Have a large millennial population in your organization and keen to understand and engage the group better?
Consider this. According to a recent global study among millennials 42% believe that the quality of education will be a key change driver for the world. Protecting the environment and reducing poverty come next. This may sound surprising coming from a group often viewed as aloof and self-centered. Millennials want to make a local and a global difference, are interested in contributing to the community, are keen to be entrepreneurs and are very comfortable with technology, says this research report.
Opportunities to innovate, be innovative and be ‘intrepreneurs’ will go a long in engaging this group based on the Deloitte Millennial Survey . The study shares that 78% millennials made their decision to join a workforce based on how innovative the firm was and if the organization truly encouraged employees to be creative. Likewise, 70% of millennials looked at their future as entrepreneurs rather than working with the confines of a formal structure.
In a NASSCOM study – Managing In A Multigenerational Workplace what comes out strongly is the wide perception gap among employees of this generation and their managers.  The millennials attitudes are shaped by their experiences at home and at the workplace – mostly developed by self-learning. Loyalty and striving for perfection aren’t attributes that bother them a lot. While managers believe employees expect instant recognition it isn’t always the case – instead they seek a friend in a manager who is approachable and respected. However, work-life balance is crucial to the millennial’s life. This group prefers empowerment, engagement and flexibility.
With this backdrop, most organizations with a sizable chunk of millennials at their workforce will struggle to connect with this group unless they approach their relationship differently. Internal communicators can play the perfect foil in enlisting the support of this young group and bridging the gap.
Here are a few recommendations to get started with your Gen Y engagement.
Curate a self-managed forum: Initiate a dialogue with this group with either a forum or an informal online community. Clarify business goals and tap this forum to sensitize the group on the organization’s plans, share insights and invite suggestions. Ensure you make concrete plans and allow the group to self-manage their outcomes. Help promote the group’s actions using internal communication. Probably, profile one member every month or have the group ‘reverse mentor’ their leaders on topics of mutual interest.
Tap millenials’ talent: Millenials are looking for ways to be a part of the organization’s initiatives and one crucial approach is by tapping their potential to the fullest. Apart from their work there are opportunities to leverage their discretionary effort to further the brand – inside and outside the firm. Build a repository of talent areas and map it internally with the need of the hour – for example, how to simplify a process that improves your employees’ lives can be something of interest for this group. You will find employees who have say a passion for design thinking or are great with application development. Putting them together can create something extraordinary.
Provide opportunities to give back: Challenge the group on a social need and have them think of solutions which will enhance the lives of communities you serve. With their interest to be a responsible corporate citizen you can be sure of the group coming up with answers that work for all. Allow the group to spot opportunities and link it with the organization’s business objectives. Have their managers encourage participation in such initiatives.
Demonstrate positive action: Get your leaders to attend the forum to listen and engage. Invite the group to creatively recommend solutions for everyday issues instead of looking to their leaders for direction. Seek their inputs on policies and approaches on employee practices. Show how their effort is translating into business outcomes. For example, how simple actions such as sharing company content with their social media network can improve reach and impact of business communication.
From my experience of starting such a forum sustaining the momentum is the most crucial. The culture within will also help determine if this forum will last beyond the initial enthusiasm.
If your organization is truly committed to engaging Gen Y and building trust there isn’t a better way than allowing your future leader to lead the way.
If you have other ideas do share them here. Keen to hear from you.
