[quanticle]

I also have to wonder how much of this perceived lack of hard work is because of changes in the social contract between workers and employees. As late as the '70s, there was an implicit contract between employers and employees. Employees work hard, and in return, employers take care of them.

Starting with the '80s and continuing through today, that contract (outside of a select few firms) has been thoroughly eroded. We are no longer workers, we are human resources. It doesn't matter how many years of service we have, the next senior management shuffle can mean the abrupt end of our employment with that firm. These changes mean that there is no payoff in being loyal to an employer. Given that, its no wonder that others see Millenials as being shiftless and disloyal. What's the reward for hard work in a corporate environment, when the continued existence of your job is more dependent on the vagaries of senior management politics than your performance?

[wmat]

Here, here! I've worked at large, enterprise organizations for 15+ years and always resented the concept of Human Resources. At the enterprise level, there is little to no payoff for loyalty other than possible redundancy, when HR found someone who could do your job for half the pay. I suspect this is all a symptom of business school education trends over the last 40 years or so. I don't think there is any fault or blame to lay, but rather we as a society have to step back and begin doing what's right socially instead of economically. Do that, and economics will likely take care of itself.