You have probably passed the 90 day period with your new hired millennials and are starting to notice some trends about their workplace behaviors. Most likely they have stated to exhibit some of the following characteristics.
- Their go-to question is constantly “Why?”
- They have passed the onboarding process and are either indirectly or directly asking for greater autonomy and even flexibility in the hours that they are physically present.
- They speak up more than others in the room and they feel that what they lack in experience they make up in knowledge because they can just “google it”.
- They appear agitated or put off when you ask for status updates because in their mind, they feel that you are micromanaging them. “Did you not already give me a deadline so, why do you need to check on my progress?”
- They are highly collaborative and want to do all projects in a team orientation.
- They come to your office and ask for projects or a list of items that need to be accomplished.
While some attributes of this style of operation are different or not something with which you might comfortable, as a recent article in Forbes mentions, millennials bring tremendous value if viewed in the proper context. The reality is that business leaders and HR departments need to be on their game to develop their succession planning to keep smart millennials from jumping ship and joining other firms. So, how do we do it?
1. Rotate their assignments.
Millennials want to feel that they are developing in the career, not just their role. They want to be progressing towards something. Challenge them to figure out new ways to streamline processes. It is not always about promotion but more about exposure and experience.
2. ask if your procedures are, “business necessary or generational attachment?”
With the favorite question of “why” millennials can add value by questioning procedures. This is not an attack but a gift. If viewed with a critical eye, this can become a sound business practice to confirm if everything is really solving what the customer of your business really needs?
3. Let them know how they are doing.
If you are unsure if they know, tell them. If you told them last month, tell them again. Millennials are comfortable and desire a real time experience so, give them honest and real feedback. You will earn their loyalty.
The most critical question we have to answer as professionals is what is going to happen tomorrow, rather then what is happening today? Understanding how to develop the future of our business is the most critical investment we can make for the long-term health of our organizations and millennials are just that future.
