5 tips for managing Millennials

Millennials. This is a phrase that has been thrown about for a few years and has been stereotyped by others. We’re talking about Generational Differences. The world’s workforce is made up of varying Generations with approximately 25% of it being in the Millennials (also known as Gen Y), with circa 21% Gen X and 18% from the Baby Boomers era.

Most of us who have looked into Generational Differences have heard the stereotypes of Millennials. They aren’t loyal to a company, they want progression without the hard work, and they don’t know how to deal with real life setbacks. While there might be some truth in these stereotypes, which could also be said about other Generations, Millennials definitely have their strengths. Let’s take a look at some of these characteristics and analyse the impact on the workplace.

Millennials are loyal – but to values and not people   

Millennials need to feel that they're adding value to the workplace, that everything is being done is contribution to the end goal. As their manager, rather than focusing on conforming to your leadership or organisation, focus on what their purpose is and communicate the organization’s goals openly.

During their upbringing Millennials have lost the typical hierarchy that has been enforced in previous generations. The Traditionalists, Baby Boomer and Gen X were raised in a more militant style, having a commander or leader at the top of the organisation whilst the Millennials have been raised on a collaborative approach with everyone treated as a peer. During school, they would have had a strong relationship built with their Head Teacher who will have not been deemed to be more senior to any other teacher, meaning everyone is equal.

Bad bosses won’t be respected  

It’s important to understand how best to work with people from different Generations to not be categorised as “bad boss”. Gen Y were the coddled kids. I remember getting a gold star at school just for tidying up the stationary cupboard once. They’ve been rewarded continually at school and this should be continued into adult life. They will test authority because they have never had a regimented leader before and will come to leaders for guidance. Having an open and honest communication is paramount to Millennials. They want to be a part of everything and feel involved in the organization’s changes.

Learning through experience  

A manager should understand this way of approaching tasks and continuously give their employees realistic challenges to tackle, just like the video games they used to play, and let them develop new skills to reach their goals.

Millennials are also known as the Video Game Generation, often being given a game with no instructions and yet have been able to successfully complete games whilst ‘dying’ numerous times. This is a skill which can also be applied to the working environment. Millennials often throw themselves into a task or experience with little planning, often failing however continuing to find new methods of what works to get the desired result.

Millennials will be more experienced   

The world for Millennials has not been a safe and consistent place and because of that they have had to adapt new skills, take more risks and learn in a very different way. Their predecessors in the workforce have learnt in a natural way, from books, stories and classes whilst the newest generation have learnt in a more ‘non-standard’ way. Information is available immediately so Millennials have gained small pieces of information from numerous sources, learning a topic one minute and another the next. The great news for the workforce is that this group are experienced in dealing with complexity and continuously develop their skills as the world evolves.

Millennials will enter the workforce with more experience than any other Generation before them. They would have witnessed September 11th, the war on terror, the growth of the HIV/AIDs epidemic, the Financial crisis of 2008 and experienced a world in which Climate Change has always been a major issue.

Allow them to be heard in an age in which social media is prolific in their day-to-day lives, Millennials are in a more creative age where free speech is a common practice. We have all heard of stories where people have been sacked for slating their organisation or manager on Twitter, equally allowing the employee to speak freely can have a positive effect and encourage new ideas for business opportunities.While managers should make their employees aware of unintended consequences, they should encourage Millennials to think beyond the traditional ways of doing things.

Monotonous tasks seem pointless

In order for someone to become an expert in a role or industry, people must also indulge in the non-exciting however important aspects of their job. This is something Millennials are not keen on doing.

As their manager you should emphasise the importance of doing the ‘dull’ parts of their job which is applicable to the impact of their role to the business. Make sure that entry-level talent know the deeper understanding of all aspects of their role. This will help them grow into more senior roles as they progress.

Companies have been great at getting Millennials into the workforce, however retaining them has been an issue. By following these steps, Leaders will be able pick out the strengths of these employees and in turn, develop the future leaders in the workplace.

Any other tips that you can think of from your experience?