We keep hearing about millennials, and how different they are in their work attitudes and ethics. While this is largely true, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. While the boomer population is aging out of the workforce, so are their goals and expectations from employment. Millennials have grown up in a vastly different world, with access to information and technology the likes of which have never been seen before. This technical revolution is not too different from previous revolutions, and we need to adapt, just as businesses once adapted to the industrial revolution, and then to the emergence of the American Dream.
The desires for job security and a pension are long gone. While boomers wanted to earn a place in a company and stay there for 30 years, Millennials are constantly shifting focus and goals. The things that work in their life this year may not be what they want in 2 or 5 years. The primary desires for this new generation are employability, flexibility, and work-life balance. So how do we turn these goals into engagement? We focus on these needs, and how to address them in the workplace.
Employability
Having lived through the recent recession, and watched the American Dream disintegrate, Millennials are hyperaware of the challenges they face in today’s work environment. Gone are the days where a high school diploma was a ticket to a decent job and a reasonable salary, and they know it. After struggling to find jobs, they are quite hesitant to believe that they have any sort of job security, and with good reason. Because of this, millennials are always seeking to enhance their resumes and to build their career opportunities, keeping themselves competitive in the field. Keep millennials happy by helping them advance their career goals, even if it means you may risk losing them one day. It may seem counterintuitive, but if they don’t feel like their growth is being encouraged, they’ll be that much more likely to go somewhere that they are.
Flexibility
The standard 40-hour work week is on its way out, and more companies are realizing the benefit of paying for performance. A millennial may very well spend ten to twelve hours working in a single day, but may become disengaged if they have 3 hours of work to complete and are expected to stay for eight. Monitoring the output and productivity is much more valuable than monitoring the clock. Employees tend to produce more in less time when they are able to set their own schedules and tackle projects their own way. If the work can be done at home on a computer, they may feel resentful towards having to waste their valuable time commuting. Millennials are interested in collaborative discussions and teamwork, including ‘working lunches’ and other seemingly contradictory practices. Don’t micromanage, and allow them the freedom to brainstorm on their own terms, even if it looks like they’re wasting time. They’re excellent at multitasking, and the productivity will speak for itself.
Work-Life balance
Don’t be fooled into thinking that this means they want more time at home than at work. Millennials view work as an essential part of their life, an opportunity to grow and give back. A positive work environment leads to social relationships, and the digital world allows them to jot down thoughts about their next project while cooking dinner. Rather than a separate work-life and home-life, millennials want to focus on having a good life, in which challenging work is as integral to their wellbeing as eating and sleeping. They don’t want to spend all their time at the office, but they’re not opposed to putting in long hours when needed. They stay active and engaged in work in the evenings and on the weekends, and are able to multitask better than almost any generation before. For this reason, try to realize that spending 15 minutes at their desk planning a vacation isn’t necessarily hurting your bottom line, as they’ll probably spend several hours of that vacation thinking about how to tackle an upcoming project at work.
Understand what they want
The best way to keep millennials engaged in the workplace is to find out what is important to them, and help them meet those goals. Allowing them the flexibility and freedom to achieve work-life balance that they seek, while encouraging them to grow in their professional lives, will help to keep millennials motivated and productive.