In major industries, millennials (Generation Y or people born after 1980s and before 2000s) make up a large percentage of the total workforce. These young professionals are tech-savvy, affordable, and flexible. However you need to tailor your workplace according to their desires and needs, if you want them to work for you. Here’s how to make a millennial-friendly workplace.
- Focus on the result, rather than procedures and rules
As stated by the recruiting firm Mom Corps, “Younger professionals tend to choose a flexible workplace than the older ones. They were even ready to accept lesser pay if workplace flexibility was provided instead.” This group of people prefer to work wherever and whenever they feel comfortable instead of a set office hours. You can define specific milestones and deadlines and let the employee decide how to get the work done before deadlines.
- Ditch the cubes
Working in a cubicle, is a thing of the past. You may be worried that an open plan office may decrease the productivity. That won’t be the case if majority of your employees are millennials. An interactive office is the kind of place that will make them feel as a part of engaging and supportive team.
- Invest in latest technology
These young professionals will not like working with some technology that was discovered when they were in elementary school. So invest in some recent technology that will be friendlier with these tech-savvy youngsters. Allot them with some latest gadgets, to improve their productivity and engagement.
- Shun harsh hierarchy
No doubt, hierarchies are necessary to let the team members know that they have their seniors to support them time to time. However, millennials do not accept to being yelled at or belittled by someone, just because they have lesser experience. The CEO of Rakuten, Hiroshi Mikitani says that, “Do not ask me what the next big thing is, ask the twentysomethings on my team.”
- Casual company culture
“Millennials look for a workplace where they can be themselves.”, states MTV’s “No Collar Workers” survey. Younger employees will feel comfortable in informal, social, and more millennial-friendly workplace. Such workplace fosters creativity, productivity, and goodwill.
- Work-Life Balance
Millennials don’t only work for money, they work for their growth, and are very focused to their job. But they desire a work-life balance; they don’t want to work round the clock. They also have a life outside the office and living it to the fullest is also equally important to this group. Flexible working hours or working remotely can be really attractive incentives for these millennials. Whether you like it or not, millennials will cover the large amount of your workforce. So, it makes sense to develop your office into a millennial-friendly workplace.