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What’s wrong with millennials?

January 28, 2020

If you came to this blog looking forward to some merry bashing of anyone born after 1980, you may be a little disappointed (although we suggest you carry on reading). We see lots of posts on LinkedIn discussing how difficult it is to employ and retain millennials, how they’re entitled, how they require constant positive feedback and praise, but maybe there’s something that employers are missing. There has to be a reason why the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the average millennial has held 7.8 jobs between the ages of 18 and 30. 

Millennials are the largest generation in the active workforce and will continue to make up a significant proportion of those in paid employment for the next 20 years, so it seems reasonable to consider what they want from their workplaces. An Udemy study in 2018 interviewed 1,000 millennials about their careers and employers and discovered some fascinating insights. 59% of those interviewed had been working for their current employer for more than 3 years and wanted to be loyal and stay with their company. Interestingly, 42% said they looked for learning and development opportunities from potential employers while the same percentage said that their current employers didn’t provide substantial development training. 

In an era where it’s becoming increasingly difficult for younger generations to get on the housing ladder, afford childcare or save for the future, it starts to become understandable that if a business isn’t providing their employees with hope for growth in the future, they’ll find somewhere where the grass is greener. In much the same way that we have had to embrace new technology and processes over the last 20 years, maybe we should now begin focussing on embracing new working practices. 

Create a place where people want to work

Pool tables, relaxed office dress, and slides between floors (yes, they do exist), may be headline grabbing, but the next generation of workers wants something a little more substantial. That 42% of millennials interviewed who said they wanted learning and development opportunities are the ones who will stay with a business if they are offered a decent training programme and the potential for career growth.

Work should be fun as well though, so don’t completely rule out a ping pong table or a fun lunch club, just don’t make your recruitment all about it. 

Begin creating career roadmaps

The Dakota Blue team love a career roadmap, with development meetings and one to ones carefully plotted along it. In much the same way that a potential employee has to show you why you should employ them, so you need to show them why they want to work for you. Within this, employers should push the concept of continuous learning and development, not only for the worker’s current role but in preparation for their next role. Doing this shows that there is an investment being made in your employees’ futures. 

Encourage a supportive work environment

Creating a workplace that is supportive and understanding not only increases productivity, but also improves staff retention. Whether it’s introducing flexible working, embracing and understanding mental health in the workplace, reassessing work/life balance, or implementing regular team building activities, your whole workforce will see some benefits (not just the ones under 40). 

Digitalise your business

One thing that is undeniable is that millennials are incredibly tech savvy. What’s even scarier is the generation behind them are even more so. Digitally transforming your business makes it easier for the new workforce to access it and it can be by doing something as simple as embracing the cloud or introducing team communications apps like Slack. For many businesses, a move to digital can also have a knock-on effect of improved opportunities for flexible and home-based working.

 Consider your green credentials and corporate responsibility

For many younger workers there is a growing focus on business ethics. They are the ones pushing Veganuary and are the least likely demographic to own a car. Thinking about what your business does to make the world a better place not only is a great thing to do anyway, but also makes you a more attractive employer. 

So, to answer the question “what is wrong with millennials?” there really isn’t anything wrong with them. They just represent change, which we should probably be embracing instead of pushing it away. 

If you would like to chat about how you can implement more training and development opportunities in your workplace, get in touch.