Millennium Generation

is shaking up the workplaces!

10 Tips to Help you Manage Millennial Employees

In ten years’ time, the millennium generation will make up 75% of the global workforce, and by now, they are already its largest segment. Still, the rumour goes they are difficult to handle in the workplace, entitled, cynical, stubborn and disengaged.

Is there any truth in these rumours or we simply don’t have enough understanding for the generation that longs to accomplish great things but at the same time wants the freedom to do it on their terms?

Here are ten great tips to help you understand your millennial staff better and successfully manage them:

    1. Provide Feedback

All of your employees require feedback in order to feel more engaged with the work they do, but for millennials, it’s essential. Growing up in an era of connectedness, millennials are used to receiving instant and continuous feedback, as well as having the opportunity to ask questions, comment and share their opinions.

However, even though they crave evaluation, they will rarely ask for it. It is on you to increase the amount of feedback you provide and ripe the benefits – studies show that having regular meetings doubles the likelihood of their engagement. 

    2. Acknowledge their Efforts

Apart from the feedback, your millennial employees need constant affirmations to feel that they are doing a good job. Tell them on a regular basis that they ‘ve managed a task effectively or that you appreciate their input. There are many other ways to show them your appreciation for a job well done:

•   Give positive feedback during the meeting in front of the whole team.
•   Post about their accomplishment on the company’s social media profile.
•   Give your millennials a recognition day off.
•   Grant them a monetary bonus.
•   Give your employees more responsibility as they will see it as a challenge.

   3.  Recognize Diversity

Your millennial employees will hardly be satisfied with “one size fits all” management solutions. They want to be valued and appreciated for who they are and want to be treated as individuals. Some of them prefer face-to-face recognition, while others thrive on a public appraisal. Some need constant directions while working on their tasks, while others want to manage the complete process through on their own. Recognize their diversity and respect it.

      4. Give them Ownership

Millennials are often considered entitled,  and the best way to handle this feeling is to provide them with responsibility. This means that you should define an area that they can completely own and that they can use to improve their knowledge and their decision-making skills.

The feeling of responsibility and ownership will make them feel more engaged with their work, and your constant feedback and acknowledgement will boost their overall work satisfaction.

    5. Be Flexible

Millennials long for professional freedom. They don’t question much what needs to be done, nor are they bothered by the deadline. However, they require the tools they need to get the job done, as well as the freedom to decide how they will finish their task.

To get the most out of this generation, give them the freedom they desire. Offer flexible working hours whenever and wherever you can, as well as a chance to work in flexible locations. If they have a task that they have resources to finish at home, give them the freedom to complete it the way they find it most suitable. The results will surprise you. 

    6. Provide Adequate Tools

Provide your digital natives with adequate tools to enable teamwork and boost their productivity while working flexible hours and on flexible locations. There are many organizational solutions that can help you keep all of your important information in one place, as well as create collaborative space for your employees, assign tasks, set dates and monitor the activities. 

With such tools, your work processes will be transparent and under control, while your employees will still have all the freedom and resources they need to be efficient.  Consider trying out free trial solutions in order to identify all the benefits.

    7. Avoid Labels

We all hate labels that other people put on us, especially when they’re related to negative criticism. By criticizing someone’s work because they’re a millennial, you’re not being constructive and pointing to their behaviours which they can change for better. You’re just making a generalization based on their age, which is void of meaning.

    8. Grant them Reasons to Stay

Millennials want to develop professionally, and they want to know that they can move up in the chain of command. According to Gallup, 59% of the millennial workforce say that opportunities to learn and progress are very important to them when they’re applying to the job. To keep them, you need to provide such opportunities, as they are always looking for ways to gain new skills and improve the current ones. 

    9. Give them Meaning

While some would walk an extra mile because of money, and some because of job security, millennials are motivated by the purpose of their work or the mission of their company. 

92% of the Millennium generation believe business should be valued by more than the profits they make, while 84% find making a difference more important than their professional recognition. Help your millennial workforce find meaning and see the purpose larger than themselves in the work they do.

    10. Value Work-Life Balance

Statistics show that millennials value their personal life highly. As a matter of fact, only around 20% of the millennium generation could be convinced to give up their private life in order to earn more money.  If you want to keep them satisfied and engaged with their work and prevent them from churning, it’s your job to support them in achieving work-life balance.

Make sure your company is flexible enough to provide your employees with enough vacation days and days off, and that during those days they are not disturbed by work.

Millennials are the workforce of today, and they will be the workforce of tomorrow! Understand them and adjust to their needs in the workplace, and watch them and your business thrive.

author: Peter Minkoff 

chief editor at High Style Life

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