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How to Attract Millennials to Your Company

The time has come for millennials to take over the labor market! A tech/savvy generation is changing the world of business as we know it, as they assume leading roles and become CEO of international corporations. This generational shift has not gone unnoticed with employers who are finding attracting millennials to work for them even harder.

Their individual needs and corporate culture are different from the previous generation and this something that HR departments across the globe need to acknowledge. In order for a modern company to grow, its management must attract the very best expert in the industry. As the majority of these experts are millennials, the need arises to adopt human resourcing tactics like none other.

A casual dress code

A suit and a tie have long ago ceased to be mandatory in the corporate world, although they are still the choice of many employees who wish to look smart. Millennials too wear business attire but they are more in favor of a loose dress code that turns every workday into a casual Friday. A casual dress is something that every millennial expects to encounter in a post they are applying for. For them, the true essence of a business person is on the inside since clothes don’t make a man. Of course, if you work with clients or the public, introduce some common sense limitations into the dress code.

Autonomous, not automated

One thing that millennials are definitely not are office drones. You are bound to find resistance if you try to convert them into automated machines that toil away without an inch of professional freedom. Instead of “automation,” the keyword should be “autonomy.” Millennials adore being presented with a challenge that not every worker can rise to. They love to take part in projects that provide them with a high level of personal and professional freedom. They perceive this is a sign of trust in their abilities, as you are providing them with the opportunity to excel in the company’s ranks.

Staying up to date

Another aspect of your business culture that needs to change is the flow of information. It is the desire of most millennials not to be held in the dark regarding plans for the future. They want to form an essential part of the drive for improvement from day one so make the effort to keep them in the loop. Their motivation and passion are directly connected to this seemingly unimportant detail. The next time the management finishes an important meeting that decided the future of the company; make sure millennials get the memo about the plans for the future.

Flexible work hours

Studies have shown that the ideal time to start a workday is 10 AM. That’s why companies who insist on their employees being in the office at 7 AM do not fare well with millennials. This generation likes to take things easy and spend an extra hour bed in the morning if possible. The introduction of flexible work hours is something that every millennial will salute you for because, in the end, it’s a win-win situation. They get to work during the time of the day that suits them the most and you get a happy and efficient employee.

Plenty of opportunities to fraternize

Even if you attract the millennial workforce you desire, they still need to click together professionally. In order to help them socialize better, you can initiate the formation of different kinds of social clubs. These can be sports clubs like a softball or a darts club, a company band, a wine testing section, pub quiz crew or a travel section. Whatever interest do your employees share, you can help them get together and start enjoying themselves together.

Surprise!

Many people describe the relationship between the management and their workers as love and hate relationship. The principle is the same as for amorous couples; you need to show the other side you care. This means surprising your staff with a gift or free food now and then. Like work freedom and keeping them informed, millennials will interpret this gratis pizza, a box of droughts or a salty snack as a token of appreciation. Once you get the surprising thing rolling, present workers will spread the news and other youngsters will want to find out why is it so cool to work for you.

Meal sharing

Speaking of food, another detail that millennials appreciate are common canteens. They want to have an opportunity to socialize during the lunch break so you shouldn’t partition the canteen too much. The center of the room should feature a large dining table where workers will have a chance to grab a bite together. The canteen would then double as the unofficial break room, helping millennials take their minds off work while chatting with their peers over a piece of avocado toast and a vitamin salad.

Frequent short breaks

The age-old model in which a worker gets a single a half-an-hour break should not be adhered to. Millennials don’t like that much pressure because they are more responsible and self-aware than previous generations of workers. They like to have several shorter breaks that span the entire workday. A ten-minute break is probably a smart move to make and clear the mind before returning to finish the task at hand.

Coaching, not managing

You might have realized by now that millennials don’t like to be bossed around. They prefer a tutor-like approach in which their superiors assume the role of an educator or a coach. Managing millennials is the worst way to go as they will close up and even resign so you must attempt soft people management on them. Support and guide them through innovations and work practices, rather than ordering them what to do. If you establish such a rapport early on, they are more likely to stay with your company and contribute to its growth.

