Making sure that all of your employees feel like their work is worthwhile is important for the long-term success of any company. However, younger workers who hail from the Millennial generation tend to have a different idea of what it means to be interested in their work. What are some tactics that employers can use to help their Millennial workers feel good about their jobs?
Millennials Love to Help Others
Many younger workers believe that their company should be a good citizen within the community. Therefore, it may be a good idea to tap a younger worker for the role of community outreach coordinator or allow a younger worker to take on community outreach projects as a side role. This will enable them to do good work both on the job and in the community at the same time and make them proud to work with such a progressive and socially conscious employer.
Millennials Need Meaning to Stay Interested
Millennials don’t place as much value as the older generations did on job titles and large paychecks. Instead, they want their work to be meaningful and enable them to gain skills that will help them throughout their careers. For instance, you may have one of your accounting employees write a blog about how fiscal literacy can help them become financially secure. Another way to do this may be to allow your financial department to start a microloan program that helps kids learn about money or helps locals on a fixed income start a business. When given the opportunity to embark on such a task, a Millennial will think of working for your company as less of a job and more of an opportunity to make a difference with sufficient resources to do so.
Millennials Need to Be Connected to Others Whenever Possible
Millennials care deeply about the relationships that they forge with others both socially and professionally. In many cases, close friendships begin at work or through some other professional endeavor. Instead of forcing your younger workers to get off of their phones or social media accounts, you should allow them to create and leverage personal relationships in an effort to enhance your own company. Another way to fulfill the need for constant connectivity is to create common areas where employees from various departments can come together to play games, watch TV or just chat during breaks, while on lunch or before and after shifts.
Millennials Need to Move at Their Own Pace
While Millennials are often cited as lazy or unmotivated, the truth is that they enjoy being the masters of their own destinies. They will work hard as long as there is something to work toward. One way to help a Millennial progress at their own pace is to use human resources software to keep track of their pacing. Using HRIS software to bring your HR processes into the digital age can help you monitor your employees’ training and job responsibilities simply and efficiently. This way, you can keep track of what each is doing and will be more informed when you check in on their job satisfaction. For Millennials, the start of a new job may coincide with moving into a new apartment or starting grad school, which means that having the flexibility to take care of paperwork and other smaller tasks will be much appreciated.
Despite their reputation, Millennials work hard, if not harder, than those in other age groups. Employers would be wise to see that they have grown up in a world that has rapidly evolved and changed around them. Meeting their needs may enable you to develop leaders of the future while also gaining insight into new ways to run your company that can make it stronger both now and years into the future.
