I am a 28 year old man, born and raised in Greece. My experience in the Greek job industry started in a small multinational technical services company, then in one of the most successful startups in Greece, and now I’m in a Dutch start-up, opening offices in Greece. I studied Economics at OPA and finished my military service in 2019. My background is sales and account management, with 4 years of experience so far, having passed through managerial positions and being a manager now.

What I always looked for, since the beginning of my career, is the connection of universities with the labor market. Being a junior, you’re practically in the awkward position where all the jobs you can pick up require experience or are unpaid internships. Practically, you feel that you cannot sell yourself and your knowledge. This puts you in an opportunistic job search process, especially if you want to start your career quickly or if you are in financial need. Let’s take for example neighboring countries that, they all somehow have a smooth integration into the labor market through alumni networks etc. I put so much emphasis on the beginning of a career, because the things one will deal with during the initial stages of his/her career, significantly determine what one will deal with in the future.

Moving from a toxic Greek family environment to a start-up, I think millennials (myself included) really appreciate the flexibility in the work environment that focuses on the result, without getting stuck on the way the result is succeeded.. From working remotely on an island to coming to work in whatever clothing you want, that can make you feel free and that you can express yourself. In the end, it doesn’t matter how you get results and we want to stick to formulas. If you do a good job, you can choose how you work.

Another reason I stayed at a start-up was that I had a new, brilliant manager who understood me and helped me develop, giving me the opportunity to build a team from scratch and create a small environment myself, as I envisioned it. Being in an environment with new people, with significant earnings and at the same time learning new skills, for me, is the recipe for success.

The work environment in multinational companies, on the other hand, is uninspiring, governed by antiquated ineffective practices and anachronistic perceptions of gender, politics, racism and all social justice issues. Young people are not given the opportunity to develop quickly, an environment of unhealthy competition prevails and the upper management does not have any communication channel open, nor of course does it receive (and give) feedback. By all accounts, an environment that does not promote open communication, flexibility and the recognition of people, an environment that promotes people with toxic behaviors and does not accept bottom-up feedback is certainly not attractive to anyone. The reason people work in such positions is just to gain experience, make a living, and be able to sell their work in the future for a higher price.

A new employee, to stay in a position, does not need just money and prestige. He needs to feel included, to permanently develop his knowledge and to feel that his work has an impact, on him/herself and on society in an indirect or direct way.

To retain good talent, I believe companies should invest first and foremost in people, because people will ultimately drive them forward. They need to invest in HR, L&D, and internal forms of feedback. To invest in someone that an employee can talk to comfortably, without fearing that he/she will be fired, his/her promotion will be cut off, etc. The company should take action and punish wrong practices in a timely manner, while rewarding the positive climate. People in mid and upper management should be constantly judged by their subordinates and promoted based on qualitative criteria and not just quantitative ones. And above all, it’s important for individuals to develop and learn. A very good program I learned from my previous company, for example, included sessions with an organizational psychologist when I was promoted to manager. This taught me how to empathize with my team, communicate my goals better, allocate resources more effectively and in general, how to become a better professional with my team.

But in the end, there is no such thing as a perfect environment. Everyone has different career aspirations, long-term and short-term desires, financial and non-financial rewarding aspirations, and many more. But times are changing. As our generation slowly begins to take the reins, we all want (and should) make our mark, learning from the old and changing the problematic tactics while keeping the great practices.

My career journey began when I was 18, when I first worked in the sector of food\drink and restaurant services. The conditions in the industry are more or less known. Exhausting hours, poor working conditions, half the entitled labor stamps -or no stamps at all-and demanding customers with little understanding towards the workers. Without a hint of irony, I could say that I was one of the lucky ones, even though I was demanded to work up to 12 or 16 hours a day during those 3 years, I was paid when I was due and I always had my bonuses (Easter, Summer, Christmas), earnings that are not taken for granted in the industry.

Because of my degree in Marketing, I was later able to join a company active in the HR industry and more specifically in the field of Executive Search. When I started, all I cared about was improving my working conditions, even if I was getting the bare minimum wage. Things, however, did not turn out that way. From the beginning, I had a very satisfactory salary, but my quality of life did not improve due to the change in my work environment, and I had to reflect on what was really to blame for that.

Working in a fast-growing multinational company at 24, my main needs that I felt and feel are not being met are the work-life balance demand and the quality of life that results from it. Unfortunately, it is a “common secret” that this need, which has emerged in recent years, is used more as a “bait” to attract new employees, than a culture trait meant to improve the quality of the working life of the existing workforce. This is also clearly visible if we notice the exterminating working hours, which from the standard 8 hours\a day, turned into 8 pure working hours with the additional half hour of the legally guaranteed break. However, the problem is neither the  8 nor the 8.5 hours. The problem is the endless hours of overtime we are asked to do, in order to meet the excruciating deadlines, for which the actual workload of each team and individual worker is never taken into account. In order to justify unpaid overtime, companies usually say that your work schedule is solely your responsibility, and it is -always- a good time to improve the soft skill called “time management”.

There are many times when one of us had to cancel a private appointment because the work time at the office just wasn’t enough. I think we try so hard to show good will at work, that most of us neglect our personal needs and redefine our limits to achieve better performance at work. Contributing to all this is ofcourse the notion that as a younger generation we are considered by our seniors, “a spoilt” generation that only demands rights without commiting to obligations.

What we really need as a generation is the practical application of work-life balance and its integration into the culture of the organizations we work for.

After all, it is now well known that companies that have happy employees are those that have the best returns.

We spend most of our day in our workplace, whatever that is: In our home, our office or even our car. Therefore, we all want this space- what we call working space in the broadest sense- to be pleasant.

For me it is very important to be able to associate with people with a common vision and dreams in my workplace. With people young who speak the same language (in a non literal way of course). Additionally, I want my colleagues to be polite and receptive,  to promote a spirit of unity and understanding. Under no circumstances should I have second thoughts about asking something or, even worse, be embarrassed about what I may not know. In the first years of the career in a certain position or company, we are trying to learn how the work is done and how each company works.

Another thing that I consider necessary and look for in a job is that the position gives me the necessary tools in order to be able to grow as a professional and as a person. I would like to have the necessary materials available in my workplace to be able to develop my knowledge and skills, either through training programs, online modules or even external study programs.

I still notice how important flexibility is at work: To have the possibility of remote working,  as well as an office,  as well as partial adaptation of our program to the needs of our day/ Some tasks obviously require physical contact with colleagues and this is often necessary, but sometimes it is equally important to be able to concentrate in the peace of your home and complete the work at hand. Of course, everything depends on the nature of the work.

Last but not least, earnings are definitely a motivator. Especially for us young people who have increased needs • Starting our lives, we want to travel, go out, rent a house, get a car etc. We want to live decently, to be able to stand on our own feet and to be able to see the (professional) future with optimism.