When it comes down to a team, we want one that does a great job, works together well and is motivated to stay on. While it is relatively easy to ensure the first two, keeping everyone motivated has always been a tough one and is becoming even tougher these days. As millennials take over the workforce, it is evident that earning their loyalty is quite a different process than it was before. So will millennials become a productive part of your team or will they move on even before you can sense something’s wrong?
We all have some idea about the standard millennial – they are inconsistent, disloyal and ready to bolt as soon as something better comes along. So what should you as a manager do to make sure your team does not fall apart every few months? Well first we need some clear data about what makes a millennial tick and luckily, Deloitte has already done the job for us.
According to their Millennial Survey 2016, 66% of millennials surveyed are expecting to leave their organization by 2020. While this is expected, realizing that 2/3 of the workforce is planning on leaving is still unsettling. Most of us would certainly like to avoid that fate. So let’s see why exactly this generation is willing to do so.
When it comes to millennials, there are 3 key factors they consider to be much more important than the generations before – self-realization, successful business definition and their values.
Self-realization
First, it is very important for millennials to feel like their skills are being fully developed. Ability to progress, learn and become better at what they do is one of the most important aspects when evaluating a job opportunity and 63% of respondents believe they do not have that in their current position. So the very first thing you should consider is developing a plan to help them achieve that and ensure they get ample opportunities. The best part is that you are benefiting yourself in the long run, having better qualified employees working for your team.
Successful Business Definition
The second thing to note in your quest of appealing to this generation is understanding what they see as a successful organization. Contrary to the belief that success comes down to popularity and money, millennials take on a more holistic approach and want to work for a company that provides a great product and treats their employees and customers fairly. So when motivating a prospect you will need to prove your team fits this criteria instead of solely relying on the possibility to earn good money and work for a famous brand.
According to the survey, 63% of millennials say they evaluate business success on product and service quality, 62% on employee satisfaction, 55% on customer satisfaction and only 29% on turnover. When you come to think of it, these priorities are very close to the values of Agile, thus we could make an assumption that an Agile organization could be a more appealing one. And considering some organizational changes might not be a bad idea when trying to attract this generation.
Millennial Values
The last important thing to note about millennials is that 56% of them are willing to rule out working for an organization based on its values. So what drives this generation? 16.8% says its work-life balance, 13.4% says opportunities to grow and lead, 11% says flexibility, like remote workplace, flexible hours and 9.3% are looking for a sense of meaning from the work. Therefore, no matter what your current processes are, you will have to become more nimble and flexible in order to accommodate this workforce and ensure they have plenty of free will on the daily basis.
The millennial view of the office and office relationships is quite different from the generations before – they are less loyal, want more freedom and fulfillment. However, that does not have to be a bad thing. You can give them opportunities to grow, thus making your team more professional. You can adopt more modern management practices that would ensure your product is the exact one the customer needs. And you can give them more freedom ensuring that when they do sit down and perform their tasks they are actually productive instead of just clocking hours. It all depends on how you look at this generation that often gets quite negative reputation, but the fact of the matter is they are the future and it’s not them that will have to change, it’s you.
