What Millennials Expect From Managers

Tips on how managers can attract and maintain millennial employees

It’s official: millennials have taken the workforce by storm. Currently, there are more than 56 million millennials either actively participating in the workforce, or searching for a job. This unique generation has caused numerous challenges across a variety of industries with their different character traits and job requirements. The latest challenge? How to properly manage them during employment. Check out these tips on how managers can attract and maintain millennial employees.
 

 

Be a Mentor, not a Manager

Millennials are a generation that has always thrived on productive coaching rather than firm authority. By focusing on building an environment centered around coaching and growth, not only will these employees be more productive, but they will also maintain a positive morale and spend a longer period of time with your business. According to a 2016 Deloitte survey, younger professionals who intend to stay with their organization for more than five years are twice as likely to have a mentor rather than a traditional manager. With millennials being frequent job hoppers, it’s clear that they’ll most likely move on from your organization if they don’t receive the type of mentorship they desire.

Millennials Crave Feedback

Employee feedback is at the core of personal and professional growth for many individuals. This is especially true for millennials, who desire feedback much more than previous generations. In fact, millennials want feedback 50 percent more often than their older peers. However, there are important guidelines to follow when providing these employees with proper feedback. First, managers must set specific goals for millennial employees, which are measurable, achievable, and have a set timeline. Following any completion of goals, it’s important to provide recognition and reward as an additional perk. Additionally, when providing feedback, managers should utilize technology that is available since younger generations are more in tune with their devices.

Create Opportunities for Professional Development and Continued Learning

Most millennials identify their manager as their main source for learning and developing skills, but only 46 percent believe their manager delivers on this hope. Providing millennial employees with opportunities to learn and grow in their career is vital to employee retention, especially when you consider that 62 percent of millennials consider leaving their jobs because of a lack of learning and development opportunities. In order to meet their on-demand needs and provide plenty of learning opportunities, executives should consider implementing a learning management system, which pulls lessons from online sources rather than forcing employees to attend lengthy seminars. It’s also important to note that millennials want to learn from peers and coworkers just as much as they want to learn from industry experts.
 
Recruiting and talent retention are becoming a major focus for many executives and it’s important to know what millennials and other generations are looking for.

Author Bio

Jason Carney is HR Director at WorkSmart Systems. He has extensive knowledge in all aspects of HR, through his nearly 20 years of experience in industries such as finance, staffing, and technology. Jason holds a B.S. in Business Management/Human Resource Management from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, and is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Connect Jason Carney Visit www.worksmartpeo.com Follow @WorkSmartPEO