5 Ways to Make Milléniaux Happy at Work
It is a Polichinelle secret: the Millénials, or Y and Z generations, are very attracted by entrepreneurship but suspicious of the business world. Many 18-35 year olds dream of being their own boss, but not all will become bosses. Like their elders, most will join a company as an employee. How can we take advantage of their thirst for entrepreneurship, their appetite for innovation and their creativity? What can the company do, which must above all reinvent itself, to motivate the millennia, make them dream and develop professionally? Here are five ways to convince them:
Bringing meaning and direction to work
Millénials want to understand exactly their mission and purpose at work, because they are demanding with themselves and others. Thus, every manager must behave as a coach. The classic boss style of command and control is outdated. The 18-35 year olds want a manager who understands, supports and advises them: a Mentor, able to reveal their talents and realize their passions.
Challenge them to stimulate them, because for them anything is possible!
They didn't know it was impossible, so they did it,"wrote Mark Twain. This applies well to the Y and Z generations, hyper-connected and all-in-one. To motivate these "Digital Natives" and satisfy their curiosity, there is nothing like entrusting them with varied tasks and giving them the opportunity to explore related positions within the company. This will enhance their versatility.
It is also better to put the juniors quickly in the big bath. The use of new technologies is part of their daily lives. Driven by innovation, they keep abreast of the latest digital developments. They are keen to meet the challenges of their generation, such as training senior citizens in the digital transformation of the company. Because the exchange of skills is taking place and must take place today in both directions...
Put them in a constant learning situation
With the progress of Artificial Intelligence, within twenty years, half of the current jobs would risk disappearing, we are predicted. Millénials have an innate awareness of this, because they have become accustomed to accelerated technological changes from an early age. They are not afraid to position themselves as constant students to renew their knowledge and expertise. They know that this is a matter of economic and social survival. Hence the popularity of MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses), preferably accessible on mobile phones. Although these online courses are not intended to replace continuing vocational training, they enable the Millennium Development Goals to make progress or take stock of areas that are sometimes very specific, without necessarily requiring a reorganisation of their working hours.
Promote a flexible and collaborative work environment
Millénials do not generally have the same priorities as previous generations. They have a different relationship at work. Thus, few of them have the ambition to work in the same company throughout their professional life or to have a high salary at the expense of their private life. Ultra-flexible because they are ultra-connected, they are very sensitive to a benevolent company that listens to their individual demands: the possibility of doing telework, carrying out an ancillary activity as a micro-entrepreneur, taking sabbatical leave to go around the world or to get involved socially, etc. They are extremely flexible because they are ultra-connected.
Giving meaning to their actions
For the 18-35 year olds, work must have meaning and enterprise must have values. Earning a salary at the end of the month is no longer enough. Millénials are committed to working for companies that make a difference, even the world.
They are also hungry for thrills and are looking for meaning. To break the routine, there is nothing like the context of an adrenaline rush (event, digital buzz, virality of trends, disruptive innovations, etc.). They often experienced the adrenaline rush during their teenage years, especially with video games, and most of them want to get that feeling and excitement back in their jobs.
The economic, political and environmental challenges we face today are immense. The company has a leading role to play in meeting such challenges. Its adaptation to the demands of young workers is today one of the key elements of its successful transformation. These Milléniaux represent the first force of the company to make it renew itself quickly and efficiently. Digital Natives, they are also the catalysts of the digital company, capable of ensuring a new balance between economic performance and well-being at work.
Eric Cohen
Founder & CEO of Keyrus
Initially published on www.keyrus.fr
Keyrus is a partner of the Jalios Digital Summit, which will take place on 14 November 2017.
