Millennials also known as the misunderstood generation are the demographic who aim to change business as we know it. A pursuit of work/life integration and the promotion of a lifestyle which complements both work and ones outside passions and interests. Gen Y seek change to the traditional sense of work.
But is this anything new or is it just overhyped media story gone crazy? I must confess I’m not an advocate of everything Gen Y which I read. Quite frankly some of it comes across as needy; a trait often used to describe millennials.
Work is about ‘Getting shit done’ in whatever way that may be. For me this is the main overriding characteristic of what the millennial generation should be looking to achieve.
There’s actually one group of workers who are currently the benchmark for ‘getting shit done’ and should be seen as role models for future generations.
Step forward the work from home Mom.
I was inspired to write this piece by the following post from successful Work from home mom Jem Turner. She basically talks about the lifestyle of a work from home Mom and the difficult juggling act they need to endure. Please do read this post and not be inspired. I urge you!
But this ultimately got me thinking about Generation Y and our own fight for a lifestyle which affords us the free time to enjoy the things we love; a blend between work and the other aspects of life. Although our path’s are quite different there’s a lot we can learn from Work at home Mom’s.
If you’ve not had the pleasure of working with someone who runs a business around family then here’s a few traits as to why the Work from home Mom should be seen as a role model to the millennial generation.
Entrepreneurial:
Gen Y claim to be the ‘entrepreneurial’ generation yet so many Moms build businesses around the upbringing of their family. Careers are diverse too. Content writers, Virtual assistants, Web developers, full time bloggers, Childminders are all careers typically embraced by entrepreneurial Moms.
The passion to build a sustainable business around a hectic family lifestyle without compromising a child’s key years should be applauded. Seek advice from Moms on networks including Wahm & Net Mums.
Hardworking:
Generation Y are considered the most ambitious of all generations yet to achieve your goals there needs to be hard work involved. Work from home Moms are some of the most hard working. I’ve spoke with Mom’s who have flipped their working hours on it’s head to fit around family life. Although Gen Y seek balance in their work/life it has to be earned and seeding the hard work in first is a requirement.
Balance and work flexibility is earned not granted. Use the hard working nature of the work from home Mom’s to bring up your own standard.
Multi tasking:
Excellence at multi tasking something of a requirement for the Gen Y lifestyle plight the work from home Mom juggles family life, baby shit (possibly?), while dealing with a client call. The true definition of multitasking as one knows it.
Gen Y’s take notice. There’s some superb articles on Multi tasking and how work from home Mom’s should do this. The advice is transferable and is important to any generation but these guys sure do know how to do it well. Here’s a great piece by Pam Gaulin on the very subject.
Productive:
Staying productive and producing results while finding balance in the workplace is difficult. We have an issue within the corporate world where most people are overworked which is typically down to not having the bandwidth within their working day to complete their tasks.
Smart phones and other distractions also increase work procrastination meaning more time is spent in the office. Imagine jumping off an important piece of content to tend to a crying baby or putting down your laptop to cook the family meal. Work from home Mom’s manage to stay productive in these type of challenging environments. Juggling family life and a role in the SAME surrounding is a real challenge but they manage to do this. Sure it’s not easy but it’s a fantastic trait they possess.
The argument towards Gen Y is that we are often called the lazy generation. Think work shy almost. By taking advice from Work from home Mom’s in how to stay productive with distractions around you will certainly help Gen Y achieve their life goals. It cannot all be given to us on a plate. We seek change by driving it. Productivity while in work and staying in task is a sure fire way of us achieving the balance we want and crave with work.
Flexible:
The end goal for all is flexibility right? Although the seeking of flexibility for Gen Y is quite different from the work from home Mom the steps to get to that flexible point are quite similar. Where work from home Mom’s fit work around a child’s needs or family errands the millennial wants balance between work and life in the shape of flexible working shifts.
Where a work from home Mom seek such a lifestyle to support upbringing, rising childcare costs and a revenue stream they manage to do this with flexibility to achieve these goals firm in their mind.
Gen Y need to show a similar flexibility to achieve their life goals and achieve that balance they want between work and home life.
The Business World:
Gen Y continue to strive for change in the business world and how companies operate. Not only this but millennials are seeking alternative ways of facilitating the lifestyle they want to leave. But let’s be real this is nothing new and there is a network of individuals who have done just this but for different reasons.
Gen Y need to step back and reassess how we achieve what we want to achieve in life and in business. The work from home Mom’s are doing just this. Sure it’s a struggle but they possess traits millennials should strive for.
Millennials. Take a leaf out of the world from home Mom’s book. It’s a good one.
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