12 Ways Millennials Are Impacting the Workplace

12 Ways Millennials Are Impacting the Workplace

Millennials have been part of the workforce for a number of years, shaping the dynamics of workplaces as well as the labor market in general. As millennials increasingly begin to land executive positions, it’s important to know their values and the impact they’ve made on work. To understand the latest trends regarding millennials in the workplace, we asked C-suite executives, founders and other businesspeople for their views on the generational movement. From bringing a purpose-driven mindset to redesigning office interiors, millennials have already left a big impact on the business sphere.

Bring a Purpose-Driven Mindset

Millennials are the generation that really cares about making a difference or leaving a mark on the world as a whole. Their happiness stems from wanting to create change, whether that be in their community or the world.

They are usually determined to do good and will spend the time to research new ways to accomplish their goals. They dream high and are in a stage of life where they – especially those born in the 1980s – have experience to help fuel their lofty ambitions.

LT Ladino
CEO and Founder, vCandidates.com

Add Open Communication

One of the most notable ways is millennials have changed the workforce is by pushing for more transparency. They want to know what their bosses are thinking and have a say in major decisions. They like to know what’s going on at the company and what’s going on with their employees. They want to know the salaries of their coworkers and even those who work in the same position as them.

This has led to more open communication and a less hierarchical structure in many organizations. While older generations prefer to work in the shadows, millennials are asking for more transparency, since this is the generation that grew up with the internet and social media.

Paw Vej
Chief Operating Officer, Financer.com

Emphasize Company Culture

Millennials are not teenagers—they are now making up the bulk of our workforce and are moving into leadership positions. So, they know their worth and want a great salary, but they also value the environment in which they’re working as well.

If the company culture isn’t up to scratch, millennials will simply move on. You need to make sure you’re providing these employees with an inclusive, opportunity-rich place of work that makes them feel supported, safe and able to be themselves.

Matthew Stibbe
CEO, Articulate Marketing

Promote Transparency and Feedback

Millennials have a different view of doing work. They actively look for honest feedback and a transparent environment. Earlier, the feedback culture was formal and not so open, but today they have changed that.

It is now crucial for millennials to have a positive workplace. Their greater expectation of openness from their organizations’ management and executive teams has significantly encouraged transparency. They ensure that every team member will be informed.
In turn, it is important that managers are all appropriately trained to provide constructive feedback, so that millennials can learn from their errors and improve.

Madhurima Halder
Content Manager, Recruit CRM

Encourage an Optimal Work/Life Balance

While occupying more prominent positions at work, millennials are also changing the standards for personal lives. The millennial generation, one of the first to share parental duties, is moving away from the conventional five-day workweek. Remote and flexible working isn’t considered a perk anymore; it’s a need because of the widely available technology that supports it.

As a result, the boundaries separating work and personal life are usually blurred. People are used to creating their own rules for how and when they work as well as being “always online.”

Sandeep Kashyap
Founder, ProofHub

Prioritize Speed and Customer Experience

One major impact millennials are having on the workplace is their focus on speed and customer experience. They have grown up with instant gratification as the norm and expect nothing less in the workplace. This has led to businesses putting a greater emphasis on speed and efficiency, as well as making sure that customers are happy.

Another way that millennials are changing the workplace is in their attitudes toward feedback and mentoring. They are much more open to receiving feedback than previous generations, and they also expect to have a mentor at work who can help them learn and grow. This has led to businesses putting more emphasis on training and development opportunities for employees.

Overall, the impact of millennials in the workplace has been positive as they have brought about changes that have made businesses more efficient and customer-focused. As more millennials enter leadership positions, these changes are likely to become even more commonplace.

Erik Pham
Founder and SEO Editor, Health Canal

Practice Sociability

One of the most powerful features of the millennial workforce is their sociability. Most millennials engage in online social interactions with customers and coworkers, which creates an unobtrusive connection. This transparency and open-mindedness are important trust-building factors. Constant communication lessens the possibility of misunderstanding.

Daria Globchak
Account Manager, Elai.io

Increase the Value of Trust

Operate in untrustworthy ways and watch millennials stream out the door. Trust and transparency are expectations for millennials and failure to meet them has talent retention repercussions. The impact of the revolving talent door with mid-career millennials is causing leaders to rethink their operational standards and corporate behaviors.

The first of our principles for high-performance teams, leaders and work culture is trust and having confidence in the integrity, honesty, reliability and fairness of a person, a group or a system. 

The other five principles are interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk resolution and success. They are also important for the retention of millennials.

Dianne Crampton
President, TIGERS Success Series

Incorporate Social Media Into Everything

Millennials, practically born with a smartphone in their hands, want to integrate social media into their job.

For instance, maybe they’d like to get your Twitter going or ghostwrite the Tweets. Or they’d like to engage the other talent in creating original content across multiple channels like TikTok and Instagram.

Millennials are knowledgeable and adept at reaching multigenerational wide audiences through captivating social media content. Through regular use of social media, millennials can increase the audience for a business while satisfying their desire to incorporate social media at work.

Temoer Terry
Partner, The Mommy Care Kit

Ask for More Workplace Wellness Programs

Millennials are much more focused on work-life balance than any generation previously. They are forcing companies to create wellness programs and offer more mental health awareness. Millennials are also more comfortable with setting and enforcing boundaries. When they leave work, they want to focus on their personal life and leave the work behind. Organizations have to take these changes into consideration if they want to attract and retain millennial talent.

Caroline Duggan
Chief Brand Officer, Lumineux

Do More Online Research Before B2B Purchases

In B2B, millennials are making many buying decisions, and they are digitally native. They’re more inclined to research solutions online—on review websites, in peer communities, and other online locations—that previous generations didn’t look at or were less likely to consider. Millennials don’t want to hear from vendors; they want to hear from their peers and are willing to look online to do so.

Joe Kevens
Founder and Director, B2B SaaS Reviews

Redesign the Workspaces

The millennial employee is not content to sit in a closed office or to be housed in “cubeville.” These employees want fun, collaborative working environments. This has led businesses to rethink their layout and provide more open spaces. Many of the spaces provide smaller bistro-style tables, sofas, bean bags, and even swings to allow for more informal-style meetings and creative sessions. Today, as you wander through companies, you may even find dogs or cats roaming the workspace as millennials are also more likely to bring their pets to work.

Andrew Adamo
VP, Bullion Shark

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