How to Manage Millennials

How to Manage Millennials. Millennials, generally defined as people born between 1980 and 1996, are currently the largest generation in the American workforce. As managers and business owners everywhere have probably realized, millennials tend to have some particular views towards work that clash with older generations. This leads some employers to think millennials are lazy, but that’s not true. They can be excellent employees and hard workers, but you might have to adjust your approach a bit to get the most benefit. With a bit of extra effort, you can design the ideal practices to manage your millennial employees.

Building a Millennial-Friendly Work Environment

Offer flex or remote work options.

In general, millennials prefer more flexibility from their jobs, and most state that they would prefer remote-work options at least part of the time. In many workplaces, this is definitely a possibility, so try to make it part of your management approach. Offering remote opportunities can attract more people to your workplace, and motivate the ones that are already there to work harder.

• Many studies increasingly show that remote work results in higher productivity, so it might be a benefit to your company overall to offer more remote options.
• If you can’t offer remote work, try to offer more flex time options. For example, rather than running on a 9-5 schedule, consider offering later or earlier starts for employees who work better on a different schedule.
• Of course, this isn’t possible for all jobs. Security guards, engineers, and other hands-on professionals generally have to be in the workplace to do their jobs.

Encourage employees to use technology and social media at work.

Millennials, especially younger ones, are the first generation that grew up with the internet and other new technologies, and it’s a big part of their lives. They may be checking their phones or Tweeting occasionally at work. This isn’t a problem unless they aren’t getting their work done, so it’s fine to encourage technology use in the office.

• Try to understand that just because someone is checking their phone, it doesn’t mean they aren’t listening to you. Millennials are used to multitasking with technology, so you only have to address it if they’re clearly not paying attention or are being rude.
• One creative way to take advantage of millennials’ tech skills is to let them teach some older employees about new programs, apps, or social media sites. This not only taps into their skills, but helps them take on more leadership and active tasks at work so they feel more connected to the workplace.

Build a cooperative and collaborative workplace. 

While you might think that no one likes group projects, millennials do tend to thrive in a cooperative environment. Try to design group tasks and let employees work together on their assignments. You’ll probably be very happy with the results, and your employees will feel more connected to the workplace.

• You could also have daily or weekly brainstorming sessions to get everyone involved in the work process.
• Millennials also enjoy a strong company culture outside of work. You can tap into this by sponsoring work events, or encouraging employees to socialize after work.

Try to provide perks for employees.

Besides competitive pay and a good work environment, millennials also enjoy workplace perks, and many businesses are taking notice. Occasionally ordering lunch, building a rec room, or updating the office technology can boost morale and make millennials feel more at home.

• Your business might not have a lot of money to spare for outside activities, but if you can sponsor a simple, monthly event, that can make a big difference on the company culture.
• If you can’t think of any additional perks you could offer, then a holiday bonus is always a good choice. No one will be mad about getting more money!

Motivating Millennial Employees

Offer millenials fair and competitive pay.

While a lot of millennial management advice focuses on flexibility and collaboration, don’t forget that millennials also want good compensation. Like any other workers, they want to feel like they’re being paid fairly for their work. Do your best to offer a competitive salary and benefits package based on industry standards. This way, you can avoid making your employees feel unappreciated and ripped off.

• Be transparent about pay rates and willing to explain why an employee is being paid a certain amount. If they question their pay rate, you’ll look bad if you can’t explain it.
• If you’re only a manager, you might not have much control over pay or benefits rates. In this case, try talking to your superiors and telling them that your employees want fairer pay or they might look for other work.

Encourage millennials to maintain a good work-life balance. 

Millennials tend to value balance in their professional lives, which is why many prefer remote-work or flexible hours. They might be less willing to put in overtime hours if they don’t feel like they’ll gain anything from it. Encourage their work-life balance so they’re relaxed and ready to be productive at the office.

• Try to think about end-results rather than time spent in the actual office. For example, if an employee finishes all their tasks for the day, don’t be angry if they look like they’re relaxing for the rest of the day. In fact, you might even motivate them to be more productive by letting them go home if they finish everything they had to do for the day.
• If overtime is required, always offer fair compensation for it. Expecting unpaid overtime is a good way to get employees to resent you and look for another job.

Give millennials more freedom to lead at work.

In general, workers prefer more freedom and leadership at work and resent being micromanaged. Try to take advantage of this by giving your employees some opportunity for leadership. You could let them lead projects or working groups, or give presentations to the office. By feeling like they own their work and the final product, your millennial employees will work harder and with more dedication than if you just told them what to do.

• Asking your employees for their feedback or suggestions is a great way to involve them, even if this isn’t a lot of responsibility.
• Remember that fostering leadership doesn’t mean letting people handle tasks that they aren’t qualified for. Always pick the right person for the job.

Assign tasks based on their strengths.

Like all people, millennials are individuals and they all bring a different set of skills to the table. Playing to these strengths and letting them work on things that they’re good at is a great way to get more effort out of your employees.

• If someone is a good designer, for example, then having them work on logos or flyers is a good task.
• Remember that not all millennials have the same skills. Just because millennials as a group are good with technology, for example, doesn’t mean that every millennial is a programmer.
• Encourage development plans that allow them to grow and be an organic part of the company. Help them find their strengths and leverage them in the workplace—this will help with employee retention

Offer a chance for promotions and advancement for good work.

Millennials tend to like advancement and are less patient than previous generations who were planning on sticking with companies for decades. On the contrary, millennials statistically will change jobs if they feel like they’re in a dead-end position. Keep your employees’ loyalty by helping them advance quickly if they do good work. Rewarding good employees with regular promotions will help motivate and retain your best workers.

• Even if it isn’t always possible to promote them, try to give millennials opportunities to advance their skills and experience. Including them on new projects or teams, for example, can help them feel challenged even if a promotion isn’t in store yet.