Four Ways To Attract And Retain Millennial Employees

Millennial employees will make up a third of the global workforce by 2020. This means that companies and employers have to slowly make changes to the work environment. If you want millennial employees at your workplace, and you want them in big numbers, then the office needs to be millennial-friendly. However, this doesn't just include a casual dressing code and letting people bring their pets to the office.

Why Attract Millennial Employees?

Millennials are often called the 'can do, will do' generation. They're creative and want exciting work where they can use their skills, learn and grow. Unlike other generations, millennial employees are not robotic drones at work. Instead, they want to enjoy what they do. As a result, they always try to give their best at the workplace which is good news for employers and companies. But if you want to hire more millennial employees, changes have to be made to the working culture. Here are four ways to not only attract but also retain millennial employees!

Millennials have completely adopted technology at the workplace. According to a Robert Walters survey, 67 percent of millennials said that technology was the reason for inter-generational conflict at the workplace.

Mentors, Not Bosses

Millennial employees are not big fans of strict hierarchy at work. They like a friendly working culture where everyone can, despite their designations, treat each other with the same respect. Millennials are quick learners. So they prefer bosses who act as mentors, teaching them rather than scolding them for every mistake. “At my workplace, we all call each other by our names instead of 'ma'am or 'sir'. This fosters a sense of equality and friendship. I think respect for work, rather than respect for designation is what millennials like,” says Anshita Agarwal Gupta, Senior Manager HR at Primarc Projects Pvt Ltd.

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Flexible Working Environment

A flexible working environment is very important to millennial employees. This doesn't just include casual dressing codes, but that's also a perk. Millennials want autonomy and independence, rather than constant supervision. They like responsibility and they like being trusted to carry the responsibility out. Millennial employees also value the freedom to telecommute. In a millennial survey by Deloitte, more than half of the respondents said that working remotely improves productivity. Moreover, three quarters said that they'd prefer to have more opportunities to work remotely. Sujay Das, sales head at Life Plus Medicines believes that “with younger employees, it's important to allow them to work from home sometimes. Restricting them to the same space is not a good idea. It also helps to provide flexible working hours instead of the typical 9-5.”

Meaningful Vision And Brand Story

Millennials, more than any generation before them, are aware and concerned about social issues. They want to feel like they're doing something good for the world, whatever it may be. Make sure that your brand story aligns with the values of your millennial employees. “A meaningful mission statement is the most important. Millennial employees want their work to have an impact. Think about it: what is your company doing that can help other people? And lead with that to attract young talent,” says Puma Raja, Public Relations Manager at AGM Marketing.

“At my workplace, we all call each other by our names instead of 'ma'am or 'sir'. This fosters a sense of equality and friendship. I think respect for work, rather than respect for designation is what millennials like,”

Digitize

Millennials have completely adopted technology at the workplace. According to a Robert Walters survey, 67 percent of millennials said that technology was the reason for inter-generational conflict at the workplace. Moreover, 59 percent said that they would be more likely to take up a job if the employers used the same technology they did. They don't want to only work from 9-5. Millennial employees like to stay connected in real time using a host of services and apps. “We're always connected through instant messaging and social media. This doesn't hurt the work-life balance. Rather, it makes sure that we are present at our most productive hours,” according to Rita Dey, Public Relations Manager at a reputed school in Kolkata.

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Picture Credit: Livemint

Prapti is an intern at SheThePeople.TV