Assigning a mentor

Hopefully, a millennial that joins your team will be a hardened veteran or a senior executive. However, hiring young people can backfire on you because of their lack of work experience. In order to combat this issue, you can do what professional football clubs do, create a mentoring scheme. The system is quite simple; you pair up every newcomer with an experienced worker to show them the ropes. They will help them adjust to office life in your firm and teach them everything they know. For a wunderkind, the mentoring could last as short as a couple of weeks, while other prospective millennial “signings” can stay under supervision from seniors employees for several months.

Coffee to the people

Now, there is one segment where a millennial is like every other worker: coffee, and a lot of it. Millennials find it hard starting a day without a good cup of coffee but even in the hot beverages segment, they have special needs. Namely, instead of ground coffee, they would prefer you installed a coffee bean machine in the office for a more natural taste. Such bean-to-cup coffee machines allow for millennials to become their own baristas, choosing everything from the coffee’s variety to the amount of milk in their cappuccino. Add a few colorful cups with an intriguing design and you’ve won over your average millennial coffee lover.

The never-ending learning process

Unlike the generations before them, millennials have a huge drive to get a good education, both formal and informal. They don’t perceive landing their dream job (preferably in your company) as the end of the learning process. For them, it’s just the next phase in a lifelong learning process. Money incentives and bonuses are worth nothing unless they come with plenty of learning opportunities, such as paid conference packages, online training sessions, and tuition reimbursements. Of course, not all employees will be entitled to such benefits; only the best of the best.

The good-old message board

Speaking of education, the right time to snap up a talented millennial is when they are fresh out of college. Their talent probably became apparent during their high-school year so you aren’t the only firm interested in securing their services. That’s why you should advertise job posts on campuses’ respective message boards.

This might be an old-school method but a highly effective one because millennials that finish college are still not savvy in finding work online. They can browse through job ads but cannot discern which ones are suitable for them. By posting an ad on their university’s message board, you are creating a positive image of your company early on.

Better quality of life

If you plan on recruiting millennials fresh out of college, then you are bound to have newcomers from other towns across the nation and even from abroad. They might face a slight cultural shock so advertising the city your offices are based in is as important as promoting your business. You should promote your city, as a place that offers great work-life balance. This means introducing cultural, sporting, and artistic opportunities your place of residence offer. To top it all off, you can help a worker new in town find affordable accommodation and show them some of the most popular places to go out.

Teaching core values

The first thing a millennial is going to ask about is the paycheck and the benefits and you should provide this info straight away (remember how we said you should keep them in the loop). However, the very next point you make should concern the company’s philosophy and its core values. Every brand has a certain value system that lies at the heart of its business success. Anyone joining the team should learn about these core values because they are going to become a part of their business demeanor too. In fact, the company’s business philosophy should make its way into the text of the job posting so candidates would know beforehand what is expected from them.

Not your average break room

A break room or a rec room has become the standard decades ago but this might be a bad thing. The thing you expect to find a typical break room as so uniform that millennials find them dull. Table tennis, game consoles, a dartboard; they are all something that these kids have played for years. The ideal break room should be, believe it or not, but empty. As you take on new people, they would each give their proposals what to buy for the break room and if they are reasonable enough, you should grant them their respective wishes. Imagine the surprise of an employee that gets asked the very first day on the job that he/she wants to be added to the break room!

The ability to work from home

The development of the IT industry made it possible for a large number of workers to start working from the comfort of their homes. While a home office has its advantages and disadvantages, workers should be given the choice from they wish to work. Millennials are a generation that is always on the move so you might easily a scenario in which millennials approach you with the request to take a whole month off to travel; only to inform you that they will be willing to work the whole time they’re away.

In fact, candidates are bound to ask the question of whether they can work remotely and you should allow them this benefit. In the end, the only thing you as the employer should care about is the quality of the products millennials create. If they wish to work from a bench in the park outside the office building, from their bed or from a teepee in Bali, why should you oppose this?

Attracting a millennial should be fairly easy with a lucrative salary but keeping them for a longer period is an uphill battle. The labor market is quite fluid nowadays so other companies will constantly try to lure your top-notch employees away. However, millennials do have one last ethical quality we haven’t mentioned so far and that is their fair loyalty. If you are paying them enough, they have room for professional development, and their opinion is valued, then they will have no real reason to leave your company.

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Written by Neil White

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