Our society is growing, changing, and evolving in and out of the workplace. How do we keep up?
The leaders of today are not the leaders of tomorrow. To shape the leaders of tomorrow, we need to identify how we can help them learn, grow, and succeed in the workplace and society.
It might be scary to think about the future and how younger generations are next in line with taking leadership positions in our society and at work.
There seems to be a negative connotation attached to Millennials. They were raised differently than our current leaders were raised. Millennials have different expectations in the workplace, and it’s honestly not a bad thing. Our society is growing, changing, and evolving. Experience and qualifications aside, let’s consider what Millennials look for in their job search and learn tips on how to manage them.
Attracting Millennials to a job:
- As surprising as it may seem, monetary compensation is down the list of employee engagement. Ultimately, Millennials want career opportunities.
- In terms of the job description and responsibilities, try to stay as broad as possible. Millennials seek an opportunity to learn and experience a wide variety of challenges in the workplace. This may seem slightly contradicting because Millennials also look for structure and stability within an organization. During the onboarding phase, let the candidate know they have multiple opportunities to learn specific tasks and take on new challenges but also layout detailed guidelines and expectations for their role.
- Consider painting a picture of why this role matters in the organization and what value the candidate will add. What intangibles can you offer that your competitor can’t provide?
Millennials have certain priorities when it comes to accepting a job offer.
- Flexibility: Millennials expect and want a flexible work schedule. This doesn’t mean they want to work for a few hours and call it a day. This means having the flexibility to choose their hours while still working a full 8-hour workday. Maybe coming in the office early and leaving early or coming in later and leaving later; possibly implement a 9/80 schedule.
- Growth: Millennials want to be sure there is growth in their job responsibilities as well as growth within the organization. They want career opportunities that will offer mentorship on how to succeed, while also being able to drive their success.
- Culture: Think about this; you grow up in school and sporting activities surrounded by peers and friends. Then suddenly, you graduate college and are stuck in a cubicle all day- this isn’t what Millennials seek in the workplace. They want togetherness and friendships in and out of the office. They want to be a part of a company where they have relationships that make work fun and exciting beyond responsibilities.
- Explicit Instructions: There is a fine line between micromanaging and providing a clear pathway for success. Millennials are hungry for strong leadership and direction, and they want clear instructions and stability in their roles.
Retaining Millennials:
- Feedback: Millennials seek feedback for improvement. Letting your employees know how to improve really lights a fire in them and motivates them to be better and keep learning.
- Acknowledging Performance: They’re not asking you to fall all over their work and praise them for every detail, but a simple acknowledgment or thank you really goes a long way.