Hopefully, this title caught your attention because this article will shed light on a huge organizational impediment: Millennial disengagement.

We all know that “back in the day” most first jobs out of college equated to pencil sharpening and paper filing, and managers never told young employees how their work added any value to the bottom line of the company. But it’s 2012, and many Millennials have been told by their Baby Boomer and Gen X parents and college professors to give and expect more in their first few years in the workplace. So, it sounds like compromise is imminent and necessary.

Let’s review some facts. Dan Schwabel, Founder of Millennial Branding, shares that by 2025, 75 percent of the global workforce will be Millennials, according to the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation. There are 80 million MIllenials in America alone, which is about four million greater than the Baby Boomer generation. In a different but similar article, Schwabel explains that Millennials crave exploring the next opportunity to discover, create, and expand. Sometimes called Dreamers, this generation has an entrepreneurial nature that searches for freedom, limitlessness, and fulfillment. This is great, right?  Well, yes and no.

Yes, it’s great to know that the workplace will be replenished. However, organizations must do their due diligence now in order to ensure that by 2025, these Millennials possess the skills, confidence, and institutional knowledge necessary to help those same organizations thrive in the future. The only way to ensure success in this endeavor is to provide challenging, action-focused, and results-oriented assignments and projects.

Why highlight this fact? Often I hear from Baby Boomers and Gen Xers that Millennials act entitled and do not want to pay dues. Know this: We don’t have a problem paying dues; it’s the context in which you’re asking us to pay them in. Telling us to do something menial because your boss had you to do it at 22 just won’t fly. The dog days of workplace “hazing” are coming to an end.

Albert Einstein says that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity. Therefore, knowing the state of the economy and the workplace and trying to apply the same techniques as yesterday is action in err.  So, here’s what you can do to ensure that we pay our dues and maintain a positive disposition about it.

1. Give clear and concise contextual instructions. Tell us what you want us to do, and tell us why we’re doing. Let us know how it will help you—our boss—achieve your goals.

2. Give clear and concise contextual feedback. Tell us how we did. If positive, tell us exactly what was done and how it added value. If negative, share the ramifications of the behavior or action and allow us to craft a better vision for the future. Provide support as necessary.

3. Give clear and concise contextual recognition. Tell us why something worked. Recognition isn’t recognition unless the employee says so. Find out how we like to be recognized, and while providing recognition, tell us exactly why you’re recognizing us. Affirm the positive contribution to ensure we repeat that same behavior and action.

I know this may be difficult to digest. You may feel that we don’t deserve to be treated any differently. However, outside of the workplace, you are our parents. And as an aggregate, you’ve told us we deserve to be treated differently.

Moreover, the 2012 economy calls for it. Without Millennials, many organizations will be unable to keep up with the rapid pace of change that the market demands. Compromise is certainly imminent and necessary. Who will begin to embrace this new strategy? The choice is yours. The future of your organization depends on it.