Much Maligned Millennials, Time to Drop the Labels?

Millennials are a much discussed sector of the workforce, who are often subject to less than flattering commentary and stereotypes (lazy, snowflakes, dreamers anyone?); however, is the maligned Millennial simply misunderstood and as such misplaced in a workplace setting?

If you look (as the recent Eaga Trust-Field Fisher report did) at ‘what Millennials want’, their aspirations are not so different to any other generation.  They want to feel valued, to develop themselves personally and professionally, to make a real difference, to have feedback they can work on.  Of course our constantly evolving digital world means that technology and data are crucial in the day to day of most jobs and their correct application means we have an ever increasing degree of mobility and flexibility in the workplace which suits this slice of our society perfectly – after all, they have never known anything else, unlike some of our previous generations for whom working from home was quite the novelty!

So how to unlock the full potential of your workforce Millennials?

• Glaringly obvious, but oft ignored, talk to them about what it is that they want and need from you. Ask them for their input and ideas, start the conversation.
• Everyone needs a good work/ life balance so give them flexibility where possible and trust them to do their job well without needing to be under the watchful eye of a supervisor at all times!
• Offer mentoring and skills development programmes, they are hugely valuable to both mentor and mentee. Sharing knowledge is a good thing.
• Show them what the company or brand means to you, what the values are, not just the bottom line. Are you as a company socially responsible?  Do you help out in your local community?  Be proud to share it with them.
• Ensure that everyone has their voice heard, and that the views from the shop floor are not only heard but as important as those of the management board. An open culture is a prosperous, forward looking one.
• Give them the right tools to do their job well, that means good hardware, the opportunity for additional training, flexibility and trust to work effectively and independently as needed.
• Millennials are notoriously tech savvy: make full and unapologetic use of them! Ask for their input, their ideas, their help, their creativity (and make sure they are credited/ rewarded for it!).  We all like to feel valued.
• Above all, the physical and mental wellbeing of all staff is crucial to your company. Hose that feel happy, healthy and appreciated are proven to be more innovative, more productive, loyal and far less likely to take sick days.

As you can see from our non-exhaustive list above, there is no ‘big secret’, just transferable skills and values, good communication, mutual respect and reward.  Maybe it’s time to drop the labels?

Interested in finding out more about options for Employee Ownership in your organisation? Emma Wise at Postlethwaite Solicitors would be delighted to hear from you.  They offer a free no-obligation initial call or meeting with companies exploring employee share ownership, and promise not to bamboozle you with the many acronyms the industry is famous for!

Remember to tell Postlethwaites we sent you to guarantee your free consultation and be sure to come back to E&P when you need support in starting those employee conversations and communications, it’s a good idea to start engaging around those values and behaviours and individual motivations way before any change.

Like what you’ve read? Sign up to our employee engagement newsletter to hear more, fresh from the blog.

Engage & Prosper is a UK based privately owned Employee Engagement Consultancy and Social Enterprise, on a mission to help organisations develop a highly productive and fulfilling workplace culture, with their people, through enhanced employee engagement strategies, fabulous and effective internal communications platforms and tailored reward and recognition programmes.

For more information on Engage & Prosper or to discover how we can help you achieve your organisational and people goals please call +44 (0) 330 223 0464 or find out more at www.engageandprosper.com