Jessie DaSilva is a 34-year-old intuitive mindset coach and business consultant from Tallahassee, Florida who recently went viral on TikTok for the "millennial rant" she sent to a reporter who emailed asking for her expert opinion on "what perks millennials want in the workplace."
In the video, which has been viewed over 500,000 times, Jessie reads her response to the reporter: "The biggest mistake I see is companies assuming millennials want perks, nap pods, snack rooms, free avocado toast, or whatever else. Those things might seem cool on a company website, but they will never make up for a thrive-able wage, good benefits, vacation time, and the ability to learn and grow with a company."
She continues, "Millennials are currently in their 30s-40s, which means these are experienced workers likely at the point in their careers where they're looking for stimulating management jobs that also leave adequate time to spend with a growing family, friends, pets, or aging parents. These are not entry-level applicants. As a generation, millennials tend to be highly qualified."
Jessie makes many other very valid points (seriously, watch the entire video) before sharing what she believes millennials DO want and need in a workplace, listed below:
-Pay them well above minimum wage, with at least a 5% raise every year to accommodate for increased cost of living
-Benefits that cover mental health and infertility treatment
-A minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation time (legally mandated minimum in most developed nations)
-Sick leave that includes openness and the need for mental health days
-Paid parental leave that reflects a home where both parents work full-time and don't receive any homemaking support
-Opportunities to hone existing skills, learn new skills, receive certifications, mentorship, etc. all done on company time as opposed to paid leave
Finally, she closes with this banger of an observation: "A nap pod costs between $8,000 to $12,000, which would go much further on a salary retaining a talented millennial than giving them an afternoon nap."
Many people flooded the comments of Jessie's TikTok, sharing her sentiment while also pointing out how ridiculous it can feel to constantly be offered "perks" instead of decent pay and benefits:
BuzzFeed reached out to Jessie, who said that she immediately felt "angry and indignant" when she received the pitch from the reporter. "I think I legit saw red for a second when I read the request. Like many millennials, I can’t stand articles that paint my generation as entitled and sensitive when every single person I know is worked to the bone and grossly underpaid."
She continued, "By the way it was worded, I could tell this was gearing up to be another one of those out-of-touch pieces about entitled millennial workers with hollow advice around how to create a tempting company culture without spending any real money on workers’ salaries."
Jessie also noted the three biggest misconceptions she still sees millennial workers branded with after all these years: The idea that millennials are "lazy, entitled, and sensitive."
"I believe 'lazy' came from millennials having an attitude that they don’t want to wait until retirement to enjoy life. They want balance. They want to spend time with their kids. They want to travel. They want to work with the least amount of stress and mental illness as possible."
As for the "entitled" moniker, Jessie cited the fact that many people in the generations that came before millennials and Gen Z — *cough* Baby Boomers *cough* — still struggle to understand today's economic landscape outside of their own lived experiences.
"Most people understand the concept of inflation and how the value of the US dollar changes over decades, but many Baby Boomers seem to get stuck on the numbers on paychecks instead of what they represent. Wages might be higher than they were 40 years ago, but according to the Pew Research Center, they have the same purchasing power as they did 40 years ago. That’s like saying you’re paying 2021 prices with 1980 dollars. ... That means if you’re making $51,000 in 2021, it has the same value as if you were making $51,000 in 1980."
And lastly, as for millennials being labeled as "too sensitive": "I truly believe that because so many millennials often feel disrespected in their careers, they strive extra-hard to make those who are even more marginalized feel respected."
"The issue is that American work culture is not serving anyone," Jessie told BuzzFeed. "It might sound like I’ve demonized Baby Boomers in my responses, but they haven’t been served well in their careers, either. Neither have Gen X workers. The problem is that those generations feel powerless to change anything, so they don’t try. And part of them are still holding out for the American Dream."
Meanwhile, "Millennials and Gen Z have been so beaten down that they feel fed up and out of options. These are generations that believe the American Dream is dead. All that’s left is for them to take hold of their power, leave toxic companies, and start businesses that can eventually be a haven for employees."
When asked what she thinks needs to be done in order for millennial employees — and employees in general — to feel happy and valued in their jobs and careers, Jessie responded, "Wages are where it starts, but definitely not where it ends. It’s also about giving paid time off that workers feel comfortable using. It’s about maternity leave that doesn’t force people who have given birth to come back to work when their infant still needs constant care or when their bodies are still actively healing. It’s about benefits that cover mental health and infertility treatments, which are generational curses thanks to the chronic stress and anxiety these issues have given us. It’s about creating company cultures that encourage learning and growth, rather than hiring middle managers who see ambition as a threat."
"I want millennials and Gen Z workers to know that the reason people are starting to ask these questions is because companies are beginning to panic over the 'worker shortage' (which, we should honestly start referring to as the 'shortage of workers who have a higher tolerance for mistreatment')."
