Six Ways Forward to a Millennial Friendly Work Culture

The population of India is considered among the youngest in the world. Over 50% of the population is 25 years old or less and over 65% is under 35 years of age. In other words, it has the most number of millennials. Because of this, India is called the youngest country in the world. As of 2020, the median age of its population is around 27.5 years. Plus, over 60% of the Indian workforce consists of young millennials.

This is a huge pool of resourceful workforce. To take the fullest advantage of such a large pool of young workforce available for the organizations, firms should pay close attention to their needs and requirements and create a millennial-friendly work culture to ensure maximum employee retention and satisfaction.

The young workforce has distinct needs, which go beyond their need for better pay. They want a better quality of life and a better work environment. They seek a better work-life balance. The millennial generation desires a place where their views are heard and they can contribute equally to the growth and development of the company.

This millennial generation is not complacent and content with a simple desk job offer. They are ready to take the risks in their careers if they encounter a better opportunity to display their talents. So, firms should transform their company culture to include this vibrant and resourceful workforce. After all, they are the way forward, they will shape the growth trajectory of your organization in the years to come.

So, let us check the six ways to create a millennial-friendly work culture that will positively impact employee productivity.

1. Don’t focus only on perks

Perks may help you draw the young workforce. But it will not help you with employee retention. Happy hours, buffet lunches, ping pong tables, discount coupons will lure the best candidates into your company but you will need a robust company culture to get them to stay and flourish in your company.

You must strive to create a positive work environment where your young employees can feel a great sense of engagement and camaraderie among their colleagues. Approachable and collaborative work culture is what keeps the young workforce happy, which helps with employee retention as well as employee satisfaction.

A positive work environment and a better work-life balance will beat the freebies any day.

2. Make them comfortable

The best way to make millennials comfortable with the workplace is by associating them with their training peer buddy for as long as you deem fit. The peer buddy will help them get accustomed to their new role and will answer all their queries and doubts. This makes them comfortable, which also helps to bond with their team.

It positively affects the employee’s performance during the training period. Because she/he is more comfortable asking questions and doubts to their peers rather than approach their superior, during the initial few weeks at the workplace.

So, make sure you create an open method of communication and conduct better team-building activities for your young employees.

3. Encourage them to learn different skills and grow

Millennials rank learning and development opportunities as the topmost employer benefit. The working millennial generation is eager to learn different skills and grow. They have a burning desire to excel in whatever they pursue.

You must, therefore, encourage your young workforce to learn and develop new skills, as well as aim for growth. At the same time, provide them with ample learning and growth opportunities through proper methods of communication. This way, the employee benefits from your resources and feels wanted and accepted by the organization.

It has been observed that the lack of learning and training is why millennials are unhappy with the workplace and start looking for a different job offer again. Training could be provided in various ways, including formal training, mentoring and peer to peer learning.

Reverse mentoring is also the best way to boost employee engagement among millennials. Reverse mentoring is when young millennials become mentors to seasoned and experienced employees.

Young employees love to share their knowledge and understanding just like they love to learn new things. And encouraging them to do so, creates a better bond within the team members, resulting in better employee satisfaction and productivity.

4. Provide ample feedback

Young employees are open to receiving feedback and are quick to apply them in their work. Young millennials expect regular feedback on their performance at work. On-the-fly coaching should replace unproductive performance reviews. On-the-fly coaching mainly includes:
Providing immediate coaching after an observation
On the floor, at the employee’s desk
1 to 2-minute sessions

This system of continuous feedback and regular reviews will help the millennials stay focused on their objectives, allowing their managers to discuss the problems as and when they occur. This shows your interest in the young workforce, which will result in better outcomes from their work.

5. Appreciate their accomplishments

The young workforce belongs to a generation where every learning and development activity is graded and every result is made public. Millennials are used to undergoing a direct assessment of their failures and successes.

So, mimic these activities at the workplace by publicly displaying the achievements of employees, and, by recognizing and celebrating their accomplishments.

Reward your young workforce for exceeding sales targets, excellent performance and exceptional service delivered to customers. This raises the standards at the workplace and motivates your millennial employees, which boosts employee productivity.

6. Active participation in CSR activities

We may misjudge them by their attitude and body language, but millennials are responsible and emotional citizens. And social interaction and responsibility are among their top priorities.

When it comes to corporate social interaction and responsibility, they prefer active employee engagement with substantial outcomes rather than just simple lip service.

Make sure you create an active CSR plan which includes the active involvement of employees. Encourage them to donate something for the cause, and they will participate in cash and kind.

CSR is also one of the best team building activities. It is also a great way to build a positive brand image among your employees and it gives them the chance to interact with the management.

So, create greater impact with CSR and make sure the millennial generation participates actively in the cause. The better ways you find of giving it back, the happier and engaging your millennial workforce will be.

Conclusion

The best part about these six aspects is that it not only benefits the millennials but everyone else in the company too. The young workforce has forced us to rethink and re-evaluate our practices at the workplace. And, it is the right time to change for the better and embrace the changing dynamics of the modern workforce.