WHAT ARE WORKERS LOOKING FOR IN A JOB?

Gallup reveals that 59% of millennials, 44% of Gen X and 41% of Baby Boomers say they want opportunities to learn and grow. 

Generational Definitions

Looking at millennials, they deeply care about their development when looking for jobs. Stats from Gallup and others show 87% of millennials rate “professional or career growth and development opportunities as important to them in a job”

Top 3 Factors in Retaining Millennials

#1 LEARNING

They want to learn and grow in their jobs. Only 39% said they had learned something new in the past 30 days.

#2 EMPOWERMENT

They want to be empowered and expand their knowledge and skills, they want to be useful and they want their workplace to have meaning to them.

#3 CAREER DEVELOPMENT

They want development from their managers that find ways to invest in their futures. Millennials don’t want to wait to be given development opportunities, they don’t want to have to earn it.

What You Can Do

1.Hone their skills and coach them to become the best workers they can be.

2.Understanding each person’s best way of learning is very important! 

3.Provide learning through a variety of ways like visual, audio, in-person demo, reading, etc.

4.Provide task variations so they have new responsibilities and tasks that allow them to expand their own knowledge.

5.Handing over the reigns for them to help plan an event, or speak to the group, do a presentation, builds them and empowers them. 

6.Having them involved in more formalized learning is also important. In-house, on-site training is good!

7.Changing a role can be very empowering and engaging, yet without a discussion about how a role change meets their development, it can have an adverse effect.

Gallup discovered that 93% of millennials left their company after they changed their job roles, why? Because they may have believed they had little to no opportunity for their growth.

How to Keep Millennials Engaged

This is where engaging conversations of relations building, understanding them, listening to them with a helpful leadership approach will help.

Many workers do not open to discuss things with their manager, unless they feel comfortable and valued. 

According to studies, about 29% of millennials agree they feel comfortable discussing life outside of work with their manager, this can open doors to discuss their job roles. 

Managers need to have a good model to communicate effectively, with caring and thoughtful conversations. Some workers may have different career ideas for their futures and be adverse to discussion with their manager.

With a trusted and engaging conversations focused on helping the worker, they will begin to trust the manager and open up.

Such empowering and caring conversations can deeply help them understand that they are important & have a significant place in the company.