Understand the opportunities brought by millennials
Transcript of Understand the opportunities brought by millennials
Understanding Millennials and the opportunities they bring to theworkplace
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As HR manager, you work a lot with people. You know that each person is a unique self. However, youcan’t help seeing shared personality traits in a certain group. For example, you notice that the twentysomethings at your office are passionate about mobile technology. They are absolutely in love with theirsmartphones, to the point of addiction in some cases. You are curious if it comes with their age group.You start reading about Generation Y (or Millennials as some call them). You probably have found tonsof stories and tips about working with them and managing them. However, we still want to share withyou our understanding of Millennials, from a rather different perspective. We approach the topic withan analytical mindset, and hope to give you a clear and fair description of Generation Y (or Gen Y).
Specifically, we are doing a modified version of a SWOT analysis on Generation Y. In case it’s been awhile since college: SWOT stands for Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats. In this firstpost, we will look at Gen Y’s strengths and the opportunities they bring to the workplace. In anotherpost, we will discuss the traits that are considered their weaknesses at work and the challenges onefaces when working with or managing Millennials. Hold on, you are noticing the missing T. No, I won’ttalk about Threats. As a proud member of the Gen Y, I like to believe that Millennials are no threats at allto anyone. Millennials are challenging to work with but you will find it very rewarding if you play yourcards right.
So let’s get started.
Millennials Who are they?
To give a short answer: Millennials are connected and diverse collaborators. But let’s be moreprecise:
Generation Y is the demographic cohort after socalled Generation X. They are also widely referred toas Millennials. There are no precise dates on when Generation Y began. The general consensus is that
its members were born sometime between the 80s and early 2000s. Their shared personality traits areshaped by their times.
Firstly, they were born and raised in the era of technology and social media. They were the firstgeneration who grew up with computers in their homes. Do you remember when the Internet came andseemed to redefine everything that happened before? Millennials belong to that world. They are digitalnatives. They are good with technology by default. Of course, the levels of technology competencevary within the group (the late 90s vs. the early 80s). But generally Millennials are familiar andcomfortable with technology.
Moreover, it is actually not an exaggeration to say that Millennials are connected 24/7. Theirwhereabouts are often updated on their Facebook pages. Their tweets are even more instant andfrequent. And their Instagram accounts are filled with photos taken at cafes. Then, there areFoursquare, Tumblr, Google+, Vine, Flickr, and LinkedIn too. The list is getting longer by days. Theproliferation of social media is driven by Gen Y’s increasing desire to be connected at all time. Haven'tyou seen youngsters directly asking for the wifi password once entering a cafe or a bar? It seems likean obsession.
Let me make this clear. They want to connect not just for sharing their very personal moments on socialmedia. Their professional life and personal life are merging in one place called the INTERNET. In asurvey carried out by Cisco in 2014, more than half of Millennials, who were asked, considerthemselves accessible for work 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, via email and phone.
Secondly, Millennials grew up in a much more globalized and mobilized world. Many Millennials arefrom neighborhoods where different ethnic groups reside. In their world, various cultures exist amongeach other. They grew up holding diverse perspectives and a high level of tolerance towardsdifferences. It is quite common to meet Millennials who truly embrace differences and benefit a greatdeal from their open mindset.
To give you a more detailed picture, we also like to share Meister and Willyerd's findings about whatMillennials value and what they want at work. Here is an extract from their article Mentoring Millennialson Harvard Business Review.
You can also click here to check out some data about what Millennials want from work, charted acrossthe world
Millennials Their strengths
Techsavvy
It is in Millennials’ nature to understand technology. They are comfortable with using technology to getthe work done. Their usage of smartphones and apps helps them to finish their tasks quickly andeffortlessly. According to Cisco 2014 Connected World Technology Report, 82% HR professionals thinkthat Gen Y employees are able to perform tasks faster than older employees using mobile devicesand apps. Their tech sense enables them to multitask smoothly. They speak to customers on thephone, input data into the system and check updates on a second screen all at the same time.
Gen Y’s passion for technology and their ability to quickly pick up new tools are impressive.Undoubtedly, this is the most prominent strength that they bring into the office.
