The way millennials relate to work is changing the way we all approach life on the job. As more employers look for ways to recruit millennials, they’re making changes to the way they relate to all generations of employees when it comes to work styles, benefits, flex time and more.
This week I bring you a collection of articles that look at the various effects millennials have had on the workplace, and how your company can more effectively attract and engage these young employees.
- What Millennials Really Think About Work. FastCompany: “If a millennial finds an employer that provides a warm, family-like environment for them to build their career, they are likely to be very loyal. Contrary to the stereotype of the millennial job-hopper, the survey found that 80% of millennials expect to stay with four or fewer companies their entire career and a surprisingly high 16% expect to stay with their current job for the rest of their career. So it might be time to start scheduling some one-on-one time with the younger members of your team. And feel free to ping them via Gchat to set up the meeting.”
- To Attract Millennials, A Company Changes Its Product And Workplace. NPR: “LifeSize CEO Craig Malloy says that two years ago his company’s culture and products were outdated. The clunky big-screen televisions and swiveling cameras it manufactured were being replaced by computer and phone applications. Malloy, a baby boomer, says he needed millennials to help create smaller and simpler technology. So Malloy instituted a company face-lift modeled after Silicon Valley startup companies. He introduced employee perks that appeal to young people, like group exercise and free food. And Malloy says the changes are paying off.”
- Millennials Thinking Outside The Cubicle from StarTribune: “People are quitting office jobs to tend bar and focus on art or music. Others are working for themselves, or as occasional contractors in order to travel or spend more time with their children. ‘We’re the generation of the Great Recession, and we’ve seen a lot of institutions fail us,’ said Tom Allison, an analyst at Young Invincibles, a millennials think tank. ‘Whether it’s the financial institutions, or real estate, the housing market. A lot of the drive to sort of get a bigger house and fill it full of stuff has been eroded.’”
- 4 Ways to Convince Millennial Workers to Stick Around. Fortune: “Show them a career path. Despite what often looks like a disjointed series of short-term moves, Millennials are ‘intensely focused on the long term. They want to see how their current job fits into their whole career plan,’ says Kris Duggan, CEO of BetterWorks. ‘By having open conversations about how to be successful at different levels throughout the company, and what it takes to be promoted, you can take something very abstract and make it real.’ Talking about the future might also give Gen Yers a reason to look for their next job in-house, instead of somewhere else.”
- Want to learn more about millennials and their approach to work? Read my white paper:
