[December 1, 2018] Millennials want to be sure their career is growing at all times and are connected all over the world by digital communication channels. With all these many unique characteristics, it can be complicated to leverage these attributes in a way that leads to success in the workplace. Here are a few tips you can follow to do this.
Mentorship
Most millennials have no problem getting guidance from their seniors as they have been receiving it from their teachers, instructors, and parents. If you fail to offer them the right guidance, the odds that they will move on to other jobs where they can get this support is quite high. Remember to encourage them to ask for any type of guidance they may need to grow in their career. And be prepared to help them find the mentor they need whenever they request for your help.
Flexible Working Hours
Millennial workers have unique priorities and want to be allowed to maintain a perfect work-life balance. They actually want to have time for leisure, family, friends, entertainment, and much more. This explains the reason they prefer to work in organizations that allow them to work at times that suit them best.
You can consider giving these workers the permission to use digital technology and work remotely from home. It can also be appropriate to allow them to work during weekends and out-of-office hours if they need. Whenever you do this, you promote productivity and boost employee satisfaction.
Healthy Manager-Employee Relations
Millennial workers are tech-savvy and are comfortable using technological devices to receive instructions, do their work, and remain in touch with their teams. As experts will likely tell you, these young workers appreciate the opportunity to interact personally with their leaders and team members.
So, as your company culture, create an open-door policy. Ensure that your employees are properly informed that they are free to communicate with their managers and superiors.
Competitive Salary Structure
In the present fast-paced world, there is a high demand for the skills and talents of millennials on a global scale. These young workers are able to know when and where they can get the jobs. If you want to retain the skills you need for the success of your business, it might be appropriate to change your perspective about the salaries and benefits you are offering. While this generation is highly interested in developing their career, they also want to get the most competitive salaries. Better promotions and positions are no longer enough to make them stay in a company.
Employee-Centered Workplace
It’s great to go beyond offering competitive salaries and benefits to make a friendly work environment. Millennials want to work in an environment where they are free to have fun and enjoy themselves. They want to make as many friends as possible within their working environments. It could be time to ask your long-time employees to make room for the millennials.
As an employer, it’s possible to ignore the many demands of millennials. It’s easy to be so focused on wanting to maximize profits. Don’t neglect to invest in them. Remember the small daily successes towards helping millennials succeed in the workplace will ultimately add up to your progress.
Your article can be wrapped into the “taking care of people” idea that Gen. Satterfield regularly writes on. This idea that employers don’t take care of their people is mostly hogwash and I’m glad you’ve added to how we can better take care of millennials.
Good point Bryan. Yes, I agree with Kevin that there are thing we can do for all employees but those in the Millennial generation should be handled with more care. Why? They generally grew up with a trophy in each hand and helicopter parents helping do their homework. 🙂
Thanks for taking an interest in the article. Millennials have just as much potential as any other generation, we just need to recognize that and not buy into the stigma that they are unruly, unmotivated, or uninterested.
🙂 I like your article, Kevin. Do you have any other websites where your articles are published?
Thanks for your interest. I have published on many different blog sites, here are a couple that relate to this article:
https://gethppy.com/employee-engagement/help-employees-find-their-flow
https://blog.getcroissant.com/blog/2018/9/27/6-ways-to-motivate-your-remote-team
Hey thanks Kevin. Very good argument on how to work with Millennials.
Thanks for giving the article a read!
Of all the things you mentioned, I believe mentorship is the most important. Perhaps that is why you listed it first. However, in my experience, millenials are rejecting mentorship or anyone who offers them help. They believe they know best.
Sadly, this is an issue for most young people fresh out of college. I have found that once they get some real work experience, go through some failures and struggles, and realize that they don’t know everything, they start to open up to mentorship. I would suggest that you allow them to try it their way (as long as it doesn’t put anything important at risk) and give them a chance to experience reality. If they succeed then great, if not then you will have an opportunity to begin a mentoring.
Thanks for the reply, Kevin!
Nice article, Kevin. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us on General Satterfield’s leadership pages.