The workplace is quite a different place nowadays, primarily due to the fact that there are as many as five different generations all coexisting within it. And with five different generations working side by side in this new multigenerational workforce, multigenerational workforce challenges are arising, as different generations have different expectations not only from their jobs, but from the workplace environment as well. From older generations wondering how to deal with millennials in the workplace to the millennials in the workplace wondering the exact same thing about their older counterparts, differences in the workplace can prove to be quite difficult.
But before we look at how to deal with millennials in the workplace, we must first look at the generational differences found between millennials, who now make up more than thirty five percent of the workforce, and their older counterparts. For one thing, millennials tend to want feedback on a more consistent basis than older workers do, with up to eighty percent of this age group (those who were born between the year of 1981 and 1996) preferring more frequent feedback instead of getting a quarterly performance review. For someone who is wondering how to deal with millennials in the workplace, simply providing feedback on a more consistent basis can have a hugely positive impact on managing generational differences in the workplace, particularly if this more frequent feedback is something that employees can either opt into or out of, as older employees might not enjoy it as much or find it as constructive.
But when we look at how to deal with millennials in the workplace, it is frequently that we find that the answer to how to deal with millennials in the workplace is very much the same as how we deal with other age groups in the workplace as well. After all, millennials and older generations want much of the same things, even though they do, of course, have their differences – something that any managing millennials speaker could likely tell you with a considerable amount of ease.
In fact, millennials and older generations all tend to want the same types of benefits provided by their jobs. The data shows this particularly clearly when we look at the desire for comprehensive health care packages across all age groups, with nearly thirty five percent of all millennial employees (thirty four percent, to be just a little bit more exact) desiring a health care plan above any other type of benefit offered. Among other generations, the percentage who feel the same way is only slightly higher, at about forty percent.
And when it comes to making a difference the workplace, similar percentages of millennials want to make a positive change as the percentages seen among the older generations currently working in the United States. In fact, it’s estimated that around one quarter of millennials are looking to make a positive difference while just over twenty percent of baby boomers and people who are part of the gen x generation also want to make a similar positive difference. So while these percentages are certainly very slightly different, they are not overwhelmingly so.
Finally, opening the door to communication is absolutely key for those who are wondering how to manage millennials in the workplace. In this way, the answer to the question of how to manage millennials in the workplace is again very similar to how to manage other generations in the workplace as well. Though there will certainly be differences – sometimes considerable differences – throughout the generations, these differences are typically quite easy to handle when it comes to simply allowing the generations to communicate with one another in an open and construction – instead of destructive – manner. Hiring someone like.a retention speaker or funny keynote speaker can help to usher in a new era of better communication in any given workplace here in the United States.
Wondering how to manage millennials in the workplace and how to deal with millennials in the workplace is certainly not uncommon, but the answer to the question is likely far simpler than many people realize. After all, millennial employees want many of the same things that their older counterparts do.