Millennials are those born after 1982, but before 2004. There is a lot of stigma that is immediately associated with anyone who is a millennial – lazy, entitled, glued to technology.
Although millennials have these stigmas, they are doing great things to change to work force for the better. There are major trends found in the correlation of millennial’s values with changes in the workforce. Some of their workplace values are:
- Providing transparency and openness
- Having work-life balance
- Wanting the perfect fit for their job
- Requiring that their values and beliefs align with the companies
Transparency and Openness
In the age of technology, where practically any information is at our fingertips, millennials do not want traditional communication (need-to-know) slowing them down. Millennials are all about openness, collaboration, and transparency. They want to work with their peers and talk to their managers often.
This change in the way companies communicate will directly increase productivity and decrease mistakes and mistrust.
Work-Life Balance
One of the most important things to millennials is that their job be beneficial to their overall quality of life. When researching this topic, a quote I found from Bonnie Monych at Insperity really represents a millennial view on work. She said, “Work doesn’t shut down at 5pm, and life events happen during the day”. Millennials want the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere so that they can also perform their personal tasks. There is less of a separation from ones work and personal life in the eyes of a millennial. They do not work to live, they live to work; and because of this, want to have the flexibility of working remotely.
With the rise of millennials in positions of authority, we are going to see less full-time workers in an office. Research shows that for millennials, this flexibility increases productivity and creates a more positive, healthy work environment.
The Perfect Fit
Millennials know what they want and are not afraid to do whatever it takes to get it. According to a survey conducted by Gallup, millennials “want their jobs to fir their life”. They want their work to have a purpose and fit perfectly in their goals. If a millennial does not feel like their job is the right fit, they are not afraid to leave, and when they do, want better perks and a higher salary.
It is much more common to see jobs only lasting a year or two, instead of twenty or more years. Millennials are not afraid to leave their current position to look for something better and are confident that they will find that better position easily. This trend may cause employers to provide better benefits plans and offer their employees more to keep their talent.
Aligning Values
More than any other generation, millennials really care about who their company is and what they do for the world. Millennials want the company they work for to perfectly align with their goals. Social and environmental issues are very important to millennials and they think it is the companies job to do all they can to also care about these issues.
Overall, the workforce is changing with every group of millennials entering the workforce. We will start to see more drastic changes when there are more millennials than any other generation, but so far, these changes have provided a new pace and a positive change for employees that will increase employee satisfaction and overall productivity.