Collaborative
Millennials’ desire to connect drives them into workplaces that encourage teamwork. They like to beinvolved and included. They work well in a team because they tend to communicate regularly andopenly. Having a high level of tolerance towards differences, they are more likely to accept other’sopinions and willing to try new methods.
Innovative
They are willing to take a risk in finding a new path for themselves. Facing globally impacted issues likeeconomic recession and climate change, they are forced to seek creativity in their decisionmaking,
ideas, and work habits. They innovate to solve the problems they face. Their creativity is benefited agreat deal from their diverse perspectives.
Connected
Generation Y is connected 24/7. The Internet offers seemingly unlimited knowledge and resources.Connecting to various networks of friends and colleagues, they gain updates of trends, usefulknowledge and valuable lessons. They are very well informed, which prepares them for any possibleopportunities.
Resourceful
Millennials are resourceful. They have the ability and the mindset to look for solutions using what theyhave and know: The Internet. For example, if one wants to improve feedback sharing practices in hercompany, she is likely to first google something like: how to give constructive feedback. If she is nothappy with what has been found, she will post her concern on relevant forums, like HR LinkedIn Groupsor Quora. There she can get advice from her peers and the industry experts. With the various opinionsshe gathers, she can make a poll and share it with her colleagues. Along the way, she finds quite a fewpossible ways to grow and improve.
The young generation focuses on knowledge and continuous learning. They don’t keep themselveslocked in a way of working or a possibility to make things work. They are curious to learn and todevelop. With this mindset, they tend to learn fast and a lot more.
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The Opportunities Millennials bring to the workplace
Innovations
Because Millennials are innovative and resourceful, they can bring in better and faster ways of gettingthings done. There are a few incentives you can try in order to encourage innovations among yourMillennials and for the company:
Invite them to brainstorming sessions for new strategies, plans or simply a new way of solving alonglasting problem
Listen to their ideas and give credit to their resources
Have an idea box so they can send in their ideas whenever they come up with one and rewardthem appropriately
Be approachable and available for them, offer them mentorship
Suggest a bonus if they can find simple, innovative solutions for their own bottlenecks and thoseof others
Higher productivity
When your Millennials are engaged, they can be very productive. They are efficient at multitasking.Gen Y is the force behind continuously embracing new technology advancement, and increasingproductivity. If you set up the right environment for them to collaborate and thrive, you can get somevery fruitful results.
Things you can do to take this opportunity:
Let them use their own devices if that helps them do their job better
Get them involved in decisionmaking when it comes to getting new technology
Let it be known that you are open for their suggestions for new apps that have the potential toincrease productivity
Networking recruitment
Gen Y employees are more likely to become your brand’s ambassadors thanks to their being active onsocial media. They are most likely to share their good experience working at your office on Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn or you name it. Their talented friends are pulled towards your direction without youeven noticing it. It saves you the time and money on advertising your job posts on various platforms.
Besides, it goes without saying that young talented people inspire other young talented people. HavingGen Y employees will lead you to more Millennials because they like to come in as a group.
Things you can do to take this opportunity:
Do not restrict your employees’ activities on social media. Provide a code of practice instead
Offer incentives for referring a friend (e.g. a bonus)
Free pass
Your Gen Y employees are your free pass into their ways of thinking. Their generation will soon becomethe largest group of consumers and decision makers. Often being outspoken, your Gen Y employeesare likely to fill you up with insight into the generation’s habits, preferences and desires. If you want yournew marketing message to appeal to Millennials, test it on the ones in your office first. They can giveyou no less if not more than some market research companies can.
Things you can do:
Listen to your Gen Y employees
Get them involved in brainstorming and decisionmaking processes if appropriate
Conclusion
Like being said earlier, each person is unique. You are likely to find contradictions among Millennials.However, the generation’s majority is techsavvy, collaborative, innovative, resourceful and wired.They can make great employees if you find the right way to promote their strengths. The rest is up toyou to grab the opportunities they bring. Would you like that your company do things in an innovativeway and with a high level of productivity? Will it be much better for you as manager if the recruitingprocess is less lengthy and more focussed? I think I can guess your answers.