minutes tonight does not represent everyone in the "younger generation". It is simply time that corporate American wake up and realize they are no longer going to be able to treat people the way they treat us now. The new generation has been taught to love themselves, believe in themselves, respect themselves and not let others take advantage of them.