Gallup's chief scientist for workplace management James K. Harter pointed out that 75% of the reasons for costly turnover come down to things that managers can influence and solve (Harter and Adkins, 2015). Furthermore, from the study of 7,272 US adults Gallup found that 50% of employees left their job because of their manager (Schwantes, 2018). To keep the best employees with the company managers need to stop disappointing their employees. They need to keep in touch with them to find out what actually employees want from the company.
This article identifies what are the top stereotypes about millennials, and how can managers address them.
Stereotype #1 – They need to know why
Gen X can be defined as the children who are left alone after school because they had working parents. Baby boomers and generation X feel like someone told them what to do and they did it, all with a smile on their face. The problem comes here because millennials are quite different when it comes to doing things. They like explanations. They need to know the purpose of the project or task. Let's be honest, what's wrong with explain the task to them? Make sense right?
The Solution
If you are a manager make sure don't get angry with millennials when they ask questions about the task. You can take a minute to explain the purpose. If you think explaining purpose wastes your time, don't worry you will get that minute’s productivity at the end of the day. If there are no questions in the mind millennials are the type of people who work hard to achieve their goals.
Stereotype #2- They want a trophy for everything
The baby boomers and generation X are the ones who started to give participation trophies and other achievement trophies to employees. Nowadays millennials also expect that appreciation from the company. Managers can't be mad at them because they used to see that kind of stuff earlier in their lives. There is no such a big deal if everyone gets some additional recognition because their talents are different from each other. One can be an expert at one thing and others may not. As managers, it's important to take a few minutes and let the millennials know why it is important to win.
The Solution
There are plenty of researches available regarding the effects of rewarding. In Luke Simmons' "Millennials and the participation Trophy Mindset," he suggests several elements. Participation trophy mindset has provided different and powerful motivation to work harder, seek more growth and strive for greater success than their parents. As managers, you must keep in your mind to give additional recognition and praise for the millennials who got higher achievements.
Stereotype #3- They want too much accommodation and flexibility
Flexible working schedules help people feel more balanced and because of that, they will try to give their best version of themselves at work. If someone wants to go home earlier to be with their family, come in early and leave early. What is wrong with that? Accommodating flexibility?
The Solution
The universal truth is that everyone wants flexibility in their work. Millennials are more connected to technology and because of that, they like to move toward remote employment options. Bentley University has done a study and 77% of the millennials agree that a flexible working schedule would make them more productive (Stahl, 2017). There is plenty of flexible working options, which are available and the manager can allocate work according to the tasks. If the flexible schedule is available for employees, without no doubt your company will get more and more job applications from millennial jobseekers.
Further Recommendation
It's better if the manager takes time to get to know each and every employee working under him/her. Follow them with regular check-in. Also, managers need to identify what are the new trends and unique features of each generation. Make sure you know each persons' unique work preference in addition to his or her age. If you want to increase your sales in the business offer your employees a better working place. They won't let you down.
