Meghan, the modern workplace and the millennial dilemma

Regardless of which side you stand in this week’s smackdown, the world vs the Windsors, it seems there is one big takeaway. Meghan said she tried to make her voice heard: and she’s made it very clear she will no longer be ignored.

Although at 39, Meghan only scrapes into that generation, her personality and outlook suggest that millennialism seeps through every pore. You can hear it in her ambitions to “live authentically” — how she “loves rescuing” things. You can feel it in the forgiveness she extends to people who “own” their culpability and apologise to her when she cries.

Notwithstanding the unique patina of patrimony, privilege and pomp that burnish this particular Windsor reckoning, Meghan’s beef follows a familiar millennial refrain. Despite her repeated efforts to speak to HR (even HRH has HR), no one would listen to her concerns or take them seriously. She couldn’t do the things she wanted; her personal freedoms were impinged upon. Moreover, and most millennial-y, though she was clearly brilliant at fulfilling the job she had been given, making the monarchy seem more evolved, international and inclusive, she was held back from pursuing her own interests and causes, and didn’t get the role that she desired.

As an example in managing expectations, Meghan is no more unusual than other thrusting young professionals. Her grievances are a common strain in many corporations trying to lurch into modernity while managing a younger, politically engaged and hungry workforce who aren’t prepared to sit around until they get their dues.

As an example in managing expectations, Meghan is no more unusual than other young professionals

By pure coincidence, the day after watching the Harry and Meghan interview, I spoke to Professor Lucy Kueng, an expert on “mastering digital transformation”, who offers senior-level strategic leadership and advice to businesses on how to negotiate the workforce challenges presented by this younger generation. Chief among the things she has observed across all sectors, from professional service industries to legal companies and multimedia groups, is that managing millennial and Gen Z expectations has become a major tension, both in terms of retaining staff who might be instrumental to a successful workplace, and because their frustrations are fuelling a culture in which employees are entrenched on either side of a generational divide.

“Millennials, and now Gen Z employees have completely different expectations of how they want to live,” says Kueng, whose book Hearts and Minds: Harnessing Leadership, Culture, and Talent to Really Go Digital was published last November. “They are very demanding. They want a lot of feedback.” More importantly, she adds, their frustrations are not unreasonable. They are more sensitive to race and gender inequalities and workplace inclusivity. They live in a world of “crippling financial insecurity”, where promotions to senior leadership can seem unattainable or very slow. When there are no clear paths towards career advancement, it’s not surprising that their loyalty is fragile. “Their pain is real,” says Kueng. “And they have deep emotions, too.”

Just like the Palace, Kueng says we cannot afford to dismiss these grievances. Instead, we must devise structures in which young people are empowered. We simply cannot afford to ignore them; Kueng insists we need these digitally intuitive agile thinkers far more than they need us.

“Millennials and Gen Z’ers have a different value orientation,” she continues of the shift in mindset. “They are far more likely to care about paid sabbaticals, autonomy and flexible working hours, than things such as big salaries and cars.” Personal growth and branding are also more important. So, too, is it more likely that younger employees will take to social media if they have unresolved grievances to air.

Not even the centuries-old protocol of Windsor can ignore the millennial mindset

Meghan, with her highly developed personal ethos and values, entered an institution that was near intransigent to change. And so she quit. I wonder if Kueng thinks Meghan’s situation represents the broader millennial dilemma that employers are now facing. Thankfully she’s not disgusted by my suggestion. “What’s interesting is that Meghan could have been an invaluable asset for the Palace. She brought tremendous energy to creating a role for herself. And she was invested in delivering and being a success for Brand Windsor.” Ultimately, however, her expectations were at odds with the culture of the senior management, and the Firm wouldn’t be changed.

Not even the centuries-old protocol of Windsor can ignore the millennial mindset. And we can either cling on to our old attitudes and wither, or we can try to compromise. Kueng is less concerned with the oft-quoted gripe that young people have got “to put the hours in” if they want to climb the ladder, because she thinks that in the long run this “paternalistic attitude” might not actually be doing our businesses any good. So, will you take your lead from Oprah, embrace the narrative and empower your workers by encouraging free discussion? Or will you become more entrenched and apoplectic, like Piers Morgan, and talk your way out of a job?

Listening doesn’t mean every expectation must be granted. Structured feedback doesn’t mean delivering only praise. But to overlook the energy and passion of this next generation, or worse, to outright dismiss it, only leaves us weaker. You may have to polish up your “authentic” vocab, but not even the institution of the monarchy can muzzle millennials any more.

Email Jo at jo.ellison@ft.com

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