We the millennials are not lazy, we just work smart

Give us autonomy and growth, and we will match it with the passion and energy of youth

- Clara Lock

During my first internship at a small magazine company a decade ago, I signed up for yoga and kickboxing classes twice a week – not because I was particularly athletic, but because I wanted to leave work on time.

There were only four of us in the office – the editor-in-chief, creative director, one full-time staff member, and me. They routinely worked late, and sometimes, so did I. But at 6pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, I would pack my things and make what I hoped was a discreet beeline for the door.

I always felt somewhat guilty. What I did not yet understand was that I had already begun to draw boundaries, demarcating precious hours of personal time left over at the end of every day.

Later, my generation would become known for this. We, the millennials, the ones who sought work-life balance and were prepared to job-hop if we did not get it. We, the “burnout generation”, who gave up stable corporate roles during the pandemic in search of more purposeful work.

We, who are now contributing to The Great Resignation – a worldwide phenomenon of workers seeking better pay and working conditions, including flexible hours.

These values should not give us a bad rep, but sometimes it does. Less than 20 per cent of people in Singapore think of millennials as disciplined or loyal, based on a 2019 survey commissioned by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Health and Communications and Information.

More recently, public relations company founder Tjin Lee noted a “worrying” trend of people in their 20s asking about “work-life balance” and “flexi-working options” as their first question during job interviews. Her view, that it is increasingly hard to find motivated young people to work, drew flak.