Millennials are the future of the business world. They will contribute the highest to the overall global workforce in the time to come. And with that rise in number, measures to keep them satisfied, happy, engaged, and motivated at work are also expected in the not-so-distant future. The responsibility of providing such an environment will lie on the shoulders of organizations and managers. And if they are not up-to-the-mark, it will become challenging for them to attract and retain top talent from the millennial talent pool. The most important thing is that organizations need to be completely transparent with millennials at work.
If they aren’t honest and open, they will likely find it hard to build trust with millennials. This younger generation of employees wants their employers to not hide anything from them, whether it is good or bad. The reason is, millennials at work consider their office their second home and their co-workers their family. They want to invest in their company’s development in whatever way they can. However, when a company isn’t transparent, it could hurt the sentiments of these employees, which will detach them emotionally and mentally from contributing to the company’s success.
Open discussions and dialogue can go a long way in helping organizations be transparent with millennials at work. When businesses let it all out when it comes to what’s happening at the deeper level, it makes employees feel more involved and valued. This motivates them to work harder for the success of the company. When organizations keep things from their employees, they make them feel like outliers, which could be very demotivating for some millennials. It is not just about informing employees about milestones or failures. Organizations need to make employees a part of these events. Make them come to terms with challenges and learn how to overcome them. Doing this will create a workforce for the future that can operate in the toughest of environments and handle the most complex of challenges with relative ease. Dictating terms won’t get organizations anywhere, especially when getting the best out of millennials at work. They need to make employees a part of the decision-making process.
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Motivating millennial employees can be challenging, especially in these testing times. And getting used to working from home can take time. To not make employees feel engaged, organizations can be a little more flexible with their work timings, especially for employees working remotely. Employers should see to it if work from home is adversely affecting the work-life balance of their employees. If it is, they shouldn’t wait any longer and redesign their remote working policies to not put any more burden on the shoulders of their employees. And if flexibility isn’t doing any harm to the productivity of employees, there is no reason why employers can’t offer them more flexible ways of working from home.
It is also essential for organizations to not keep millennial employees in the dark when it comes to their career progression. Millennials are exceptionally driven to achieve more incredible things in life. They are quick learners and want to apply those skills to progress further in their respective careers. To motivate them, organizations need to understand how they can achieve their future goals with them. They need to chart a growth chart for millennials.
Organizations that proactively participate in the development and progression of their employees don’t have to do anything else to keep them motivated. And when employees have a clear future in mind, they are likely to put more effort into working for the growth and success of their company. Also, organizations that can present their employee’s ample growth opportunities don’t have to see them leaving soon. It’s essential to make them realize that they can build a successful career with their company.
Performance reviews are still conducted every year at most organizations throughout the world. However, millennials want to discuss their performance with their managers regularly. Knowing what they are doing great and where they lag behind can help them maintain their performance in certain areas and work even harder to get better in others. In addition to performance management, this is also an excellent way for employees to connect with managers more frequently. Meetings held weekly or even fortnightly can also enable employees to communicate their needs to their managers. This also breaks boundaries that usually exist between teams and their managers.
Diversity and inclusion is a fundamental matter for millennials. If they have to choose between two almost similar companies in every other parameter, they will go with the one devoted to diversity and inclusion. Their upbringing has been such that they don’t differentiate between people based on race, colour, sexuality, and gender. And they want the organization and people they work with to follow the same philosophy. According to millennials, tolerance in the workplace and society is the most underrated quality. To fall in line with these principles, organizations need to include everyone and give everyone equal opportunities, irrespective of where they come from.
The best way to motivate millennials is to build a work culture of openness and trust. Organizations need to create a space where employees feel heard and valued – where they don’t have to be someone else and can be a big part of their company’s growth by just being themselves. That’s how organizations can keep their millennial employees productive. And they can ignore the millennials at their peril. Also, if organizations cannot strike the right chords with their millennial employees, they will have minor problems finding a better fit in terms of motivation and values.
References:
- 11 Tips for Motivating Millennials | Glassdoor | July 15, 2021
- How to Motivate Millennials at the Workplace So They Don’t Quit | Empuls | August 10, 2021
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