5 Workplace Trends to Engage Millennials

Millennials will comprise more than one of three adult Americans by 2020 and 75 percent of the workforce by 2025. As such, working environments are evolving to accommodate the new millennial workforce, and leaders need to learn how to effectively lead this young and inexperienced generation.

Millennials take up space, harm productivity, and distract from daily objectives. They have many dreams but no passion. Sound about right? Wrong. Team members in their 20’s have just as much to offer as seasoned professionals. They are in tune with current technology, speak the language of younger consumers, and view problems from a different angle.

Lack of guidance is the problem, not millennials themselves. Leaders must take on a different role and nurture their talent and teach the young team how to succeed. Here are five tips and trends to help you position millennials to realize company goals.

Millennials Need More Flexibility To Succeed

Leaders understand that each employee is different and needs a little flexibility to succeed. This is especially true with millennials. Younger workers grew up in a different environment than most seasoned professionals. They tackled morning classes, evening jobs, and all-night study groups.

Some millennials are more creative at night, while others work better at the crack of dawn. A Bentley University study shows 77 percent of millennials say choosing the best schedule to fit their personality actually helps productivity.

Just don’t loosen the reigns too much. Giving freedom to select a better schedule is great, but some companies need teams that are available during normal business hours. Never create a situation where the schedule hinders the business.

Create a Structured Environment

And yet, while flexibility is a must have, leaders who are responsible for millennials typically make a common mistake. They offer up too much flexibility and don’t offer enough structure. Your seasoned team may understand the unspoken rules. Millennial's want you to voice expectations. College professors instill a sense of protocol and organization within students. They carry this need for information into the workforce.

When they know the objective, deadline, and process, millennials will give you the best performance. Communication is the key here. Sit down and communicate each project requirements using clear, descriptive language. Encourage note taking and questions. Follow up periodically during the week to see if they need any more information, but don’t micromanage. They become anxious when eyes are constantly watching their progress.

Learn To Love Technology

Have you ever watched a millennial at the coffee shop or library? They are plugged into several devices at once. They love technology. You must learn to love it too. Your millennial team will avoid verbal communication and, worse still, snail mail like the plague. Start integrating video conferencing, in-house messaging such as slack, email, and other online collaboration tools.

Forbes recently reported that 89 percent of workers between the age of 20 and 30 check their work email after business hours. They want to get a head start on small tasks and communications before starting a busy morning.

Set High Standards

Our young workers may have high ambitions, but they often set the standard. They aren’t slackers or lack desire; they simply don’t understand the level of performance needed for each task. A good leader will set these standards for them. Clearly communicate the performance standards you desire. Never step in and do the work for them. It only encourages defeat.

On the other hand, don’t set the bar too high at first. Too many expectations will overwhelm millennials and set them up for failure. Give them baby steps. Teach them what you expect for the first task, and incorporate what they learn in future projects.

Don’t Penalize Failure

We’ve been taught to reward success and punish failure. This only goes so far with millennials. Penalizing failure leads to low self-esteem. They don’t see it as positive criticism or behavior modification. They see it as a personal failure. Millennials need encouragement and coaching.

Rather than focus on what they did wrong and expect them to learn from mistakes, provide feedback on a different method. First comment on the positive aspects of the project.

“I like the way you organized the report according to importance. It helps us identify inefficient processes faster.”

Follow up with a positive criticism to mistakes.

“Organizing the hardware and software costs into separate subsections is nice. Let’s go ahead and list them together under technology. This makes it easier for accounting.”

Leaders who ignore the positive aspects and focus on what they did wrong will hinder professional growth. Another method is to sit down with the worker and collaborate on the first project. This gives you a chance to get to know them, teach valuable skills, and prevent costly mistakes.

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Danielle Lucido is a Leadership Director at Linkage Inc. a global leadership development consulting firm specializing in accelerated leadership programs that develop leaders worth following.

Danielle currently resides in Greater Boston area with her dog Zoie. She has her Masters in Science in Leadership from Northeastern University and has over 18 years experience in leadership roles in business services, education management, executive coaching and consulting.