- A study found that millennials and Gen-Xers report the highest levels of stress compared to other generations. Millennials are more likely to say their stress has increased in the past year and that they feel lonely or isolated due to stress. They also say stress has a strong impact on their physical and mental health.
- Millennials have more debt from student loans on average than previous generations. Many still live with their parents due to economic uncertainties and lack of good job opportunities. They are also delaying life milestones like marriage and children.
- Millennials are less engaged at work than older generations. They want jobs that allow them to learn, grow and develop their careers, rather than just per
12. A study called Stress in America compiled several key findings about millennials:
• Millennials and Gen-Xers report the highest levels of stress
• Millennials are the most likely of all generations to say their stress has increased in the past year
• Millennials are more likely than any other generation to say they have felt a sense of loneliness/isolation due to stress in the
past month.
• Millennials are more likely than other generations to say that stress has a very strong or strong impact on their physical and
mental health.
The average age for the onset of depression has dropped
from late forties or early fifties, where it was 30 years ago, to
mid twenties, and it’s expected to drop further.
(Source: HBR)
13. Millennials are less engaged in the
workplace than are their older
counterparts, and they are more likely to
be categorized as “not engaged.”
Millennials’ lack of engagement costs
the U.S. economy hundreds of billions
of dollars annually in lost productivity.
• 41% of millennials expect to be in
their current job for two years or
less (compared to 17% of Gen X and
10% of Boomers
• An average twenty-something will
have 7 jobs in this decade
• Millennials earn 20% less than
Boomers did at same stage of life
• Millennials—51% in 2016,
compared to 41% in 2013— report
being underemployed, according to
a survey conducted by Accenture
(Source: Gallup)
Economic Uncertainty and Emerging Adulthood
14. Average amount of debt, per borrower, by year of graduation
63% of Millennials have more than $10,000 in student debt. They'll be paying for decades.
The average Class of 2016 graduate has $37,172 in student loan debt, up six percent from last year.
15. Pew Research Center finds that about 36% of women between the ages of 18 and 34, and roughly 43% of men in
the same age bracket still live with their parents or other relatives — the highest percentage since the 1940s.
The Boomerang Generation
16. Millennials have been putting off significant
milestones like marriage and children. But
that doesn’t mean they want to stay single
forever.
Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
17. Epidemic of the 21st century:
The ever-present social media world reminds us there is
always something more fun and glamorous to be doing, but
those things are rarely doable unless we have income, which
comes from jobs that expects us to work. Another fear
prevalent among millennials is that they are not fulfilling their
passions in their jobs. While it’s probably true, only a small
percentage of people get to enjoy that privilege. And even
fewer people get paid to do their hobbies—something
millennials often expect.
“Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) millennials
experience FOMO.”
- Eventbrite
Epidemic of Millennials in the 21st Century
18.
19. The American church has more commonly
been known for what it stands against
rather than what the church stands for.
Large majority of Christian parents have
done a poor job living out their faith and
raising their children in the Bible. Many
were brought up in a legalistic family.
Christianity isn’t portrayed well in the
media. It isn’t politically correct to a
Christian anymore. Social pressure to “fit
in” is largely absent among millennials.
20. A significant number of young adults have deeper complaints about church. More than one-third say their negative
perceptions are a result of moral failures in church leadership (35%). And substantial majorities of Millennials who
don’t go to church say they see Christians as judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), anti-homosexual (91%) and
insensitive to others (70%).
Select the image that feels most like the present-day Christianity…
(Source: Barna Group)
21. We live in a culture where half of marriages will end in
divorce. More than 40% of those who are born today
are born into an unmarried family.
• Change your view on vulnerability. sometimes the
boldest thing a leader can do is to just sit and listen –
rather than drive the conversation
• Accept vulnerability as a strength. Being vulnerable
isn’t a bad thing and it doesn’t make you weak; it
actually makes you a better leader because you stop
wasting energy protecting yourself from what you
think other people shouldn’t see.
• Practice and be a student of vulnerability. Most of
us need to practice being vulnerable because we’re
used to working to impress others through our actions
and words.
Vulnerability is about showing up and being seen. It’s
tough to do that when we’re terrified about what people
might see or think. ~ Brené Brown
23. Millennial Christians are more than twice as likely to say their church helped
them learn "about how Christians can positively contribute to society" compared
to those who drop out of church.
• Over 40% state they are not born again.
• 35% declare the Bible has errors or that they don’t know if it has errors.
• Over 45% say they were not taught to defend their faith at Sunday school.
• 45% say homosexual behavior is not a sin or that they don’t know if it is a
sin.
• 40% believe same-sex couples should be allowed to marry and have legal
rights, and an additional 10% say they don’t know if they should or not.
• 65% believe if you are a good person you will go to heaven.
20% (Drop outs)
46% (Actives)
24.
25. 4 Most Important Things to Keep in Mind as a Mentor of Millennials
1. Give lots of feedback reinforcing - in real-time, if possible -- what they’ve
done well and what could be better.
