We are now in an era where a big chunk of the workforce is made up of millennials – individuals who will not necessarily respond to old employee engagement strategies.
Managers and leaders, therefore, need to adopt new methods of engaging the millennials in their workforce for higher productivity. This is not only a good business strategy to boost profitability but also a way to provide fulfilment for young employees and reenergize their attitude at work.
CDL Insight offers five strategies to help you engage millennials in your organisation:
- Allow them to make decisions
The thing with millennial employees is that they are more creative and innovative due their early exposure to various aspects of emerging technology. If business leaders put this creativity to use by letting millennials get more involved and responsible for major product decisions at work, the employees will become highly empowered and engaged. This would also make them feel like they are a part of the bigger picture. The result will be that they’ll be able to work under less supervision and put in more work hours to produce brilliant results. That’s because they have been given the privilege to run things by themselves.
- Provide the requisite resources and incentives
Employees (including millennials) who have been provided with the exact tools they need to get the job done and proper incentives will on a larger scale do a commendable job. Things like continuous training to sharpen and learn new skills as well as higher wages can greatly improve the engagement levels of millennial employees. They’ll give their best if they are offered the tools they need, better perks, as well as recognition for their efforts.
- Create a feedback system in the organisation
When you limit a millennial’s potential at work by not letting them bring in new ideas, they will most likely not feel like they are part of the team. It is, therefore, a good idea for bosses to host workshops that will serve as brainstorming sessions between management and employees. This experience could work magic in terms of employee engagement.
Managers and leaders should also provide continuous feedback to their millennial employees to keep them engaged and motivated. Yearly and quarterly reviews will not cut it for these employees, so ensure to provide feedback as soon as possible.
- Provide flexibility
Work-life balance is of great importance to millennials. Provide more flexibility to give your employees the time they need for their lives outside of work. Where possible, allow employees to telecommute and work from anywhere they want to build your company-employee relationship.
Allow some flexibility in work hours too as long as the employees get the job done as required and in a timely fashion. Letting your young employees choose their own working hours shows them that you value them enough to work around their schedules so that they can participate in things they value such as their kid’s recitals and other family events.
- Help employees explore other interests important to them
There are few things that are as beneficial as assisting employees to learn and participate in things they are passionate about. If an employee is interested in something done in another department, allow them to work there temporarily and give them completely different tasks but at the company’s convenience. Bring in trainers that help them pursue different interests within and without the work environment. Providing these challenges to millennials keeps them engaged and happy.
There’s a great need for employers and leaders of business organizations to engage the millennials in their companies in order to increase work performance. Research by Deloitte estimates that millennials will make up about 75% of the world’s workforce by 2025. With such big numbers, working to keep millennials engaged is not only important for productivity but also important for the future survival of your organisation.
