Readers Views: Millennials are an asset in the work force, cleaning your minds and overcoming negative thoughts

Here are a few reasons you should consider adding them to your roster.

For starters, their social media game is top of the charts. Millennials grew up during the advent of modern technology, and have an inherent understanding of the software and applications that businesses need in today’s day and age, to excel.

You can’t compete in the modern business landscape without promoting your company through the medium of technology.

Millennials grew up using the internet and are accustomed to its ways. Because they have a strong understanding of the virtual world and have lived in it themselves, Gen Y and Gen Z can help a company discover and grow online. Their use of social media and content management systems can give businesses an upper hand.

They also bring in new ideas to the table. Millennials bring in a fresh perspective and offer out-of-the-box ideas on how you can catapult your efforts into a success story.

They are well-educated. According to Pew Research, millennials are believed to be the most educated generation to date. Four out of 10 millennial workers between the ages of 25 and 29 had acquired at least a bachelor’s degree in 2016 — that sits at around 40 per cent.

These individuals always rely on feedback. A recent study found that more than 40 per cent of millennial employees wanted to receive weekly feedback from their managers. Simply providing millennial employees with quarterly or annual performance reviews will just not cut it.

Millennials are curious beings, who constantly want to improve themselves professionally.

Millennials are curious and are excited to learn new skills. They don’t want to feel as though they must toil away at the same job for years in order to earn a promotion, and thus an opportunity to learn new skills. They are happy with going on new adventures, personally and career wise.

Companies like PepsiCo for example, recently launched a program that focused on providing employees with access to “critical experiences” rather than a simple ladder to the top.

Millennials are a self-driven lot, extremely passionate and deeply invested in excelling, which is why they give their 100 per cent to the job assigned to them.

- The reader is a writer based in Dubai.

You are strong for surviving

By Shezeen Mohammed

At some point in our lives, we come across a time where there are certain issues that keep disturbing us. We try to make sure that these issues do not affect our lives, but they do, directly or indirectly.

If we keep giving room to pessimistic thoughts, we tend to build up negativity within ourselves, which slowly starts demotivating us.

This negativity might also turn into a way of life, and this can affect every aspect of our lives. We blank out, become anxious and we remain completely oblivious of our behaviour, until it’s too late.

Any individual going through these circumstances must remember that they are not alone. There are many more people, in similar situations, going through similar problems.

Developing such thoughts is never something to feel ignominious about. Hence you must share your inner thoughts with a loved one and free yourself. Sometimes your loved ones become your source of inspiration and make you much stronger. They direct you towards the journey of putting up a brave front against any hurdle.

So, propel the inner anxiousness within you and be ready to express yourself and fight against it. Ask people for help if you are struggling on your own. Negative thoughts should never control your mind.

Everyone is special and unique in their own way, and have been created by God for a special purpose. So, set an example by sharing your thoughts with anyone you know, find a solution and overcome the feelings.

Complete the purpose for your existence. You are braver than you think, remember that!

- The reader is a Dubai-based university student.

We all have some cleaning to do!

By Radhika Acharya

Around noon yesterday, I happened to glance at my living room window, and I was amazed to see how beautifully bright, clear, fresh and clean the day looked outside! The blue sky above, fluffy white clouds and a little bird flitting by, the scene altogether filled me with joy. Did I dance a jig or two in that moment? I may have. I’m not telling!

Then I noticed drops of water glistening on the window pane. Wait! Had it just rained? And I hadn’t even noticed! Had I been so busy with my daily morning routine that I had not noticed the weather change?

I looked again closely and you know what? The day was the same as the previous day and the day before that. It was my window which was bright, clean and clear.

Then I saw the light!

The window cleaner had just dropped by, literally and he had managed to clean the exterior of my windows of all the dirt, dust and grime sticking to it. He had rappelled down the building, sitting precariously in his harness, risking life and limb, cleaning windows as he went. And thanks to him, I now had a clear and fresh perspective of the world outside.

Take this situation and apply it to something else. Now what about the dust and grime on the inside? All the negativity - the grudges, the grievances, the misunderstandings and miscellaneous - that we pick up from various sources and are now sticking to the windows of our mind. Imagine all of that blocking our view and giving us an unclear and unreal perspective of the world outside. Colouring the way in which we relate and interact with people, situations and experiences in our life.

Just as the windows of our homes need regular maintenance to keep them clean and shining, don’t you think the windows of our minds need regular cleansing too?

The festival of Diwali just went by, and I am sure people cleaned their homes and decorated them for the occasion. It is time we grab a sponge and clean our minds. And see how light-hearted and light-footed you feel - enough to dance a jig or two, I’m sure!

- The reader is a resident of Abu Dhabi