6 Surefire Ways to Motivate your Millennials

By Jenny Crumrine:

Millennials have flooded the job market. With more than 56 million working millennials, they’ve become the largest segment of the workforce in the U.S. While this influx of new talent is exciting, it also means big changes for many organizations.

Dubbed “job hoppers”, 43% of millennials plan to leave their current jobs within two years and only 28% have plans to stay beyond five years. It can be tough to keep these employees engaged and motivated, but don’t panic. The best way to keep these employees around is to understand what they want and meet them in the middle. Try implementing these tactics in your workplace and see the results.

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback

Plain and simple, millennials are two times more likely to be engaged at work when their manager holds regular meetings with them. Millennials are not satisfied with a singular annual review; they want a constant dialogue with their supervisors. Being aware of their status in the organization is important to them.

These meetings don’t need to be lengthy. A weekly or bi-weekly 10 or 15-minute check-in will do the trick. The meetings should be scheduled and follow some sort of outline or agenda. This is a time to share what they’re doing well, what they could improve, and answer their questions.

Offer Flexibility

43% of millennials would switch jobs for greater flexibility.

The 9-5 workday is disappearing. Thanks to technology, more and more people are saying goodbye to the traditional work schedule. This shift might feel more natural to your younger employees, but after some adjustment time, everyone will benefit.

Provide Education and Professional Development Opportunities

68% of recent graduates identified opportunities for growth and development as one of their top professional priorities. Providing time and resources for professional development will pay dividends in keeping your millennials engaged. Consider offering paid time off and a stipend for attending conferences, workshops or webinars. Investing in your employees is a win-win. They’ll return inspired and more knowledgeable, eager to implement new ideas.

Prioritize Community Service

70% of millennials volunteer regularly. Despite the stereotype of being entitled and selfish, millennials want to work for socially conscious and charitable organizations. Making this a priority at your organization will keep them around and keep them inspired. Consider offering company time and resources for employees to form committees and work for causes of their choice. Be warned, millennials are not satisfied with working for organizations who label themselves as charitable, but simply write a few checks each year. They’re craving a much deeper level of involvement.

Challenge ‘Em

A millennial’s attention span is a millisecond – or something like that. It’s actually about 8 seconds, which isn’t much better. This is largely attributed to the amount of technology they had as children. In this fast-paced world, they’re faster. Don’t give them a reason to disconnect. Millennials need to be challenged to keep them engaged. They are adaptive, curious, and eager to prove themselves.

Millennials will comprise 75% of the U.S. workforce by 2025. Learning how to motivate them and adjusting to their tendencies is a must. Don’t get left behind. Make small changes and evaluate their effectiveness to determine the best fit for your organization.

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