Motivating the Millennial Workforce

The workplace has become a psychological battlefield and the millennials have the upper hand, because they are tech savvy, with every gadget imaginable almost becoming an extension of their bodies. They multitask, talk, walk, listen and type, and text. And their priorities are simple: they come first.
– Morley Safer


Motivating the Millennial Workforce

Millennials now comprise the largest demographic group of the American workforce. So whether you’re a business owner or a manager, it’s to your advantage to understand and know how to work well with this growing segment of the employment population.

When hiring millennials, it’s helpful to understand what they want and how you can potentially adapt your company culture accordingly.

Flexibility
Several business surveys have consistently shown that millennials place great value on workplace flexibility. One such survey found that of those that planned to remain at their job for at least 5 years, 55% of them said it was because the company had become more flexible in recent years. Fortunately, in the digital age, offering flexible work schedules and partially virtual options can be easily implemented because most jobs have at least some components that can be done remotely.
We dedicated a previous blog to creating that flexible workplace, and you can see it again here.

Community
Having come of age in the era of social media which allows for the connection of people without regard to geographic boundaries, many millennials have a strong longing for a sense of community. This is a desire that can be easily fulfilled by allowing them to participate in projects that require working as part of a team or in partnership with other employees towards achievement of a common goal.

Transparency
Millennials have been raised in an era where most people have instant 24/7 access to the vast information and resources of the world wide web. They are used to being able to find out just about anything about any situation and they greatly value transparency. Leaders need to be open and transparent in their dealings and communication with their workforce to attract this generation.

Professional Growth
Millenials see having access to professional growth and learning opportunities as a top job benefit. They are tech savvy and anxious to learn more skills. Because of a general bent toward ongoing learning, training is often cited as one of their top reasons for initiating the search for a new job. If you seek ideas about implementing training solutions that are cost effective for small business, see our prior blogpost that addresses that topic here.

Recognition
Millennials are accustomed to most of their activities being public, and to being immediately recognized on social media with likes, retweets, and shares. You can easily replicate this type of open recognition by setting measurable goals and targets and then publicly displaying and celebrating accomplishments.

These are a few basic steps that can be easily incorporated into most any work environment. The added bonus to adopting some of these practices, is that they don’t just benefit millennials---they actually benefit all.

IO can come alongside you in these areas and help relieve some of the struggles you’re experiencing. Reach out to me if you’d like to learn more.