How to Help Millennials Succeed in the Workplace

By | December 1, 2018

[December 1, 2018]  Millennials want to be sure their career is growing at all times and are connected all over the world by digital communication channels. With all these many unique characteristics, it can be complicated to leverage these attributes in a way that leads to success in the workplace. Here are a few tips you can follow to do this.

Mentorship

Most millennials have no problem getting guidance from their seniors as they have been receiving it from their teachers, instructors, and parents. If you fail to offer them the right guidance, the odds that they will move on to other jobs where they can get this support is quite high. Remember to encourage them to ask for any type of guidance they may need to grow in their career. And be prepared to help them find the mentor they need whenever they request for your help.

Flexible Working Hours

Millennial workers have unique priorities and want to be allowed to maintain a perfect work-life balance. They actually want to have time for leisure, family, friends, entertainment, and much more. This explains the reason they prefer to work in organizations that allow them to work at times that suit them best.

You can consider giving these workers the permission to use digital technology and work remotely from home. It can also be appropriate to allow them to work during weekends and out-of-office hours if they need. Whenever you do this, you promote productivity and boost employee satisfaction.

Healthy Manager-Employee Relations

Millennial workers are tech-savvy and are comfortable using technological devices to receive instructions, do their work, and remain in touch with their teams. As experts will likely tell you, these young workers appreciate the opportunity to interact personally with their leaders and team members.

So, as your company culture, create an open-door policy. Ensure that your employees are properly informed that they are free to communicate with their managers and superiors.

Competitive Salary Structure

In the present fast-paced world, there is a high demand for the skills and talents of millennials on a global scale. These young workers are able to know when and where they can get the jobs. If you want to retain the skills you need for the success of your business, it might be appropriate to change your perspective about the salaries and benefits you are offering. While this generation is highly interested in developing their career, they also want to get the most competitive salaries. Better promotions and positions are no longer enough to make them stay in a company.

Employee-Centered Workplace

It’s great to go beyond offering competitive salaries and benefits to make a friendly work environment. Millennials want to work in an environment where they are free to have fun and enjoy themselves. They want to make as many friends as possible within their working environments. It could be time to ask your long-time employees to make room for the millennials.

As an employer, it’s possible to ignore the many demands of millennials. It’s easy to be so focused on wanting to maximize profits. Don’t neglect to invest in them. Remember the small daily successes towards helping millennials succeed in the workplace will ultimately add up to your progress.

Author: Kevin Gardner

Kevin Gardner graduated with a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from UCLA. He works as the head of the technology integration department at InnovateBTS. As a manager and thought leader, Kevin shares his insights as often as he can.

11 thoughts on “How to Help Millennials Succeed in the Workplace

  1. Bryan Lee

    Your article can be wrapped into the “taking care of people” idea that Gen. Satterfield regularly writes on. This idea that employers don’t take care of their people is mostly hogwash and I’m glad you’ve added to how we can better take care of millennials.

    Reply
    1. Andrew Dooley

      Good point Bryan. Yes, I agree with Kevin that there are thing we can do for all employees but those in the Millennial generation should be handled with more care. Why? They generally grew up with a trophy in each hand and helicopter parents helping do their homework. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Kevin Gardner

      Thanks for taking an interest in the article. Millennials have just as much potential as any other generation, we just need to recognize that and not buy into the stigma that they are unruly, unmotivated, or uninterested.

      Reply
  2. Eric Coda

    🙂 I like your article, Kevin. Do you have any other websites where your articles are published?

    Reply
  3. Dale Paul Fox

    Hey thanks Kevin. Very good argument on how to work with Millennials.

    Reply
  4. Janna Faulkner

    Of all the things you mentioned, I believe mentorship is the most important. Perhaps that is why you listed it first. However, in my experience, millenials are rejecting mentorship or anyone who offers them help. They believe they know best.

    Reply
    1. Kevin Gardner

      Sadly, this is an issue for most young people fresh out of college. I have found that once they get some real work experience, go through some failures and struggles, and realize that they don’t know everything, they start to open up to mentorship. I would suggest that you allow them to try it their way (as long as it doesn’t put anything important at risk) and give them a chance to experience reality. If they succeed then great, if not then you will have an opportunity to begin a mentoring.

      Reply
  5. Army Captain

    Nice article, Kevin. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us on General Satterfield’s leadership pages.

    Reply

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