Millennials in the workplace
Alright – let’s just get this out of the way. I am a millennial. And a proud one at that. But if we’re honest, millennials tend to get a bad rap, especially as it pertains to the workplace. Many labels exist; however, organizations must think about how they can work to understand this generation and their impact, and once that understanding occurs, take steps to meet millennials where they are. In doing so, it can increase their engagement and likelihood of staying with an organization, which in turn impacts the organization’s bottom line. Small steps should be taken to tap into the mindset of millennials and create ways of appreciating them to ultimately achieve success.
The importance of understanding millennials in the workplace
In Gallup’s (2016) report on how millennials want to work, it details their findings of millennials as employees. It is increasingly important for organizations to work to better understand millennials as this generation has topped Baby Boomers as the largest population segment at 73 million (Crbkovich & Clarin, 2019). The percentage of millennials in the workforce will continue to grow over the years, thus organizations must act now to restructure their business models and workplace culture to appeal to this rising generation.
Furthermore, Gallup’s report indicates that 55% of millennials are not engaged at work. When employees are disengaged, there is ample opportunity for high turnover, low staff and patient satisfaction scores, poor morale, and deterioration of profitability and innovation. Moreover, “millennials’ lack of engagement costs the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually in lost productivity” (Gallup, 2016, p. 10).
If there is no movement to understanding millennials, the economy, the workplace, and even worse, the millennial generation, could suffer as a result.
What millennials desire in the workplace
What do we do with this information? It is vital to not only know the current landscape, but to also learn ways to navigate toward understanding millennials as employees and keeping them engaged. Many organizations and leaders make a valiant effort to seek to understand this generation and try to interpret what they are looking for, so the workplace thrives. To help in this endeavor, here are some highly prized workplace attributes that are valued by millennials (Gallup, 2016):
- Frequent feedback and interactions: Ongoing, continuous feedback, recognition, and communication are key for this generation’s relationship with their leader. This goes beyond an annual performance evaluation. Research proves when leaders regularly meet with their millennial employees, the employees are more engaged. Likewise, even non-millennials felt more engaged when they had regular meetings with their leaders. While a leader’s day is often jam-packed, frequent, meaningful, and even brief, daily interactions with employees can have a considerable impact on engagement. Whether face-to-face, email, or phone, leaders should take the steps needed to communicate more with their team. Additionally, consistent coaching opportunities to enhance the development of these employees is critical.
- Focusing on strengths: While it is important to be aware of weaknesses and limitations, these should not be the focus. Far too often, employees feel that their weaknesses are maximized while their strengths go unnoticed. Leaders can work with their employees to develop strengths and see how these can be brought to new heights for the advancement of the employee, team, and organization. In fact, “Gallup has discovered that weaknesses never develop into strengths, while strengths develop infinitely” (Gallup, 2016, p. 4).
- Purpose over paycheck: Earning a sizeable paycheck is not the main driving force. Instead, this generation wants to be connected to a larger purpose. Millennials want to find meaning in their work and seek organizations with missions they believe in. While compensation is essential, it is not the determining factor of whether a millennial will join or stay with an organization if purpose is lacking.
Call to action
Recognizing who millennials are as people and employees, and avoiding stereotypes, is crucial. Knowing who they are as individuals helps increase understanding of how this incredible group wants to be regarded in the workplace, how they select organizations and roles, how they will perform, and how engaged they will be. Gallup (2016) attests to this by stating “When companies fail to understand and value the millennial mindset, they fail to create work environments that attract and retain this group” (p. 17).
As a leader, consider how you can better serve your millennial employees. Can you have more frequent, meaningful interactions with them? Can you recognize them more often for a job well done? Or maybe, can you help them develop their strengths and find a greater purpose in their role? Let me know how you intend to reach this rising, purpose-driven generation.
References:
Crbkovich, P., & Clarin, D. (2019). How millennials are reshaping healthcare’s future. Retrieved from https://www.kaufmanhall.com/ideas-resources/ebook/how-millennials-are-reshaping-healthcares-future
Gallup (2016). How millennials want to work and live. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238073/millennials-work-live.aspx
