Wondering What Millennials And Gen Z Expect From Their Employers?

Navjot Kaur https://www.rchilli.com 4m 899

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Going by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), millennials (35 – 44 years old) will form a sizeable part of the workforce by nearly 4.5 million over the decade.

With such a large number of millennials joining the workforce, employers need to be transparent about what they want. By 2029, nearly 38.5 million individuals aged 35 to 44 are believed to outnumber all other age groups in the labor force.

Who are Millennials and Gen Z?

Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996.  Millennials are considered the most tech-savvy generation, who love their gadgets and technology.

They grew up during the internet era when individuals communicated through emails and early-age social media.

Millennials are versatile as they are used to doing many activities and, in the age of the internet, doing much more with just a few clicks on laptops and smartphones.

Gen Z, or centennials, refers to the generation born between 1997-2012, following millennials.

Understanding Millennials and Gen Z in the Workplace

Let’s try to understand how do millennials and Gen Z behave in the workplace. Millennials and Gen Z are:

1. Confident and proactive

2. Team-players 

3. Organized and like working in a hierarchy

4. Strive for work-life balance

3 Things Gen Z and Millennials Expect from Their Workplace

1. Gen Z and millennials want a caring employer

Well-being matters! The millennials and Gen Z expect their employers to be empathetic and thoughtful. 

The past year, 2020, brought employee well-being into the spotlight. The people in the organization need to be healthy both physically and emotionally for an organization to be healthy. 

Many organizations have wellness programs that aim at physical wellness. But is physical fitness alone enough? In the era of intelligent gadgets where the world seems small, employees may suffer from social isolation, impacting their productivity. Therefore, an employer must cover all elements of well-being, including finances, career, and social.

2. Gen Z and millennials want leaders to have high moral values

Gen Z and millennials get inspired by leaders who believe in equality and fairness for all. They are most likely to reject employment opportunities where leaders contradict their way of value system.

Millennials and Gen Z rate ethics highly; in fact, it’s the highest quality they want in an employer. 

3. They want their workplace to be hi-tech

There’s no denying the fact that millennials are a digital generation. They feel at home in the lap of the internet! Smartphones, tablets, and laptops have transformed the way they connect and interact with one another. 

Furthermore, millennials spend a lot of their free time on their gadgets, and they expect their workplace to be tech-savvy as well. They want to have access to their job-related tasks from their mobile devices as well.

Top 7 Ways to Entice and Retain Millennials in the Workplace

As mentioned above, millennials make the majority of today’s workforce; employers have concentrated their efforts on attracting them to their workplaces.

Is there any formula to attract or retain them? Well, there is no sure way to keep them, but here are a few tips on attracting and retaining millennials and Gen Z in your workplace:

1. Improve Communication at Work

Millennials work in coordination with their senior colleagues, and therefore, they want constant feedback. They want to stay well-informed on all aspects of the business. Consequently, employers need to work on enhancing internal communications to improve millennials’ productivity. 

2. Support Diversity

Many surveys conducted by renowned research agencies show that talent acquisition strategies appeal to diverse candidates. With the world going digital during COVID-19, diversity hiring is here to stay. 

For employers to attain diversity in the workplace, they need to align the entire workplace with the same guidelines. Here, internal communication plays a vital role. 

3. Offer Competitive Pay

Are Gen Z and millennials anxious about salary? Yes, they do! Like you and us, they are concerned with a wage that is at par with or exceeds the industry standard for similar jobs. 

4. Build Trust at Workplace

Why does building trust matter in the workplace? For millennials and Gen Z, trust is an essential factor in the workplace. Here are some key points to consider.

1. Trust is great for self-esteem and inspiration

2. Trust boosts loyalty 

3. Trust develops collaboration

4. Trust reduces stress levels 

5. Trust helps generate enhanced efficiency

6. Trust improves employee performance

5. Offer Flexible Work Environment

As remote work is here, and it’s here to stay, employers ought to find innovative ways to keep millennials engaged while working remotely. 

Employers can offer flexible schedules, implying that employees can start and end their day as they wish, provided their work is complete.

6. Support Collaboration

Millennials are more used to working together, sharing knowledge, and collaborating than earlier generations. It’s because nowadays, most colleges and educational institutions encourage teamwork through collaboration.

Millennials and Gen Z seek collaboration and alliance in their workplace. 

7. Offer Opportunities for Growth

For millennials, professional growth and development opportunities are their primary concern. Hence, career growth and advancement have a significant impact on enticing and retaining millennials at work.

In conclusion, to retain and attract millennials and Gen Z in the workplace, organizations must be ready to adapt to their needs.

One of the best approaches is capitalizing on HR Technology solutions with that can help employers encourage, engage, and connect with candidates.

HR technology is used for automating the human resources function in organizations, including candidate screening, talent acquisition, and management. It also helps employers find the top talent from millennials and Gen Z.

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