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written by Emma Reynolds news.com.au

THEY’RE derided as lazy and selfish, but it turns out we may be better off when millennials run the world.

While Gen Y has been called materialistic, entitled and uncaring, increasingly experts claim the exact opposite is the case.

As “Generation Me” grows up and takes control of our governments and biggest organisations, they are adapting to be ideal leaders, The Economist reported recently.

They switch jobs constantly not because they are overprivileged, but because work structure is flexible, they leave the office early because they can be productive at home and they refuse to do as they are told because they care about new ideas.

LIBERAL THINKING

Millennials, on the whole, don’t question the concept of rights for women, gay and transgender people, that climate change is a reality or that every race is equal.

Their focus as leaders will be less on arguing a point than doing something about it. “One shift is wanting to create a better world,” prominent futurist Ross Dawson told news.com.au. “It’s exceptionally difficult to hire talented young people if they don’t feel their work is making a positive difference. Social enterprise and innovation is very apparent in Silicon Valley but also in Australia.”

Whether it’s Uber-style car sharing, distributing restaurant leftovers to the homeless or creating forums for marginalised groups, there is a sense that far more is possible.

With a global perspective, they may even be warier of going to war, The Economist suggests, although Dr Dawson warned that there are “some fundamental aspects of humanity” and we are “in the process of discovering what will change”.

Millennial leaders have a social conscience, like Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.

FAST AND FLEXIBLE

Younger generations are always accused of impatience and short attention spans, and that’s only amplified by our frenetic world, says Dr Dawson. But impatience doesn’t have to be a bad thing. “It can make things faster and better.”

Baby Boomers and even Generation X have a far slower and more cautious attitude to change than connected, purposeful Gen Y.

Business futurist Morris Miselowski told news.com.au: “They won’t agree to something until there’s a strong case for the likelihood of its success.

“Traditionally, Baby Boomers only had one or two ‘horizon technologies’ — fax, radio, TV. It would take a long time for things to be ingested and become fashionable, ordinary, respectable.

“Now people are working with all social media and have an ability to make decisions quicker based on more opportunities.

“We have robots on our doorstep, new horizon spaces and something I find joyful is what I call the ‘Wild West’ of business. It’s so unknown, There are millions of different spaces for the young, entrepreneurial and proactive.”

For Gen Y, the idea of the 9-5 day is over — work can take place anywhere, anytime. This gives them a more fluid approach to the work/life balance, a bonus since they will be living longer lives and spending more years in the workforce.

Staff won’t need to travel in rush hour so traffic will lessen and activities can be spread over the week. “Their mindset goes far beyond the geographical,” said Mr Miselowski.

Open-minded millennials could make our world one big Glee club.

GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURS

“[Millennials] are meritocratic, want to be experts in their field, and want to work with and be mentored by experts,” Jane McNeill, director of recruiting experts Hays, told news.com.au.

“This will help them reach their career goals and in turn make genuine improvements to their world of work.

“Given that they are more open to new ideas, they will also be able to cope well with a globalised world of work that is changing rapidly.”

People born between 1981 and 1997 are more often bilingual or want to work overseas at some point in their career, added Ms McNeill.

As many as 70 per cent have their own business or want to have one in the future.

If Gen Y seems demanding, that’s because “they rate interesting work before personal wealth” and “they want to feel valued and appreciated”.

“They are also entering the workforce as more confident communicators who can contribute to group discussions and share their ideas because they are used to having an opinion and adding their voice to discussions on social media from a young age,” said Ms McNeill.

Garry Adams, Mercer’s talent business leader for the Pacific, told news.com.au: “They travel a lot more than we did and are more open to global influences, which are strong positives.

“The dominant pattern was being an employee in a corporate environment, now there’s a greater range of choices. There’s a focus on operating with a greater sense of social purpose and sustainability.

“This generation has an extraordinary potential and a sense of moving forward, that they don’t want to replicate their parents’ mistakes or live in a world created for them. They want to do things differently.”

And if Generation X and Baby Boomers are feeling devalued by the prediction that Gen Y will run things better, Dr Dawson explains we are all shifting to become like millennials.

“It’s important to recognise that people of all ages are changing their attitudes to work, organisations and their role in society and the environment,” he said.

“Social attitudes are shifting across all generations.”

Welcome to the world of the millennials.