5 Things Millennials Expect from their Jobs
Do you have a clear strategy for recruiting the top millennial talents and retaining them effectively? Well, we are well aware of the fact that millennials make the largest working generation in the contemporary business world. In fact, in the coming years, millennials will represent more than 75 percent of the global workforce.
Having said that, it is quite evident that your organization’s future will be centered around millennials. In simple terms, having intelligent and agile millennials will be vital for your company’s success. On the contrary, if you simply sit back and do nothing, the same millennials will add great value to your competitor’s success.
Therefore, it is essential for you to frame effective strategies for hiring the top millennials and getting the best out of them. For that, you first need to understand what millennials expect from their jobs. Having said that, you can then align your hiring and recruitment strategies with what millennials want from their job. In this way, you can also solve the complex challenge of high turnover among millennials.
This blog highlights the various expectations millennials have from their employers and organizations. As a business leader, you can also look at these expectations as essential factors that can drive great talent management in the context of millennials. So, let us get started without further delay.
Below are factors that bring out the best performance in millennials.
5 Things Millennials Expect from their Jobs or Employers
#1. Practical learning experiences
Millennials are better known as a job-hopping generation. However, it is also true that millennials are more committed to learning and development than other generations. Millennials want to learn in a continuous way to evolve their professional capabilities. In fact, most of them will also go the extra mile to learn more and grow their career better.
To substantiate, as per Gallup, more than 87 percent of millennials opine that workplace learning is of utmost importance. Millennials are quite competitive and hence, they are willing to make the most of the development opportunities on offer. This explains why millennials look forward to effective and practical learning experiences.
Having said that, to get the best out of your millennial talents, you need to offer enriching learning experiences to them. The traditional way of employee training is something millennials may not be much interested in. To explain, in times of gamified learning, mobile-friendly learning, and LMS, millennials expect advanced learning prospects.
Millennials exhibit high engagement when they see their organizations invest in their careers. If you can do that effectively, there is no way your millennials would want to leave your organization and look for other jobs somewhere else. You will see employee retention levels improve dramatically. In fact, with that, you can also create an impressive employer brand that can attract the best millennial talents.
#2. Regular feedback sharing
Feedback sharing is an essential element of performance management and employee engagement. Employees are more engaged when they receive regular feedback from their managers and seniors. To validate, HubSpot reveals that around 40 percent of engaged employees receive feedback every week. Besides, 98 percent of employees will struggle to remain engaged if they receive little or no feedback.
Speaking of millennials, in particular, they expect feedback sharing to be even more continuous. Since they manifest great commitment to continuous learning, they show high receptiveness to feedback. They look forward to constant guidance and support from their superiors to improve their professional credibility.
Therefore, based on this expectation, your organization needs a regular feedback mechanism. With regular feedback sharing, you can assist your millennial talents to enhance their efficiency in an incremental manner and through career development training.
#3. Flexibility and autonomy
Flexibility is the new normal in this revamped corporate world and millennials are quite obsessed with the idea of workplace flexibility. Millennials are of the view that flexible work arrangements help them in being more productive. Further, they also feel that flexibility can be a key to an optimum work-life balance.
To substantiate, as per Ernst and Young, more than 50 percent of millennials will quit their current jobs for greater flexibility. For them, flexibility is one of the most vital expectations. Millennials want to work on the go and be the masters of their own time. They want their organizations to empower them with flexibility and autonomy. When they feel empowered, they respond with greater loyalty, commitment, and diligence.
#4. A purpose-driven approach
Millennials are more than happy to work for organizations that share a larger purpose beyond profitability. They want their organizations to assist them in bringing a positive change to their surroundings. Having said that, millennials expect their employers to work for social and environmental responsibilities.
As per Forbes, more than 60 percent of millennials will deny a job opportunity from an organization that does not have impressive CSR policies. Further, more than 80 percent of millennials will be more loyal to their organizations when their organizations contribute positively to social and environmental welfare.
This is where businesses with strong core values of collective welfare can be at a competitive advantage. They have the best chance of attracting top-notch millennial talents that can bring unique skills and perspectives to the table.
#5. Recognition and growth opportunities
Not only millennials but employee feels great when they receive recognition in the workplace. We have all felt a sudden spike in our motivation whenever we receive appreciation from others, especially from the management. For millennials, the value of recognition is far more significant than for others. When they feel appreciated, they are happy to put in additional efforts for their teams and organizations.
Also, millennials expect advancement opportunities from their employers without any bias or favoritism in the workplace. Millennials have strong virtues of equality and they make their claim to better roles entirely based on their skills and performance. Millennials would not want to be a part of an organization that does not offer adequate and fair career advancement opportunities.
In Summary: What Millennials Expect from their Jobs
To encapsulate, millennials are the future of the global workforce. Today, most organizations are laying great emphasis on attracting the top millennial talents and finding unique ways to engage them.
For your organization too, hiring exceptional millennial talents is important. To be able to do that, it is essential that you align your hiring and retention strategies with the above crucial factors.
Autor Bio: Kiara Miller
Kiara Miller is a keen enthusiast when it comes to writing and she loves to express her views, opinions, and perspectives through her insightful articles. Also, as a content marketing specialist, she loves to design effective content campaigns and has a great knowledge of the kind of content that engages readers the most.
Photo credit: ce.uci.edu
Comment (1)
Yes. Millennials expect their jobs to be fulfilling and meaningful. They are not just looking for a job that will pay them well. They want jobs that will make them feel like they are making a difference in the world.
Millennials have been raised with technology and social media, so they expect their jobs to be more flexible and less stressful. As a result, millennials are more likely to switch jobs frequently or take on freelance work if their current job is not fulfilling or meaningful enough for them.
In order to attract millennials, companies should provide work-life balance, an open-door policy for feedback, training opportunities, and opportunities for advancement.
Thanks.