4 Ways Millennials will Revolutionize the Workplace in 2018
Millennials are the most spoken about generation , especially when it comes to work. Many employers are scrambling to find ideas on how to cater to them. Keep in mind that millennials aren’t the youngest generation anymore and they have a big impact on what happens in the workplace now.
Learning how to engage them and understanding what drives them is going to be key to the success of any company.
From my research and experience as a millennial consultant, these are the 4 trends that you’ll see in the workplace in 2018. Keep in mind there are currently many more trends, and there will even more this year.
They’ll Set New Standards of Leadership
When most people visualize the c-suite and leadership at a company, they usually think of someone in their 50s who has been with the company for a few decades and is almost impossible to get in touch with.
Does leadership need to have this image?
Who says it can be a 20 or 30-something year old?
There’s 3 big reasons why millennials are going to be the face of leadership in 2018.
First of all, boomers are reaching retirement and it’s opening up countless opportunities to be filled by the productive, hyper-connected, and motivated employees.
Second, millennials are the largest generation in the US workforce right now, making up over 50% of all employees, and a third of them haven’t even finished college yet!
Third, they’re not kids anymore! Millennials are a wide range of people born between 1980 and 2000. So this means the majority of them are in their late 20’s to mid-30s. By now, they should definitely have gained a lot of valuable experience that will help them lead a company.
As of 2016 20 percent of leadership roles are held by millennials, and that number is only going to grow this year!
Millennials leaders of this year will bring in lots of innovation and offer insights to change the employee experience
They’ll Push Harder for Diversity & Inclusion
If you haven’t heard the news or looked around, millennials are the most diverse generation in the workplace. Unlike previous generations, they feel that diversity has always been a struggle in the workplace and they want to influence that change. Millennials view diversity as the blending of different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives within a team, which is known as cognitive diversity.
Cognitive diversity is essential for innovation and creativity in the workplace. As more millennials are being hired, companies will need to have more robust diversity and inclusion programs or they’ll see a spike in turnover and they’ll have a hard time attracting good millennial talent.
They’ll Leverage Digital Training and eLearning
Millennials are digital natives because they grew up in the age of accessible technology. A big majority of them have been using computers since kindergarten! Their world is all about being digital, fast, and online and this will be how they want to do job training. Instead of having to sit at a desk for a few hours to complete a training, they’d rather be able to complete it on their own time at their own pace. With all the advances in technology, there’s been a big push for pursuing online degrees for professional development, and taking courses on just about any topic. This is how millennials want to learn and as more come to take leadership roles, this will be the future workplace.
They’ll Pursue Flexible & Remote Working Opportunities
If most of their work is done on a computer or online, they are driven, and they understand their job, does it really matter if they are working from home, at your headquarters, or their favorite coffee shop?
All you need is a laptop and a good wi-fi connection.
Millennials are looking for jobs that offer flexible schedules and the opportunity to work remotely a few times per week.
In many surveys millennials reported that working from a location outside the normal office was refreshing and actually boosted their productivity. They were less distracted than when in a room full of coworkers and even reported using less sick days because they weren’t exposed to as many germs.
With all the business and productivity tools available remote work is becoming easier. In-person meetings aren’t as necessary as they used to be due to apps like Skype and Go to Meeting, allowing you to meet with people anywhere in the world!
A flexible workplace, even if it’s just 1 day a week, may be just enough to get the top millennial recruits to your company and keep them there for many years to come!
Millennials are all about the employee experience and are not going to settle for anything less. If the company they work for isn’t giving them the balance and benefits they’re looking for, they’ll be headed out to door to the next company or they might just start their own.
