5 Things Millennial Workers Want You to Know

Often labelled as entitled, fickle-minded, and over-ambitious - Millennials have got this undeserved bad rap. Since day one, they have challenged the status-quo audaciously and have been quite vocal about their needs and expectations unlike other working generations.

With the inclusion of more ‘younger’ workforce in ProofHub, we’ve managed to be an interesting mix of Millennials and Gen X. Being a CEO, I’ve had multiple instances to work and interact with Millennial workers.

From such encounters and experiences, I do feel people tend to get a little hard on them for no solid reason as such. Millennials know exactly what they want and expect your cooperation and guidance. Along with this, they are also quite concerned about the following three things:

• Work: Millennials don’t want to do anything that comes their way. They want exciting, interesting, and challenging work. They aren’t afraid to experiment, try new approaches, and even create new job titles when required. This being said, this generation is also quite clear about when not to work to have a better work-life balance.
• People: Work-culture comes first for them. Reportedly, they consider their coworkers, manager, boss, and friends in the workplace as an important factor to continue with an organization or not. So, if there isn’t great work-culture in your company, they won’t stay for too long.

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• Future-growth: Millennials want to advance in their respective careers as they take professional growth very seriously. They want to be acknowledged, appreciated, and rewarded for their efforts.

With such much dedication and enthusiasm, Millennials can make great employees, if you are open enough to accommodate their needs. Let me share five things every Millennial worker wants you to know.

Let’s check them out:

1. They want to make an impact

While talking to these young professionals, I’ve realized that they have a keen desire to make an impact. Being part of an organization where their voice is heard and effort is appreciated is their number one priority.

Perhaps that’s the reason many of them are saying no to high-paying jobs and choosing the ones they are passionate about. They want money but not at the cost of their happiness and contentment.

2. They want you to relax your policies

Millennials aren’t so fond of traditional workplace rules and restrictions. Probably, that’s why many companies are coming up with ideas of casual dress codes and flexible working hours to attract and retain the younger workforce.

They don’t want to stay in an office till 7 PM when they’ve already completed their tasks by 5 in the evening and that makes sense to me. If you refuse to change with the times, it’s your business that will get hurt the most.

3. They don’t want to be micromanaged

No one likes it when someone is constantly hovering above their head to know the progress after every hour. And Millennials are no different.

If you give them the freedom to bring new ideas, implement them, experiment with approaches and bring new methodologies, you’ll get a happier and relaxed work environment.

4. They expect both appreciation and feedback

Today’s generation is quite straightforward. These guys are the first ones to applaud if something is genuinely good and criticize if things are otherwise. They expect the same treatment with them.

They would appreciate if you are valuing their efforts and recognizing them. Also, constructive framing of how they could improve and providing necessary feedback could motivate them to do better.

5. They want you to encourage them to grow

Millennials are serious about career development and advancement. They are eager for opportunities, self-improvement and appreciate if organizations help them strategize their career in the best way.

So, don’t hold them back rather encourage their growth by facilitating learning and certifications that increase their knowledge and makes them a better asset for the company.

What do you think?

I do believe this generation of workers are very smart and credible. By providing them direction and enough guidance, they can become valuable assets for your organization.

What else does Millennials want their employers to know, let us know in the comments.

Author Bio:

Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder and CEO of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. He’s one person always on a lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams, and organizations. You’ll find him saying, “Let’s go!” instead of “Go!” many times a day. That’s what makes him write about leadership in a way people are inspired to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.