2. Be authentic and wisely transparent; they respect, and they can very quickly
when someone is being insincere
3. Try not to exert your position or authority to motivate or lead Millennials.
They don’t respect authority for authority’s sake, because they’ve experienced
many reasons to distrust authority figures. Offer the reasons behind your
requests and be willing to hear their perspective.
4. Be willing to admit your own faults and blind spots, and be open to how
you can improve.
Reverse Mentoring Best Practices
• Global perspective - Millennials are often well-traveled, culturally pluralistic and
knowledgeable about the world.
• Sustainability ideas - From the environment to fair trade, Millennials are hyper-
aware of consumerism’s effects on the world.
• Social concern - From founding non-profits to buying TOMS shoes, justice issues
are on many Millennials’ minds and hearts.
• Optimism - Millennials often have a can-do attitude and an expansive expectation
of what’s possible
• Entrepreneurial spirit - Crowd-sourcing sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo have
helped to cultivate an entrepreneurial culture among young adults around the world.
Try out Reverse Mentoring
(Source: Barna Group)
26. • According to a Barna Group’s study, only 40% of practicing Christians say they have a clear sense
of God’s calling on their lives.
• Christian millennials are especially sensitive to this divine prompting: 48% say they believe God is
calling them to different work, yet they haven’t yet made such a change.
• Nearly two-thirds of churched adults say it has been at least three years or more since they
heard church teachings on work and career.
28. • Offer vocational counseling or
coaching for those struggling to find
work or making an unplanned work
transition.
• Provide workspaces and other
specialized facilities for those who
need a place to work, network or
develop a new idea; consider staffing it
with retired church members who can
lend advice or a listening ear.
• Offer apprenticeships and
internships—formal or informal—with
businesses that have a focus on
values.
• Offer community service
opportunities or missions trips in
which millennials work side by side
with people using secular skills in a
ministry context (e.g., medical or
aviation missionaries, skilled labor, pro-
bono lawyers, etc.)
What might vocational discipleship look like
in your organization, practically speaking?
Here are a few ideas:
• Identify Christian professionals or
tradespersons who can commit to in-
depth relationships (mentoring, but with
a vocational focus), or even just provide
exposure (such as a ride-along with a
Christian police officer, or any other
profession where a young person could
spend a day with a Christian at his or
her secular workplace).
• Provide explicit training for how to
live out Christianity in the
workplace—seminars, case studies,
personal stories.
• Offer assessments and counseling for
those who are selecting a trade, a
college or a degree path.
New Ideas
For Vocational Discipleship
(Source: Barna Group)
29. Here are a number of organizations and resources available to help build your vocational discipleship program
30.
31. How to Engage Millennials in Your Organization
(Source: Gallup)
32. Top Driver for Engagement and Retention in the Workplace
What about ping-pong tables and free beer? Contrary to popular perception, Millennials place little importance on a company
encouraging creativity or being a fun, informal place to work. In fact, Baby Boomers are slightly more likely than Millennials and Gen Xers
to say that creativity and fun are “extremely important” to them when applying for a job. But Millennials do need to be convinced why
and how an organization will help them learn, grow, and develop, and further their careers.
What is the most important thing you look for when applying for a job?
(Source: Harvard Business Review)
33. 3) What do you
wish you knew at
the start of your
career?
It also provides
connection currency
and then you can
share what you’ve
learned, which will help
them in their careers.
5) How do you
think you can be
most helpful to
teammates?
Identifying the
strengths of each
millennial will help you
put them in the best
possible position for
themselves and your
teammates.
4) How do you
think work could
be restructured
to make it more
productive and
enjoyable?
You want their input
because together you
can create a great
workplace.
1) How do you
most like to
spend your time?
Everyone wants a
boss who cares. This
question helps you
immediately open up
the possibility for
connecting on a
mutual interest
2) What’s the
most important
lesson you
learned at work?
Again, caring…but
more. It helps you
coach on how they
view their work and
what strikes them as
important.
Powerful Questions that Will Help You Engage Your Millennial Employee
35. Formerly employed by both a Fortune 50 company and
a Top 100 Great Place to Work Company, Paul Sohn is
the founder of QARA.
The vision of QARA is to equip, inspire, and empower
twenty-somethings to discover their God-given identity
and calling.
Paul is a best-selling author of Quarter-Life Calling:
Pursuing Your God-Given Purpose in Your Twenties.
Paul was named one of the Top 33 under 33 Christian
Millennials to Follow by Christianity Today.
www.paulsohn.org
www.qara.org
• Top 33 Under 33 Christian Millennials to Watch by Christianity Today
• Top 10 Most Socially Shared Leadership Blogs in the World
• Top 100 Leaders in 2016 by John Maxwell & Company
• Top Young Influencers List by Thom Rainer and Brad Lomenick
Leadership Coach, Best-selling Author, Speaker
36. This is Your Subtitle
pauljsohn
paul.j.sohn
paul.j.sohn@gmail.com
@pauljsohn
Qara.org