There are 80 million millennials in the U.S. workforce –and they will represent 75 percent of all workers nationwide by 2025. They are members of the last generation born in the 20th century – and they are the future. So as an employer, you need to understand their motivators, leverage their strengths, and help them develop to their full potential.
What Makes Millennials Tick
Before you can determine ways to engage millennials, you need to know what motivates them. Millennials want:
- To advance and grow: They are “go-getters” who don’t want to wait around for more responsibilities or for a promotion. Millennials want creative work that continually tests their abilities and produces quick results. Tedium is not on their agenda.
- To have their social conscience fed: Research has shown that 90 percent of millennials want to use their skills for good. For many, this trumps even higher salary as an incentive to join a company. They want to work with purpose – and their want their workplace to be aligned with their own values.
Be a Life Coach
The average millennial spends less than three years at a job. This may stop you in your tracks – until you realize that employees at any age today spend an average of only about four years in one position. Many defining traits of millennials, as well as steps you need to take to retain them, also apply to your best employees of any generation. Technology continues to evolve at breakneck pace and the global economy has undergone changes of historic proportion – for everyone.
As an HR professional, think of yourself as a life coach, especially as you transition more millennials into your workforce population.
- Provide incremental progression. Millennials are competitive. They want steady, fast advancement. To accommodate this, consider adding in-between steps and titles. Give them frequent, solid markers on their journey to the top.
- Share company vision. Creating purpose around a person’s role at your organization resonates well with any employee, but millennials, in particular, want to feel that their work is valued, appreciated and recognized.
- Invest in skills development. Millennials will work extremely hard when you get serious about investing in their personal and career development. They want opportunities to learn from people with strong expertise. Offer strategic, ongoing training and create mentorship opportunities with your older-generation star players. Give millennials chances to develop ideas and projects that excite them. Empower them to make decisions and take ownership of solutions.
- Don’t just talk about making a difference – do it. Millennials want to move the needle on social and environmental issues. They want to work for organizations that are transparent about how they use their technology, resources, and talent to make positive change. Make a continuous effort to help all your employees get involved in the community. Match their contributions to local causes, sponsor fund-raising events, and remember to acknowledge their volunteerism among their peers.
As you embrace the workplace of tomorrow and adjust your talent management strategy accordingly, call upon the hiring and workforce development experts at PrideStaff Fresno to help you succeed. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.