Attracting And Retaining Millennials In The Workforce Today

The biggest challenge is challenging our own views of work and retention

Our ideas of work are evolving, and the evolution looks like a 26-year-old working from home. Welcome to the Age of the Millennial. Statistics show that millennials already make up 50% of the workforce, and about half of them don’t plan on staying at their current jobs for longer than two years. Why do companies have such a hard time retaining this ever-growing group of workers? It’s likely because work culture is changing, and employers are struggling to keep up. What are some ways we can adapt to this new generation and their mannerisms?

I am not a millennial; I missed that window by seven years, and I’m a card-carrying member of Generation X. Much of the way I view work and career is worlds apart from how millennials view their employment, and it is important to recognize the generational differences in workers and how much things have changed since the time of the Boomers. But I think some of the core things that millennials demand and expect are things that most of us really want, but may have been too afraid to request. I have had to challenge my own assumptions about what it means to “work hard” as we scale and grow our company.

If someone is not in the office, does it mean they are not working hard? If they take more time on vacation, does it mean they are not committed? If we are not meeting face to face, is it a given that we cannot be as productive? These are all questions we have faced in developing our values and culture as a company. We’ve spent a lot of time working on the kind of environment we want to offer to our employees, especially due to the large presence of millennials in our workforce.

Emotional engagement, a meaningful purpose in work, and a clear separation between work time and off time are all things our team has identified as values they hold when looking for a place to work; we have worked hard to make these things priorities in our company culture. We also believe ideals like flexible hours and vacation, setting clear expectations of growth in employees’ careers, and the ability to work remotely are things that younger generations value. Working remotely is especially prevalent in our company culture, as about half of our workforce telecommutes. I think many of us, regardless of age, can identify with some of these values, though they may be better known as requirements to hire and retain specifically millennials.

I am inspired by a number of companies that have no office at all, in pursuit of some of the above principles. Examples include Buffer, Zapier, and Zoom. These companies prove that not only can a mostly-remote team work effectively, but it shows that the “perks” that younger generations are asking for can be beneficial in a workplace environment.

Many articles are saying these values are specific to millennials. But who doesn’t want to work with someone who has high emotional intelligence, is transparent and engaging, provides purpose in their work and allows you the flexibility to enjoy your life while you work hard to build a company? These are noble and common ideals. The difference between today’s workplace and companies of the past is that the paradigm and culture have shifted to allow more individuality; people feel more empowered and essential, and are therefore willing to ask for things our parents’ generation may have assumed they just shouldn’t have.

And let's talk about millennials “jumping ship” and not being committed. I love it when employees are with us for many years and have a long career path. At the same time, if a better opportunity comes up and someone has fulfilled their purpose with your company and feel they need to do something else, why is that a bad thing? The right individual will come along to meet the need of that position at the next stage.

Part of our challenge as non-millennials is changing our own ideas about what it means to work, find balance and define success. We need to be setting clear expectations up front, such as that we are open to an employee moving on to a new position when their current role is becoming stale. Organizations are growing and evolving all the time; why shouldn’t the people who make up those organizations be a part of that growth and evolution? They may find that their next “big thing” is in a different company, and that’s beneficial for both employer and employee. 

It takes a lot of work to engage with your HR team, executives and employees to be intentional about how to engage with new hires. But as the workforce continues to evolve, employees continue to have different expectations and technology allows for flexibility, I think the biggest challenge to those of us involved in recruiting and retaining millennials is challenging our own views of work and retention. Maybe they can teach us a thing or two, after all.