The Millennial generation—also known as “Generation Y”—is typically defined as those born between 1980 and 2000. And, ready or not, they are the future of your workplace. Here’s how to get your organization on their radar.
What’s A Millennial?
Susan M. Heathfield, HR expert for About.com, offers the following characteristics of Millennials, saying that they:
- Have developed work characteristics and tendencies from doting parents, structured lives, and contact with diverse people.
- Are used to working in teams and want to make friends with people at work.
- Have a “can-do” attitude about tasks at work and look for feedback about their performance frequently—even daily.
- Want a variety of tasks and expect that they will accomplish every one of them.
- Are positive, confident, and ready to take on the world.
- Seek leadership, and even structure, from their older and managerial coworkers but expect that you will draw out and respect their ideas.
- Seek a challenge and do not want to experience boredom.
- Are used to balancing many activities such as teams, friends, and philanthropic activities.
- Want flexibility in scheduling and a life away from work.
- Need to see where their career is going and exactly what they need to do to get there.
- Are waiting for their next challenge (and there had better be a next challenge)!
- Are connected all over the world by e-mail, instant messages, text messages, and the Internet (and thus can network right out of their current workplace if their needs are not met).
How Do You Go About Attracting Millennials?
Take advantage of technology in your recruiting. Millennials expect it and may be turned off if your website and application process are archaic.
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Find out where the people you want to hire hang out. Visit and interact with those sites. And take advantage of various search aids to use networking systems to spread the word about your openings.
Enhance your image, says Giselle Kovary, a consultant at n-gen People Performance Inc. Her best example of enhanced recruiting is Starbucks: Do you want to sell coffee? No. But do you want to be a barista? Oh, yes!
Be forewarned if you like to ask the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Generation Ys will most likely answer, “Well, not here,” Kovary said.
How To Structure Employee Orientation
Your orientation program must support younger generations’ entry into the business world. Ys often don’t know what they don’t know, says Kovary. HR has to help them navigate the business environment.
For example, they show up for work in shorts and flip-flops, and, if you call them on it, they’ll say they feel they are dressing appropriately for the workplace. They are used to dressing casually in all aspects of life.
During that first 90 days, says Kovary, HR must help managers seal the psychological deal with new employees by showing them that your organization lives up to its promises.
Remember that Ys expect daily feedback. However, they haven’t had much criticism. You’ll have to prepare them for that and give them the time they need to reflect, she notes.
Tomorrow: 10 tips for helping Millennials adapt and thrive at your organization.
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Suggestions for preparing Ys for feedback/criticism?