Millennials are soon to be the largest population in the global workforce. Traditionally, companies have found it challenging to attract, and more importantly retain, millennial talent.
Job seekers from this generation (which is comprised of those who were born between the years of 1981 and 1996) tend to possess different values when it comes to a career. If a job they hold doesn’t align with those values, it isn’t uncommon for millennials to leave a position.
In fact, a recent survey reported that 49% of millennial employees planned to leave their job in less than 2 years.
In light of that, hiring managers might hesitate when it comes to recruiting job seekers from this generation. But if you create a working environment that’s palatable to millennials, as we discuss in this blog post, you’ll rarely have to worry about low retention rates at your company. Besides, millennials are very much needed in today’s workplace, as their generation brings unique perspectives and talents that can help your company thrive.
Here are just some of the advantages of having millennials on your team:
They’re growth-oriented
Millennials are constantly looking for new ways to learn and grow, with 65% of them saying that personal development is the most important factor in their careers. In fact, millennials are the most educated generation yet, which once again speaks to their hunger for knowledge and personal edification–a great trait to have in your employees. Those who are constantly seeking knowledge, training, and development not only are acquiring new skills that can prove beneficial to the overall company, but they’re strengthening their capacity to succeed and their ambition to get a job done with excellence.
Beyond that, over half of millennials deeply value the ability to progress in their career and are more attracted to careers where they know there’s room to grow and assume more responsibilities. Millennials don’t want to stay stagnant. They want to evolve as individuals, and having employees in your company with a growth-mindset will make for a larger talent pool to select from when the time comes to hire for new leadership positions from within.
They’re team players
Millennials have often been described as the ‘me first’ generation, but in the workplace, this moniker couldn’t be any further from the truth. In fact, it would be more fitting to describe millennials as the ‘we’ generation.
According to an article published by Recruiter, millennials “have a heightened sense of community and relationships. Various events, group outings, and common causes have translated into a mentality that promotes team building in the office, which is always good for the business to flourish. And once you welcome the millennials with open arms, they will encourage teamwork and collaboration, offering creative management techniques and teaching harmony to the other employees.”
They’re tech-savvy
This one should come as no surprise. Millennials grew up during the great technological boom. They’re accustomed to having the world at their fingertips thanks to the internet, and are often considered ‘digital natives’ because of how fluent they are in all things tech. Millennials understand the digital landscape like the backs of their hands and can easily navigate social media channels, new office-wide software, and essentially anything else computer-related.
This translates into greater efficiency for any company. Gone are the days of spending considerable amounts of time training employees on the latest technology addition to the office. Millennials are likely to learn the ropes by lunch time and then be able to distill what they learned to the rest of the team by the end of the day–saving everyone time and saving the company money.
They’re purpose-driven
Millennials are far more interested in the fulfillment a job brings than in the salary it gives them. In fact, studies have shown that millennials would rather take a job with a lower pay if it can allow them to have a better work-life balance. This is because millennials adhere strictly to their values, and among those values is the desire to do work that is meaningful, significant, and full of purpose.
This big-picture perspective can help your company evolve its messaging to one that’s focused on making a positive impact on the world. Millennials will encourage a company to assess itself and examine why the work it does matters–and then translate that ‘why’ into a mission statement that can create brand loyalty among your audience.
The number of millennials in the global workforce is larger than it’s ever been, and in the years to come, it’ll only keep growing. To secure the future of your company, it’s essential to recruit members of this generation, who bring many unique benefits to the table that can help your business thrive.