Managers and business leaders have the last say when it comes to vital business decisions. However, the contemporary business world asks for certain alterations of this traditional rule. Since the nature of the global market is as volatile as it gets, both entrepreneurs and workers have to change. They can do that with the help of their HR-teams and other fellow managers.
However, they can find inspiration in their millennial employees, as well. Millennials are becoming a powerful workforce and they’re introducing some ground-breaking innovations – take Mark Zuckerberg, for instance.
These changes are most obvious in their attitude to work. Namely, they’re more likely to start their work day later in the day, ask for different work organization and generally choose jobs that allow a less formal approach to work organization. So, here’s what you can do to find inspiration in your millennial employees and learn from them. For example, you can start using the Internet more and get familiar with modern gadgets. The knowledge of modern technologies is their key advantage over some more experienced but less tech-adept workers.
Also, their more flexible attitude to work could make you think about the way you run your business and introduce some employee-scheduling tools that would benefit your entire staff. It would lead to better shift planning and improved work organization.
As a result, all your employees could spend a certain amount of time weekly working outside the office and still perfectly perform all their tasks.
Investment for the future
A study by Forbes showed that the number of millennial workers in America will reach 46% of the total workforce in this country by 2020. So, relying on the millennial manpower is an investment for the future. Even though they may lack experience, their knowledge of modern technologies will enable them to learn fast and make rapid progress.
So, when you’re hiring a new millennial worker, you should know that they’ve grown up with video games and cable TV. What’s more, they’ve developed simultaneously with the Internet. As a result, their tech-soaked past is a great legacy for the business future that will depend on the workers’ familiarity with technology, adaptability and willingness to constantly work on your self-improvement.
So, what you can do is connect with them on social media, as well as communicate about their everyday interests. It will help you broaden your horizons and get ready for new professional challenges.
The power of the moment
When you talk to an average millennial, you see that their attention span is quite short. The results of the research conducted by comScore show that advertisers should squeeze their ads into 5-6 seconds. That’s how long an average millennial can concentrate on a single ad. On the one hand, that might be a problem for any sort of business. Nevertheless, this scattered nature of their minds can actually yield some great benefits for your business.
- Millennial multitasking – Millennials can perform numerous actions at the same time. This multitasking nature of Generation Y can be used to increase productivity. Moreover, you can follow suit and try to perform several business actions at the same time. Your millennial employee will inspire you not to fall behind.
- Learning on the go – Today an entire generation is obsessed with gadgets. This is great news for entrepreneurs. That way, your millennial workers can read a new business guide or a project description as they walk, drink coffee or ride on a public bus. On the one hand, they cope more efficiently with their business challenges. On the other, they increase the efficiency of their time management.
- Smaller chunks of information – If you want to train a millennial, forget about long learning sessions. What you need to do instead is divide them into shorter periods. Likewise, apply the same strategy for all your meetings and presentations, regardless of the age of the participants. It’s surprising how many things you can say and learn in only 30 minutes.
Business managers and HR-specialists who manage to adapt to the momentary character of millennials will definitely get ahead of the curve.
Exercising high flexibility
The inspiration between millennial workers and their managers should be a two-way process. So, as you follow their behavior and draw inspiration for your business actions, be aware that they’ll observe you, as well. So, if you collaborate, you can reach a high level of synergy. And one of the key prerequisites for this closer professional relationship is work flexibility.
One of the main reasons for the increased flexibility of millennials is their individual character. Due to their exposure to various tech-miracles, they’ve developed a strong sense of individuality. As a result, their personal freedom means a lot to them. In line with that, let your ingenious copywriter play Counterstrike all night and come to work in the afternoon- They’ll highly appreciate that you understand their personal needs. In return, they’ll make a greater effort to contribute to your business.
Increased level of work freedom
Apart from the aforementioned organizational freedom, give your millennial employees a chance to occasionally choose their projects. By doing so, you’ll show them that you trust them, both as your employees and as personalities. Since this personal appreciation is invaluable to them, they’ll treat you with even more respect.
However, it’s important to teach them first how to make a proper project estimate, before they set their foot on that path. This will help them assess their own skills, knowledge and the time needed to meet a deadline. Apart from that, they’ll learn how to combine work freedom with utmost business responsibility.
Now what you need to do next is approach your experienced workers the same way. So, ask them to switch teams and choose some of their projects. It would be perfect to create generationally mixed teams, made up of enthusiastic millennials and experienced employees. Shuffling the workers will boost creativity and inspire them to yield some original ideas.
Laid-back but determined attitude
If there’s a common characteristic of most millennial workers, it must be the laid-back attitude to work. However, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t interested in their jobs. On the contrary, many of them are real hidden gems, waiting for a tender hand to discover them. They just have their own way of dealing with their tasks.
This is why it’s important to always explain to your millennials why they’re doing something. Moreover, take care of their feedback, since they’ll be eager to know what they’ve done well.
If you adapt to their coolness, you’ll realize that they actually save energy for the stuff that inspires them. As you gradually learn what entices your group of millennials, you’ll learn how to approach them. What’s more, some of their routines will help you understand their generation and use that in your business matters.
The exchange of energy is extremely important in any kind of work. Nowadays, everything is happening at pretty fast pace. Therefore, it’s essential for business pros to enrich their careers with a variety of influences. Working with young, inspiring employees will increase your creativity and open your mind for innovations. In return, your millennial workforce will be a great contribution to your business, launching you to the business heights.
Know more about the contributor Mark Thomasson, a biz-dev hero at Invoicebus.
