Log 2

This week, I worked on developing a draft of an interview protocol (attached) and writing down some anecdotes (i.e. memoing, also attached) that have been informing my thoughts and interests for this project. I thought a lot about my positionality in this research; I recognize that I am a Millennial about to join the workforce and am interested in determining my “workplace ethic.” Am I out to prove that when I want to draw boundaries in the workplace, I’m not entitled but somehow a radical activist chipping away at capitalist demands of labor? (LOL). I’m challenging myself not to fall into the pitfall of aiming to prove a predetermined hypothesis.

One challenge I encountered this week is figuring out how I will navigate the IRB process. My next steps include finalizing my interview protocol, collecting all the pieces I will need for the IRB and getting that information to the Board.

Memo #1:

I went to a career-oriented event for women with my mom in New York two years ago. A woman spoke to the group about the need to set boundaries: set them from the get-go, she said, because they become really hard to establish later on. I went up to her afterwards and told her I’d just finished my sophomore year of college and would be entering the workforce soon. I asked, what advice did she have for me about setting boundaries? Her statement didn’t apply to me, she said. I needed to put in the work first, pay my dues, build credibility. Fearful of being perceived as an entitled Millennial, I let it go. But had she not said if we wait to set work-life boundaries, setting them will inevitably be futile if not impossible?

Memo #2:

I have thought a lot about the distinction between behaviors I personally consider “entitled” and ones I see as advocacy for a better environment. Earlier this year, a superior who I trust at Bowdoin made a positive comment related to my body that bothered me as a person who has had an eating disorder. I called a friend and shared how it made me feel. I ultimately decided to talk to my superior about the comment. I told myself I was doing so because she may encounter other similar situations and may cause a similar reaction, though I know it is her intention to support the students with whom she works. We had a good conversation, and she was unsurprisingly receptive.

At the end of the day, I, a student, approached a Bowdoin staff member, a superior, to tell her that I felt she had done something “wrong.” Perhaps this kind of dialogue is encouraged in a college setting, but just as students advocating for themselves with professors can be coded as entitled, so could this behavior.

I think many of my peers would have given her a strike; they would have complained about her, told her friends, potentially commented on her ability to do her job and support students. This reflects an expectation of social perfection, of accommodation for every aspect of personhood an individual brings to a given space. As a result, my intuition codes this behavior as truly entitled.

When Millennials engage in behavior that is coded as entitled, I find myself asking if they are they expecting better or asking for better? Perhaps this matters to me because of James Cairns’ definition of the myth of entitlement: “young people today, more than at any point in history, take for granted the bounty they’ve inherited and expect to have praise and a good life handed to them without anything in return” (Cairns 2017, 2). When Millennials are aware of reality but seek to change it, is it fair to weaponized “entitlement” to stop them?

Interview Script

 Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today. As you might already know, I am conducting a study about Millennial aspirations in the workplace. I would like to talk with you today about your experiences in the workplace so far, as well as your hopes for your career and workplace environments. This interview should take about MINUTES? After the interview, I have a quick survey for you to fill out.

I may ask you some questions you consider personal. You may skip any question you do not wish to answer and you may end the interview at any time. Your answers will be seen directly only by me and Professor Greene and your name will never be used in association with anything you share, even with Professor Greene. I may use your comments in reports on this research, but no personally identifying information will ever appear in any reports. The biggest risk to you by participating in this study would be a breach of this confidentiality, though I hope to make this risk as small as possible by never including your name on any documents associated with your interview and storing all files in a secure location.

I would like to record this interview to help me remember what we’ve talked about. At the end of the interview, I will type up a record of our conversation and then I will completely delete this recording. The typed record will not contain your name and will be stored separately from your consent form in order to protect your privacy. You may stop the recording at any time. In fact, I will put the recorder next to you and show you how to stop the recorder.

Before we begin, I have a form for you to sign that says you agree to participate in this study and describes the procedures to maintain confidentiality that I just discussed with you. I will give you a copy of this form. My phone number is on there if you have any questions or concerns about this study after you leave the interview today. [Have respondent sign consent form and give respondent blank copy.]

Like I just mentioned, you may skip any question you do not wish to answer and you may end the interview at any time.

Do you have any questions for me before we begin?

May I begin recording now? [Begin recording now.]

Interview Questions (Draft)

• Can you tell me about what you do for work?
• Can you tell me about your transition from school to work?
  • Did you face any challenges?
  • Did you feel prepared?
  • Did you seek advice?
    • If so, what kind of advice did you receive?
• Are you satisfied in your job?
  • Do you find your work fulfilling?
• What were you looking for when you were searching for jobs?

Career

• I realize this is a big question. It’s okay if you don’t know the answer. What are your plans for the future in terms of school and career?
  • What events, people or experiences have had an impact on your plans?
    • Family
    • School
    • Work
  • Have your educational and career goals changed?
    • If so, how?
    • Can you identify what impacted those changes?
• What does / would satisfying work look like to you?
• What would fulfilling work look like to you?
• What are your career goals?

Work-Life Balance

• Can you tell me about your current work-life balance?
• What would ideal work-life balance look like to you?
  • What experiences and people have had an impact on your plans?
• Can you tell me about what you envision for your personal life in your future?
• Can you tell me about your priorities related to your work and life?
  • Can you give me an example?
  • Do you anticipate this changing over time?

Workplace

• Can you tell me about your ideal workplace?
  • Can you tell me about how your workplace compares to your vision of an ideal workplace?
• What has shaped your ideas about what it means
• Have you attempted to set any boundaries in your workplace?
• What makes a good workplace?
• When you think about you career and the type

Direct Qs About Entitlement

Lately there has been a lot of buzz about the ways in which Millennials are entitled, and how that entitlement manifests in the workplace.

• Have you ever worked with people you would consider entitled?
  • If so, what characteristics/ traits cause you to consider people entitled?
  • Can you give an example?