If you don’t already employ millennials in your team, you inevitably will as more of them are entering the workforce.
While certain employers complain about the difficulty of managing millennials, these young people actually have a lot of skills to bring to the table.
They are usually more innovative and knowledgeable about current industry trends and the latest software, bringing a new edge to your department.
The trick, as with every generation, is to find a way to work with them, instead of trying to make them fit into a mould with everybody else.
How do you work with millennials? Find out in this article.
Engage Them
This new generation of employees doesn’t care too much about following the rules.
These individuals grew up in a time of open information due to the Internet, and have seen many of their peers succeed in their own start-ups without any experience.
Millennials may not want to sit through boring meetings, be forced to wear a suit and tie to work every day, and be told what time to come in.
Not sure what your younger employees prefer? Ask them!
Try to work with millennials instead of simply having them work for you.
Engage them in the decision making process so that they can feel like their contributions matter.
While in the 1950s it was common for people to stay with the same company for decades, that mentality does not apply to millennials.
In fact, a 2016 poll by Deloitte found that two-thirds of millennial respondents were planning on leaving their current positions by 2020.
This new younger generation simply doesn’t have the same loyalty and allegiance to a company, and is not as scared of switching jobs as their parents and grandparents.
To avoid losing valuable employees, make sure to find out what is important to your younger staff.
A high salary is not the only thing that’s vital to millennials, and a work/life balance may not be enough either, according to an article in entrepreneur.com.
It seems that millennials want purpose from work, which their manager must provide in order to keep them loyal to the organisation.
Provide Purpose
How do you provide purpose to your younger employees?
The first step is to include them in the bigger picture when it comes to their individual roles.
A marketing assistant can quickly get bored with similar tasks day after day, but being told that an idea for a recent campaign helped increase sales by five percent can make the person feel valued and important.
Involve the millennials working for you in the goals and plans for your department.
Explain how their contributions help the overall company, and how they directly influence the success of the firm.
This will provide them with a sense of purpose that will increase loyalty and engagement.
