WORKPLACE 3.0: DECODING SERBIAN MILLENNIAL GENERATION’S WORK BEHAVIOR

The largest living cohort, the millennial generation, stands at the zenith of its intellectual and physical prowess, dominating the global labor market. Millennials’ behavior in the work environment diverges markedly from previous generations’ behavior, as it is shaped by unique economic, political, and socio-cultural contexts. Accustomed to “living uncertainty”, this generation often neglects organizational togetherness and actively pursues only personal career growth. (Un)expectedly, this has led to a quite controversial work reputation. Stereotyped as disloyal, reliant on constant guidance, with a lack of initiative, having commitment issues, and appearing to be self-centered, millennials are perceived as “challenging” employees. Conducted research endeavors to offer a profound exploration of the millennial generation’s workplace attitudes and behavior, addressing notable knowledge gaps in current (national) labor market literature. The desk method, along with the extensive literature synthesis, provides insight into the complexities of millennials’ organizational loyalty and work ethic, commitment and satisfaction, and advances the general scientific conversation surrounding the mentioned labor market participants’ behavior in Serbia. The research results indicate that millennials are a generation notably distinct from all that preceded it, possessing both strengths and weaknesses that can be debated, but also the generation that undeniably presents the most highly skilled employee group that till today entered the labor market. Expectations are that research will benefit HR managers of public/private organizations in Serbia who have integrated millennials into their work teams. By utilizing research conclusions, organization executives may adeptly identify and timely address negative attitudes and detrimental work behavior among millennial personnel.