M
illennials, the largest living generation in America, often hated for their entitlement and their unique—and often controversial views on the workplace and how it should be. Born between 1980 and 2000, millennials have developed a reputation for being unrelenting and lead diverse lives. Millennials are already dominating the workplace, in the next 10 years they will make up 75% of the worlds working population. We know a lot about Millennials, but they’ve been traditionally hard to deal with in the workplace. So to help you we have created five guidelines to help you run your businesses more efficiently with this finicky generation.
1. Make their work environment flexible
Millennials love to have flexibility at work, it has been voted one of the top priorities for millennials. This means that you as a business must be more accommodating, explore working environments based on results and flexibility rather than hours and structure. This allows Millennials to work hard and get their work done well without the hard structure of a 40 hour work week if they show the results needed. Creating a mold such as this will make millennials happier with more flexibility and potential reward involved in working.
2. Give more growth opportunities
Millennials are constantly looking for the next best thing, 41% of them are expecting to be in their current job for two years or less. How do you keep turnover low? Simply put, communication is key. Talk with millennials and give them timelines for advancement in your company. It keeps them hungry for more and makes them more likely to stay. If they cannot identify any clear objective or goal reaching in the future, they will leave.
3. Be an advisor, not a controller
With only 12% of millennials feeling like their employers help them with their career, and a whopping 30% of all millennials leaving the workplace because their career goals don’t line up with their employer. It has become necessary to provide a support structure for them so they stay with your company. At the same time, millennials hate their bosses flexing their authoritative muscles. They’d prefer that you advise them and give them informal feedback often, allowing them to tailor their work to your wants and needs. Don’t be just their boss, be a friend and mentor to them and they will be much more loyal.
4.Give a sense of purpose
60% of millennials say a “sense of purpose” is part of the reason why they chose to work for their current employers. If millennials see no point to working at your business besides money, well, you are much more likely to lose them. Thus, giving them a work environment that aligns with their ideas and lifestyles is important. Millennials are motivated to do stuff for you beyond money, especially if they feel like they are a part of something important and can positively affect other people.
5. Give millennials recognition
In the social media age, millennials are looking for that immediate satisfaction and recognition when they succeed at something. It creates a sense of pride inside of them and makes them want to work even harder to get that feeling again. They feel as if they need other people’s approval to believe they are doing good work. So when relevant, give them the recognition they deserve.
Millennial’s coming further and further into the workforce is a challenge, but also an opportunity. If we learn how to deal with them we can hone them into a weapon that can give you an incredible competitive advantage going into the future. Be flexible and open-minded and you may be amazed at what millennials can do.
