a generation with a huge sense of entitlement?

Bosses complain that too many 20-somethings are spoilt, full of themselves, averse to hard work, yet expect success on a plate. So what do young professionals like Elle and Samantha say about that?

oNE can think of few occasions less suited to an outburst of spoilt narcissism: the launch of a hospital charity appeal, a campaign for the care of desperately sick and vulnerable people.

That’s what Sally Jones, a communications consultant hired to publicise the event, presumed, anyway. Then, after weeks of hard work, she gathered her team together for a final photograph, which was to be released as part of the fundraising activity — only to be confronted by one of the youngest members of staff, a slender 28-year-old blonde, throwing an almighty hissy fit.

What, you might wonder, was the reason for the drama amid such worthwhile charitable work? After demanding to inspect the picture, the young woman lost all control, says Sally, 62.

‘She burst into hysterical tears, said the photograph made her look fat and insisted on Photoshopping herself to look thinner before she would countenance the picture being released.

‘By the time she had finished, she not only looked weirdly gaunt, but the charity banner in the background had a strange wavy appearance from the photo editing procedure.

‘I was stunned that she was so focused on her own appearance that altering the picture took precedence over any money that it might raise for those in need. But, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have been at all surprised. In my experience, her generation can be entirely self-obsessed and an utter pain to work with.’

The generation of which Sally is speaking? The Millennials — those born between 1982 and 2000.

Of course, far from every young person born in these years is as foolishly self-regarding as Sally’s vain young colleague — but many view her generation as the most entitled and egotistical to date.

Indeed, increasing numbers of bosses claim ‘Millennials’ are a nightmare to employ, with 63 per cent reporting that 20-somethings and those in their early 30s require more guidance than any other age group, as well as displaying a ‘strong sense of entitlement’ and poor ‘decision-making skills’. So pronounced are these characteristics that the workplace is having to adapt to accommodate this new generation.

lAST month, ITV reportedly introduced a training module specifically designed to help managers deal with Millennial behaviour, while General Sir Nick Carter, the Army’s Chief of General Staff, said it needed help recruiting these youngsters because the internet had made them ‘slightly self-interested’, a generation who ‘want to know what’s in it for them’.

So what’s caused the Millennials — less flatteringly known as Generation Me — to become known as the most entitled generation yet? And what effect are they having on society?

First, the causes. To some extent, say experts, the Millennial obsession with social media, their need for instant gratification, and the changing nature of the job market following the financial crash are culpable. But, predominantly, this egocentric streak is caused by the Millennials’ upbringing.

Raised when strict discipline was giving way to fashionable attachment parenting — which eschews routine and rules and tends to a child’s needs on demand — from an early age, Millennials were taught to put themselves first.

‘Parents didn’t challenge their children in the way they would historically have done for fear of being seen as “bad” parents,’ explains Dr Elle Boag, a social psychologist at Birmingham City University.

‘Discipline didn’t disappear, but it started being performed in softer ways, like the naughty step, which meant children no longer understood there were alternative views to their own.’

Dr Boag says this child-centric strategy not only caused behavioural problems while Millennials were growing up, but has also led to a whole society ‘entirely led’ by the younger generation.

‘Schools and universities are increasingly under pressure to follow some sort of student-led business model. Students not only believe that they’re entitled to voice their point of view, but that theirs is the only valid view. This attitude has bled into the workplace.’

Sally Jones, the PR whose young colleague burst into tears over the charity picture, agrees wholeheartedly. And that’s despite being the mother of two Millennials herself: son Roland, 26, is a management consultant, and daughter Madeline, 24, an adviser for an economic think-tank.

‘But I brought my children up with boundaries, and as a result they don’t believe the world owes them a living,’ says Sally, from Ashorne, Warwickshire, who is married to John, 76, a retired civil engineer. ‘However many of their peers were spoilt, so it’s no surprise many now feel entitled. I’ve worked with Millennials who have brazenly taken credit for my ideas and actually answered personal phone calls as I’ve been briefing them. They’ve had conversations under my nose, not even bothering to hide the fact they’re not listening to me.

‘Their lack of respect for me stems from the fact they don’t respect their own parents, who have kow-towed to their every