Last Updated: Aug. 26, 2014

As members of the Millennial Generation begin to enter the workplace, employers are quickly realizing that they will be facing a new phenomenon dubbed helicopter parenting. Hovering, ultra-protective, and unwilling to let go, helicopter parenting reflects the closeness of today's young people with parents. Research shows that levels of parental involvement differ based on an employer's size, location, recruitment tactics, and the type of positions they offer. Most employers will naturally react to this sort of intrusion by treating the parents like a disruptive nuisance. However, employers need to recognize that helicopter parenting is part of a larger generational shift, and will only increase in the decades ahead. Institutions such as schools, colleges, and the military have already effectively responded to helicopter parents by enrolling them as allies in their children's hiring and employment experience.