5 Things Millennials Want Your Managers to Know

Here’s something for you to chew upon:

86 million millennials will be in the workplace by 2020, representing a staggering 40% of the total working population!

Scott Pitasky, the executive VP and chief partner resource officer at Starbucks, says, “Today’s workforce is more diverse, complex, and challenging than ever before. Over the next decade, businesses may succeed or fail based on how they embrace the millennial generation.”

I’m just going to let that sink in for a bit, so you know just what we’re talking about…

OK then! Let’s move on.

Does it now come as any wonder that organizations – small and large – are making all sorts of strategies to attract new talent from this pool, nurture it, and most importantly, retain their employees?

Guess not.

But wait…

o   91% of millennials expect to stay in a job for less than three years.

Less than three years! You heard (read) right! Whatever happened to loyalty and commitment? But well, that’s just how the cookie crumbles and if you’re an employer, this is not great news for you. There are reasons why Millennials walk out the door as soon as they feel dissatisfied, and I’ve got news for you: it has nothing to do with their lofty ambitions or impatience.

Here are 5 heartfelt messages that’ll help you make sense of what millennial workers are trying to tell you each time they walk out the door!

 Working smart is better than working long

Working long hours does not equate to extra productivity and results. We know that. While ‘getting the job done in the best possible way’ is our mantra, putting in extra hours is something we absolutely hate – especially if we are not even getting paid for it. This doesn’t mean that we will refuse to go that extra mile when it is absolutely necessary, but doing so regularly does not fit the bill of how we look at work. Millennials like working without sacrificing their desired quality of life. And it is important that employers understand this. Rigidity on this is your one-way ticket to nowhere.

“I wish my job were more flexible”

o   95% of millennials want the option to occasionally work outside the office.

o   74% want flexible work schedules.

Flexible work arrangement is the need of the hour for both millennials and employers. Millennials appreciate telecommuting and flexible work schedules. Chaining them to a desk, expecting them to sit in an office on Saturdays, calling them relentlessly while they’re on vacation is not such a great idea. Friends, family, traveling, working out, sports, music, cinema, and the like are things all human beings value very highly. And when work schedules conflict with these things, well, it spells bad news for you.

o   A PwC study showed that 71% of millennials (compared to 43% of non-millennial employees) said that work demands interfering with their personal lives were not acceptable.

Get the drift?

“Coach me instead of micromanaging me”

o   72% Millennials would love being their own boss.

o   79% of them want their current bosses to be more of a ‘mentor’ than a ‘boss’.

Nurturing a collaborative work culture and making Millennials feel ‘wanted’ in the workplace is absolutely essential. What can I say? They’re a sensitive bunch. They love it when you take that extra step to ensure they’re feeling good about their jobs. They love it when you trust them to take care of work without having to constantly keep a check.

They like being in control. Love them, trust them, challenge them, give them more individualized focus and face-to-face time, question them, make them part of the decision-making process, make them feel like they’re indispensable to the business and they’ll repay your faith in every possible way. Micromanagement is not only annoying, it is also something that slows down the work process and makes them doubt their abilities.

 Quick career progression – that’s the aim

o   84% millennials are worried about ensuring their financial stability.

o   56% are stressed because of having to pay down their own debt.

I don’t understand why managers find it too aggressive or overconfident when a young(er) employee expresses his/her wish to race up the ladder quicker than average. How can it be wrong to dream about bigger and better things for our own good if we’re capable enough? In this day and age, we want (and need) competitive salaries, better-than-average appraisals, additional benefits, and superior designations to stay afloat. From a long-term perspective, it will not only benefit us as self-sufficient individuals but also work in your favor, since the aforementioned things directly correlate to the motivation to work harder!

The office is where the party should be!

Who says only creative design houses and fancy advertising agencies can be ‘fun’ places to work in? Why can’t every organization make a little effort to ensure a happy, healthy office atmosphere? We’re all sick of sterile work environments and let’s face it, when you have to spend most of your day in an office, you’d at least want it to be inviting, warm and interesting.

One of the reasons why Millennials go looking for work from the comfort of their homes or outside is because they feel claustrophobic in cold, impersonal office spaces. Rethinking old-fashioned office norms is widely encouraged. Hey, nobody is asking for cans of beer here! But perhaps a slightly more vibrant and friendly work environment can go a long way in ensuring your employees have fun while they sweat it out. Be open to change.

Maybe add a little bit of color to the walls, or arrange for midday snacks, or play some great music (and we’re not talking about the saxophone-in-the-elevator-on-repeat here). Consider planning social events and team lunches, or take an office-wide survey on the most-loved activities. And plan these things during work hours so everyone can be part of it.

The whole point is – if you want millennials to work with you and stick around for long enough – start thinking like them! What do you think?

Resources:

Future Workplace

Intelligence Group

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==============================================================Prashant is passionate about people building great businesses. As a Founder & CEO of Hexagon Search and RocketHire, he is focused on building India’s most data-driven recruitment solutions firm. Passionate about customer experience, transparency & company culture, his firm works with some of the world's leading and admired companies for their talent acquisition needs.