Managing Millennials at the Workplace: What Should You Do?

The Millennial generation are generally accepted as those born between the 1980s and 2000, and have gradually established themselves as the majority of the workforce. As they begin overtaking the workforce from their predecessors, new technologies and a transformation of the workplace have ushered in the need to refresh existing management strategies targeted at Baby Boomers, the previous primary contributor to the workplace. Due to generational differences, millennials tend to have different opinions and aspirations for the workplace, and it is up to organisations to devise alternative methods of management to effectively engage with this new generation of the workforce.

For employers, the hiring process represents a convenient opportunity to clarify specific organisational goals, and to root out any particular concerns for Millennial interviewees. By highlighting aspects of the workplace which appeal to Millennials, such as inclusiveness and interactivity, organisations are able to attract and retain quality talent within the organisation. This is an integral part in preventing loss of talent, given that the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016 has shown that 44 percent of Millennials would leave their current employers within the next two (2) years, whereas two-thirds of Millennials would leave in four (4) years if given the opportunity to.

  

Another aspect of Millennial employees which should be emphasised upon is their need for flexibility. Millennials have become accustomed to receiving personal messages at work, and working on projects from home; work schedules and workplace attire has also shifted from traditional structures, with Millennials priotising flexible schedules and casual wear. Organisations have the option to detach from traditional forms of management, and consider allowing Millennials to work under a more casual climate to enhance their productivity. Should organisations provide leeway in this regard, employers can enforce clear project goals and deadlines to ensure that organisational targets are met. This prevents abuse of the flexible arrangement provided, whilst giving Millennials a functional itinerary to adhere to.

Providing frequent feedback is also an effective way of managing and motivating Millennials to perform in the workplace. By providing rapid, constructive responses to their questions and enquiries, organisations can gauge the proficiency of their personnel, whilst also giving recognition and support. Another form of effective management is for organisational leaders to have periodical informal meetings with Millennial employees, to provide them with a platform to voice concerns regarding their work or of the workplace. It flattens the traditional hierarchical management structure, and introduces a horizontal organisation which allows for effective two-way communication between leaders and their personnel.

As more Millennials enter the workforce, organisations can consider adjusting management strategies to incorporate Millennials into the workplace. Included below are excerpts from articles discussing strategies to manage Millennials, strategies which provide detailed insights on how organisations can manage Millennials effectively. 

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“For Millennials, the lines between the personal and the professional have been permanently blurred. The days are over for separating one’s work life from home life, or even maintaining some basic level of work/life balance.

In large part, these changes are due to the ubiquity of mobile smartphones and digital communications. Millennials have become accustomed to getting their personal messages in the workplace. Companies that hope to retain their best talent can no longer enforce bans on personal messages at work. At the same time, Millennials feel comfortable taking business messages on mobile devices at home or on the go. The boundaries between work and home are not so much porous as they are non-existent anymore.

Millennials are also easily frustrated by bosses who equate employee performance with the number of hours spent at an office desk. This dynamic is causing many workers to request new metrics that better gauge their effectiveness.” – Brian T. Anderson, CMO of POPin

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“Millennials have been managed their entire life. Play dates, school activities — from early on, adults in their lives have made sure that their time and focus was used wisely. Perhaps it is this experience with management that makes Millennials difficult to manage: they crave opportunities to make their own decisions instead of having them made for them.

So what’s a manager to do? Quite simply, you lead Millennials instead of managing them.

Gone are the days of micromanaging how employees work, where they work, what they wear, what they can say, who can approach leadership in the hierarchy, and mind-numbing communication red tape.

Millennials are looking for leaders (both as a leading company in an industry, and leaders within the company) who, according to the Deloitte study, place the most emphasis on employee well-being, growth, and development, instead of controlling the work experience of each employee. They believe, according to that study, that “an organization’s treatment of its employees is the most important consideration when deciding if it is a leader.” – Rob Wormley, Head of Content Marketing at When I Work

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Benjamin Lee Cheng Han | Benjamin is a student of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, currently exploring unchartered realms in the Public Relations field. Writing is clearly his interest – a decisive contributor to his foray into the public relations industry. To date, he boasts the proud record of having tamed one of the office cats, and drinking expired tea from the pantry.