By now you’ve probably heard, read about, or even studied about how Millennials are taking over the workforce. In the US, about 33% of the workforce is comprised of Millennials, and by 2025 millennials will encompass (don’t hold your breath) 75% of the global workforce. What’s positive is that Millennials in the workplace are bringing a new fresh perspective of how business is conducted, with companies such as Uber, AirBNB, Slack, and Spotify challenging the status quo of their respective industries. On the contrary, there is a long-held perception that Millennials are considered selfish, a product of “helicopter” parents, and a group that seeks constant recognition for their participation. As millennials are reshaping industry dynamics, your business too must adapt to a millennial-friendly organization.
To future-proof your business’s long-term success, your organization will need to lead and live by well defined foundational principles in order to effectively engage with the modern millennial. In fact, QuestionPro and WorkXO have teamed up to shed some light on organizations reaching its potential through maximizing millennial engagement in next month’s webinar – Millennial Engagement Webinar. Amazon bestselling authors – Maddie Grant and Jamie Notter will break down specific internal capacities that companies must develop to successfully engage Millennials. The question you need to ask yourself – Are you ready for millennials to reshape your workplace?
Picture the following scenario: A group of executives decided that their organization needs to be better “Millennial Aligned.” However, when you look at their agenda there isn’t any time allocated to discussing how to improve millennial engagement through alignment of corporate culture. The cornerstone question that needs to be addressed in aligning millennials is how to foster an environment which promotes a “sense of purpose” in each contributor/employee. Here are three core foundational principles to engage with millennials in the workplace:
Don’t Fake it, Just be Yourself
Millennials are a diverse crowd that was taught at a young age to follow their dreams. Each one brings a unique perspective into the workplace. Creating an environment where being yourself is encouraged and should be viewed as a gift as long as intentions are inherently good. The culture of openness and hyper-tolerance of people can only help benefit your organization collaborate and create winning ideas. Additionally, incorporating a risk tolerance questionnaire into your organizational practices can help millennials and all generations’ employees make well-informed financial decisions aligned with their aspirations and values.
Invest in Your Dreams. Grind Now. Shine Later
The concept of hard-work often gets confused or blurred by millennial demands work-life balance. Millennials long for fulfilling and challenging work. Modern workspaces might be littered with fun distractions from work but if work leaves a millennial unfulfilled, the millennial will often find elsewhere to work. Millennials find the hustle mindset rewarding because they tend to enjoy overcoming adversity. By instilling beliefs of hard work and dedication within millennials, companies can benefit enormously with the grit and tenacity millennials offer to an organization.
Don’t Miss out on the Little Things. Celebrate Life!
Millennials are passionate about everything related to and surrounding life and are optimistic to make the world a better place. Companies must envision what the future can be and celebrate the heroic efforts that make it a reality. If an organization is able to show millennials how to create value for the organization, they will have a feeling of belonging and give you their best.
Millennials are a different breed of employee and that means to drive the greatest impact business leaders need to understand and consider the core human values driving behavior and the new context shaping these generations. The most critical question we have to answer is what is going to happen tomorrow, instead of what’s happening today. Understanding how to develop the future of our business is the most critical investment we can make for the long-term health of our organizations. For your business to stay relevant, Millennials must be part of our future – how will you keep them engaged?
Stay tuned to our upcoming webinar – Millennial Engagement Webinar where Maddie Grant and Jamie Notter will explore research from their book, When Millennials Take Over. They will reveal ways you can determine how your company’s culture resonates with millennials and how best to position your organization for long-term success.
We will be raffling off two free SIGNED copies of When Millennials Take Over. Register for the webinar, and enter the chance to win a free signed copy.
