Translating Three Millennial Aspirations into Winning Engagement Strategies
We at Network for Good have identified trends and tactics in our new guide, Engaging Millennial Employees: Recruit and Retain Top Talent with Cause. We’re pleased to share some of our findings.
If you work in human resources, you may already know that many Millennials are underwhelmed by their jobs. What you may not know is where this stems from and how to turn unmotivated Millennial employees into champions for your company.
Generation Y wants careers—not jobs—that are engaging and purposeful. Here’s how to transform these aspirations into engagement opportunities for your company:
1) Careers
While Millennials recognize that it’s crucial to get any job that will pay the bills, expectations can fall flat upon landing that gig.
Why? Is the oft-mentioned Millennial trait of entitlement at play here? No, it’s room for growth.
If the room for growth equals a low value, chances are Millennials have their eyes peeled for their next job. Gone are the days of working at one place for 10 years without question. Millennials want to work hard, be challenged, and have the ability to grow. Anything short of this goal and they’re happy to job-hop until they find the right fit.
What You Can Do: Help Make a Career Out of a Job
Provide Millennials with opportunities to hone and expand their skillsets. Understand that giving these employees agency will yield your company high returns in the form of retention, brand advocates, and motivation.
2) Engagement
When Millennials land a job, they frequently experience a lack of enthusiasm.
Why? Is it because they’re lazy, text-obsessed youngsters? No, it’s that if Gen Y isn’t engaged in their daily work, they don’t feel appreciated or acknowledged.
Through their tech savvy, Millennials are able to engage with people all over the world on any topic one can imagine. If they go to work and feel no connection with real people in an office environment, they’re unhappy.
What You Can Do: Engage with Feedback
Whether they’re receiving accolades or constructive criticism, Millennials are seeking to do better at their jobs—help them help you. Feedback is a key factor in turning an apathetic Millennial employee into an active, excited one.
3) Cause
If Millennials have a career that provides them with an image of the places they can go and makes them feel engaged in their day-to-day work, then the secret sauce to their happiness lies in connecting their work to cause.
Why? Are they all eco-warriors? Not necessarily, but Millennials do want to make a difference through their work. In fact, 80% of them want to work for a company that takes care of how it affects society.
What You Can Do: Connect Their Work to a Cause
Explain how their job relates to your larger corporate social responsibility goals. Give them opportunities to connect to their own cause through peer-to-peer fundraising, volunteering, or charity rewards. Extra credit if your company is already perceived as responsible—Millennials will be much more likely to join your team.
How do you engage your employees with cause?
By Allison McGuire | Network for Good
For more tips and strategies, download Network for Good’s new guide: Engaging Millennial Employees: Recruit and Retain Top Talent with Cause