Two weeks ago we hosted our first Learnitect Breakfast Roundtable Series and welcomed COOs and Heads of People from leading fast growing tech companies Benivo, Deliveroo, Salesforce, Mastered, Freshminds, Yoyo Wallet, Pockit, Circle and Cisco.
This is part 1 of a three-part series sharing the best practices for attracting and engaging Millennials captured at the event. Find Part 2 and Part 3 here.
Millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce by 2025. Their attitudes towards career and work are different from previous generations. These differences have already been influencing how workplaces are designed.
Research shows that 71% of Millennials are currently not feeling engaged at work. Companies with engaged employees experience significant improvements in performance and profit.
We have identified 4 Millennial career themes:
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A longer career: With retirement age going up, Millennials are likely to work longer than previous generations. There will be increased demand for career flexibility (e.g., job rotations, lateral moves) and Learning and Development will have to be more customized to individual needs.
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Authenticity and wholeness: Millennials expect two-way and transparent communication with the Management. It is still a challenge to decide what messages to share with the entire organization and the best way to share it.
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Digital natives and hyper connecting: Remote working will continue to increase. Millennials are already hyper-connected and are starting to feel the burn-out being constantly on.
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Prefers experiences over things: While still driven to work by financial incentives, Millennials may appreciate an investment into worthwhile experiences (e.g., L&D programmes) vs. giving them the equivalent in bonus.
On-boarding your employees well is a key opportunity to create employee goodwill and confidence.
Companies doing this well include Mailchimp with their comprehensive onboarding programme and Breather with their fantastic onboarding kit.
Here are some more practical best practices for on-boarding:
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A great interview question is to ask about how the role can help them prepare for their next role, even if this is outside your organization. Millennial employees are unlikely to stay in one job forever, so your mission is for both parties to get the most out of the experience.
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Invite “Ambassadors” from each function to introduce their team as part of your onboarding programme.
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Get the incoming cohort to regroup after month 1 for a social. This helps strengthen cross-functional bonds.
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Check in at appropriate milestones (Month 1, Month 3) to identify roadblocks and frustrations.
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Improving the onboarding process (e.g., building/improving the onboarding kit, onboarding training) can be a great side project for new employees
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