Millennials have a strong reputation for being different, if not difficult, then the other generations. They are mysterious and have an inborn distrust of bureaucracy and hierarchy. Millennials prefer job-hopping in search of better opportunities. They have certain expectations from the recruiters that demand value in a very real way. They demand meaningful projects, great opportunities to flex their mental muscles. Most importantly, they seek a feeling that their work and efforts have produced results. So, this post is dedicated to all the millennials. Let’s understand who are millennials and look at 5 Awesome Tips To Manage Millennial Employees.
Who are the Millennials?
Millennials are people who are born between the years 1980-2000 which makes them the oldest members of the generation. They roughly take up almost 75% of the world’s working population. Also, according to an estimate, by the year 2025, almost three-fourths of the World’s working population will constitute of millennials. It is considered that they came into the picture after generation X. Having various kinds of backgrounds, some having troubled childhoods and unstable homes and some had parents who focused on a structured and planned upbringing. So, millennials have seen it all and experienced everything.
With such complex and diverse individual mindsets working together in one place, it may become a little challenging to know exactly how to treat them and manage them. To figure out what and what not to expect from them can be a tricky calculation. Millennials’ work approaches are surely different from other generations. However, surprisingly the differences are not much drastic. Managing the needs and capabilities of millennials is like understanding a completely new generation. So one needs to understand them without throwing all previous understandings of employee management.
Tips To Manage Millennial Employees
In this article, have 5 outstanding tips to manage millennial employees. These can help you create a workspace that is perfect for the talented millennials.
Provide Opportunities To Learn And Grow
Millennials, especially those born in the nineties, have an upbringing in a culture of immediacy and have been surrounded by stimuli. Unlike other generations, millennials are mostly impatient. They long for new experiences and they bloom on short-term goals that produce visible and effective results.
Millennials are impulsive. That’s why they end up leaving the jobs that bore them or where they find no room for growth. With them leaving, the hiring cost of your company will increase. So, it becomes necessary for managers to help them identify the important opportunities to develop new skills and add more stars to their skill set. Managers must make efforts and time to invest in the career development and growth of millennial employees. Doing so will not only help managed to engage and retain the millennial employees but also will help build and improve the skill set of employees and they’ll be able to offer more value to the company.
Encourage Teamwork
One of the major changes in the approaches of education during the decades when our millennials went to school is the inclusion and increased emphasis on teamwork and collaborative efforts. Millennials have always been encouraged to accomplish various tasks as a part of a team throughout their academic journey. That’s why, with a focus on such upbringing, the Millennials tend to have a team-oriented focus. They absolutely enjoy collaboration. Being a part of something big, makes them feel valued and this definitely reflects in their work quality.
You can structure your millennial staff in such a way that relies on every individual to work together in defined roles. By doing this, you’ll be able to take advantage of the potential strength of the younger employees. Although, personalities do vary drastically and there may be some individuals who like to work alone. But motivating the employees to take individual responsibilities and brainstorm and work together towards a goal is a great way to bring out the best in them.
Embrace Diversity and Flexibility
According to some observations, more than any other generation, millennials account for more managers and recruiters who identify as multiracial. Various studies have found, that in recent years millennials value diversity in their workplace. According to a recent study by Monster, for 83% of Gen Z candidates, a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is important. They tend to care more about jobs that offer them flexibility, autonomy, and a better lifestyle. Managers should offer flexible benefits to the millennial employees that motivate them to give their best.
While the whole workforce has shifted to being remote, letting them set their own work hours, is a brilliant way to provide a flexible working environment. Also, managers should be liberal about what millennials do and what tools they use to accomplish certain tasks.
Rethink Their Work-life Balance
Today’s young workers are experts in multitasking. They do not want to be tied to a rigid eight-hour work schedule. While previous generations had a fixed schedule and divide between their work-life hours, millennials have a slightly different approach. Unlike previous generations, they do not have a scarcity of choices related to who they want to work for. They are adamant to work on their own principles. They want to spend time with their friends, family, and want them to be a big part of their lives.
Managers need to allow employees to maintain a work-life balance for themselves. They can do this by letting them utilize some of their time in personal things like using social networking sites. They shouldn’t be forced to work for longer hours. Managers can also create a mix of socialization at work. This will help employees have a great social life at their workplace itself.
Give Them Constant and Genuine Feedbacks
Millennials always desire to be perfectionists. They would always want to know why they failed or what else should they do to make their success grander. With non-millennial workers, providing them with instructions for what you wanted them to do is usually enough. They just simply do it. But millennials are full of curiosity to explore. They usually want to know why you want them to do anything. Not just that, they also want to know how well have they done. Millennials want regular feedback from their managers instead of waiting a year for annual performance review.
Managers should organize regular meetings with them and give them feedback with honesty. Praise them when they do well. At the same time, criticize them when they didn’t with a motivational boost so that they do better next time. This level of a series of feedbacks meets their need of always doing better, learning, and growing.
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