Millennials, or America’s youth born between 1982 and 2000, now number more than 83 million and represent more than one quarter of the nation’s population. According to reports from the U.S. Census Bureau, their size exceeds that of the 75.4 million baby boomers. Overall, millennials are more diverse than the generations that preceded them.
As we lead and manage our companies, we must learn how to engage and empower this millennial generation. Here are 5 ways to engage and empower your millennial workforce:
1. Optimize Your Website
More than likely, the first interaction a millennial will have with your company is with your company website. Millennials will assess the reputation and credibility of your company based on their experience with your company website. They will be expecting a clean, fast moving, and optimized website. If your website is not optimized you will not capture the attention of millennials.
2. Give Them a Mission to Care About
Millennials are motivated to jump into action when they have a mission they care about. Publish your company mission statement and clearly communicate it to them. One of the best ways to communicate your company’s mission statement is through video. The video should feature the founder of your company explaining why the company was started and why the mission is important. Utilize powerful stats, info graphics, and compelling images. If your company cares about the mission, you’ll engage millennials.
3. Allow for Flexible Work Schedules
The traditional on-site Monday to Friday 9 to 5 schedule is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Millennials want to work for organizations who offer flexible work hours and the option to work remotely. With modern technology, it’s quite feasible for employees to get their work done and attend meetings from various locations. When you allow millennials to have flexible work environments and schedules you’ll gain their trust and respect. When they trust and respect you, they feel empowered and motivated to work hard for you. If your company doesn’t allow for flexible work schedules, start small. For example, select certain days that employees can work remotely and certain hours that they need to be in the office.
4. Embrace Social Media
Social media is ingrained in the everyday life of millennials. They have access to social media on their smartphones, watches, tablets and laptops. Keeping them off of social media during work hours will be a challenge. Instead of trying to keep them off social media, embrace it. As a part of your company’s social media strategy, encourage them to share your company’s blogs and resources on their various social media outlets. This will help increase your organic reach on social media and attract more millennials to your organization.
5. Provide Constant Feedback & Progress Updates
We all know that communication is key in developing relationships with those we manage. Millennials crave constant feedback from their leaders and managers. The more feedback you give them the more their confidence grows. Along with feedback, millennials desire to know the progress being made on the company’s mission, goals, objectives and projects. Millennials want to know that their work is meaningful and is contributing to making progress in the company. Provide constant feedback and progress updates to keep millennials engaged and empowered.
In the coming years, millennials will dominate and overtake our workforce. They will play an important role in the future of our companies. Use these tips to help you engage and empower your millennial workforce.
For more tips like these, subscribe to The RedRock Report.
Jeff Ruby
Founder of RedRock Leadership