6 Ways to Attract and Keep Millennial Talent

Millennials are a large, diverse generation (73 million born between 1980 and 1996), but they do have some common characteristics which may help employers attract and retain them. Here’s a list of 6 ways to attract, engage, and retain this younger generation in your work force.

6 Ways to Attract and Keep Millennial Talent

1. Connect online. According to a 2016 Gallup poll, 91% of this generation has a smart phone, and they are more likely to interact, search, buy, and work online than any other generation. They are more likely to search for and apply for work online, too. Any organization wanting to attract Millennials will have a strong corporate presence online (including social media) and will offer career and job postings online as well.
2. Flexibility. This is a group that doesn’t accept the status quo, and they are looking for both work-life balance and flexibility at work. A Deloitte article describes Millennials as wanting “freelance flexibility with full-time stability”. Offering opportunities to work online from home, flex-time, job-sharing, and other flexible full-time work solutions can help attract and retain Millennials. Sometimes flexibility can be as simple as offering stand-up workstations for those that prefer them.
3. Seeking engagement. While this generation is far less likely to be loyal to large scale entities such as brands, religions, or political parties, they do actively seek connection and engagement on a personal level at work. They are looking for managers and employers who genuinely care about them, Fortune.com says they seek employers who will offer them opportunities to learn and advance, and who engage on a personal level. Gallup says 62% of Millennials who feel they can connect with a manager on a personal level plan to be with their current organization for at least a year.
4. Meaningful work. Millennials want to do work that is meaningful. They actively want to understand the purpose of their organization and feel that they are a useful part of accomplishing that purpose. A strong, positive corporate culture and clear values and mission statements go a long way to helping Millennials invest in their organization’s success.
5. Valued work. This generation seeks guidance and feedback more than older generations have. They want to know their work is valued and appreciated, and enjoy learning to do their job well. Often portrayed as needy and demanding, Millennials tend to make a sustained effort when they feel supported and valued, and their buy-in is greater when they are encouraged. Mentoring relationships work particularly well for this generation. In many cases, the Baby Boomer generation enjoys teaching and mentoring. This reciprocal relationship can be useful at work, as well as, a low-cost retention tactic for employers.
6. Opportunities to do good. From social justice causes, to feeding the hungry, to simply contributing to local non-profits, Fortune.com points out that Millennials crave opportunities to do good in the world, and a company that either does that as a part of its mission, or offers those opportunities to employees as a corporate value has more value for and more loyalty from this optimistic and generous generation.