5 Ways To Engage Millennials At Work
by Xavier Roy-Perras
Millennials are an interesting bunch, and they’re surprisingly easy to engage at work.
Many people over complicate what they’re looking for and have false stereotypes about them.
They’re not entitled, they’re not spoiled, they’re definitely not lazy.
In fact, since they grew up with the internet, they’re one of the most resourceful, knowledgeable, and capable group of workers.
All millennials really want is to be respected (just like any generation of worker), and to be taken seriously.
You should take this seriously, because by 2025, 3 out of every 4 workers globally will be Millennials.
Being a millennial myself, here are 5 ways that I guarantee will work to engage millennials at work.
1. Ask For Their Input
Don’t think that just because they’re younger than you that their ideas don’t count – trust me, they do.
Ask them for their ideas, you can even use a tool to collect these ideas. There are many tools that can do this, some more robust than others, but realistically you’ll want to start with a simple and free tool to test the waters.
Remember, the point of this is to increase employee engagement among millennials.
2. Be Transparent
Millennials, because they grew up with the internet and live on social media, are used to an incredible level of transparency.
They expect the same type of transparency at work, which is not normal for most traditional workplaces.
No one works well when they don’t have all the information for context, but especially millennials. They value that trust relationship so much more than others.
3. Offer Flexible Schedules
Did you know that 45% of Millennials would choose workplace flexibility over pay? Use that to your advantage, and offer them the ability to live and manage their life around their work.
Again, this all comes back to trust and respect. Trust them that they have your company’s best interests in mind and that they don’t need to worry about asking you to go for a doctor’s appointment.
4. Give Frequent Feedback
Everyone wants frequent feedback, but millennials are especially after frequent feedback.
For them, everything is instant. Netflix, Google, Social Media. This generation isn’t used to waiting around for anything.
You need to keep that in mind with work. Their attention spans are near zero, so you need to be consistently engaging them in a conversation.
5. Use Technology At Work
Millennials won’t respond well to outdated technologies or processes at work.
There are so many tools that you can use to help increase transparency and communication at work.
Slack, Skype, Facebook, Google Hangouts, any of these tools will do, but you need to remember that all millennials want is quick access to information and an easy way to get answers that they’re looking for.
You’ll notice that most of these ways are free and relatively easy to implement. All it takes is a commitment from leadership to help this group grow.
One of the biggest issues is the misunderstanding of who they are and what they’re like. Once you get past that and remove any biases you might have, you’ll be good to go.