You've likely heard the stereotypes about millennials: they're lazy, entitled and unwilling to do what it takes to succeed.
A human resources consulting company has a simple instruction for that narrative:
Manpower, a company based in Milwaukee, Wis., released a study last week that shows that millennials are anything but lazy.
One of its most fascinating findings surrounded hours worked in a week. Seventy-three per cent of millennials surveyed said they work more than 40 hours a week, and almost a quarter of them said they work over 50 hours.
The numbers varied by country — and some of the results were surprising.
Greek workers, for example, have long been stereotyped as "lazy." But that perception doesn't hold water when you look at the country's millennials, who work an average of 47 hours per week — the same as Switzerland.
Meanwhile, millennials in France, a country recognized less for its hardworking nature than its work-life balance, put in an average of 44 hours per week.
Both countries beat the United States (45 hours), Canada (42 hours), the U.K. and Australia (41 hours each).
But millennials aren't just willing to work more hours per week. Over half of them expect to work past 65 years old, the age at which you can collect Old Age Security (OAS) in Canada. And 12 per cent expect to work until they die.
In Japan, for example, 37 per cent of millennials believe they'll work until their final days, compared to 18 per cent in China, 15 per cent in Greece and 14 per cent in Canada.
Manpower surveyed 19,000 millennials in 25 countries, asking them what they look for in a job, and what kinds of development opportunities would keep them in their current positions.
The report came as millennials are set to make up over one-third of the global workforce by 2020.
The cost of understanding millennials
It's a demographic that numerous employers are at pains to understand — enough that they're willing to pay big bucks in order to do so.
Companies such as Oracle, Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs are paying millennial consultants as much as US$20,000 per hour so that management can communicate better with younger employees, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month.
Firms earmarked anywhere from $60 million to $70 million to understand millennials last year alone.
Expert tips
One expert, Lisa McLeod, charges $25,000 to give talks on millennials, and an additional $5,000 to watch her communicate with her 23-year-old daughter.
They offer tips such as bringing food into the office; better team-building activities; even nights out at the movies.
In other words, millennials aren't lazy. They just want something different from what companies are used to.
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