Top Tips for Motivating Millennials
Be open to the skills millennials want to develop. Look for ways you can turn their interests into skills you can use in the workplace. Sometimes their interests can also be a source of innovation and ideas that you are overlooking.
Break up tasks into component parts and give feedback at those intervals. Little milestones and deadlines along the way create the sense of urgency that young workers may lack. Millennials like to see the immediate impact of their efforts.
Give millennials the tools they need to gather more information more quickly. Younger workers interact online using collaborative tools that create information outside the company. Embrace social computing from the inside and define sensible rules for acceptable use. Take a stand now and encourage staff to develop an information base through trusted social software tools, such as an enterprise wiki or corporate blog.
Stop playing cop and develop a more trusting environment. Set rules and policies that really matter. Communicate them clearly and administrate them with fairness and consistency.
Recognize improvement. Ten percent of employees receive ninety percent of the praise for work accomplished. Asking employees how problems have been solved would reveal more of your in-house talent. Celebrate accomplishments. Reward everyone on a team for reaching a goal.
Not recognizing employees will create resentment and low morale. Written and verbal praise often surpasses money in making employees feel valuable.
Millennials who are motivated feel their work is meaningful. Take the time to explain to employees the importance of the work they do. Explain how their performance has direct impact on the success or failure of the company.
More millennial motivators
- Look for opportunities for creative challenges.
- Look for opportunities for personal growth.
- Provide flexibility in the work schedule.
- Make the office a fun place to be by giving incentives: extra money, gift certificates, a movie ticket, a meal - even just a thank you is all that is needed to show your appreciation.
Engaged employees are creative, productive, motivated and brimming with good ideas. Not only will they stay; they'll be fully committed to their jobs and to the company's success.
