A few weeks ago, I received an email likely familiar to many millennial attorneys: a Friday, 8 p.m. communication informing me of an unavoidable work emergency that would require me to scrap some of my weekend plans. It is an email I have received multiple times over the course of my career. Emails such as this have occasionally prompted me to caveat plans I make with friends or family with a disclaimer that my availability is tentative.

It may surprise some that I largely do not mind legitimate and unavoidable interruptions from work to my personal life. Like many others in my generation, I value purposeful work and consider my career growth and development to be a top priority. When a work emergency arises, I often look forward to the opportunities to ensure that clients get what they need and add immediate and cognizable value to a matter, tackle complex issues and think on my feet.  Although the work I do may come at the expense of my personal life in that instance, what makes the sacrifice acceptable is the prospect that there will be times in my life when work will not be as active and can take a temporary and relative backseat. In other words, I will be able to achieve a work-life blend.

Millennials enter a workplace culture unlike any other generation. Technology has provided both the possibility and the expectation that employees stay connected throughout the day and every day. The expectation of availability, although pertinent to previous generations as well, may disproportionately affect millennials who may be viewed as needing to “pay their dues” by working hard and being responsive to their managers' and ultimately, clients' needs.