Keep Millennial Employees Engaged and Watch Your Business Grow!

"Millennials, typically born between 1982-2004, are often referred to as the “Job-Hopping Generation.” 

Ouch.

As elusive as the millennial employee can be, here is what we know for sure. They are our most social generation, spending nearly 20 hours per week on their smartphones. In an article by Forbes, we are told that 82% of millennials would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options. And, with research showing that by the year 2025, millennials will make up over 75% of the workforce, it’s no longer an option for us to ignore our millennial retention strategy.

If you aren’t familiar with the organization, Great Place to Work, check them out. They examine, survey, and poll millions of employees and thousands of the best workplaces, globally. They help organizations learn how to build sustainability plans and be recognized for their cultures.

When asked about how to hold on to millennial employees, President of Great Place to Work USA, Chinwe Onyeagoro points out four primary ways to keep our millennial employees engages.

She suggests:

• Making Authentic Connections with Employees.
• Linking Their Work and Contributions to a Broader Purpose.
• Providing Access to a Diverse Array of Learning and Development Opportunities.
• Demonstrating Fairness in Promotion and Advancement Decisions.

I want to break these down for you and provide you with some stellar implementation ideas.

Making Authentic Connections with Employees

Replace typical office conversation with more genuine exchanges. Ask your employees if they have skills they are itching to show you!

Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to find out your sales manager is a world-class yodeler but perhaps they kill it on social media and have some recommendations for launching an effective Instagram ad strategy.

Linking Their Work and Contributions to a Broader Purpose

Millennial employees need to know that their contribution matters. Give each of your employees the challenge of finding their personal mission statement.

Here is a helpful formula: “I help (who do you serve) by (what do you do) which (what is the result).”

Here is mine! “I help hiring authorities to find the best talent for their organization, resulting in better workplace culture and an increase in profitability.”

Providing Access to a Diverse Array of Learning and Development Opportunities

We all know that continued education opportunities are valuable for employers, and employees, alike.

However, as employers, we often stick with the more obvious choices such as sending our best sales executives to conferences on strategic sales management. However, when was the last time you offered your executive assistant the opportunity to take a technical writing course or advanced Adobe suite program?

By investing in the growth of your staff, in unique and unexpected ways, you are showing them that you believe they have multifaceted talent.

Demonstrating Fairness in Promotion and Advancement Decisions

We used to promote our employees primarily based on tenure. I’m sure you are familiar with the age-old story…“Bob in Accounting has been with us for fifteen years so, when the Finance Manager position became open, he was the obvious choice.”

But was he?

A millennial wants to be considered for the Finance Manager position because, despite being with your company for only three years, they outperform Bob any given day. Their ideas have saved you $500K this year, and their tech savviness has resulted in the streamlining of your accounts receivable process.

Promotion and advancements based on results is the expectation of a millennial.

Despite the bad wrap the millennials often receive, they are the future of our businesses and worth every investment of time and energy. If you have a need for productive and positive employees in your organization, give me a call.

We source the best talent, from all generations!

Hats Off to Happy Hires!

Amy