The most daunting problem faced by companies nowadays is retention of their workforce – particularly millennials.
Millennials are those who are born in 1984 and onwards.
We heard it all:
“They are so entitled.”
“They take everything for granted.”
“They expect too much.”
It’s very easy to point fingers and much wiser to let them assume responsibility for everything that happens in life.
But the Millennial Mentality is the result of 20 plus years of conditioning and the conditioning comes from mainly 3 things.
1) Environment
The times of today are not the same as yesterday’s.
More and more millennials are seen as spoiled and entitled as a result of living in a time of prosperity and abundance.
It’s no secret that millennials are softer than the previous generation. They have been babied for most of their lives and have been safeguarded against the cruel nature of the “real world.”
Their worldview stays the same until they graduate from college and go into the working world and realize that the market doesn’t care about who they are. That they are not a beautiful and unique snowflake as their parents say they are.
This sudden shift disrupts their thinking and ultimately their expectations.
2) Technology
The effects of social media in modern times are commonplace and damaging.
Millennials grow up with technology. It’s part of their childhood.
It’s self-explanatory when marketers say that the smartphone is the next TV.
People spend more time on Facebook than they do on any other website.
Besides providing the most current updates on your friends, social media also provides something else – a sense of self-worth.
A lot of millennials take pictures of their food and the places they visit and also their outfits. As much as they would like to say they are doing it because they like to share their lives – the reality is that if no one reacts to their status update, they will feel invalidated or ignored.
Millennials are so used to crafting their online presence to appear cool and worthy in hopes to be accepted by their peers.
When they enter the workforce, they lack the self-esteem needed to be confident in handling tasks and people. They try to obtain acceptance by impressing their peers and bosses.
3) Impatience
In other words – instant gratification.
Due to technology, millennials have gotten used to seeing instant results without the need to wait.
Gone are the days of dial up, now we have 1080p live streaming.
Next day shipping, swipe right for a date – you get the idea.
In the working world, millennials will expect to be able to perform on the job quickly and see results as fast. Failure to meet such expectations will give them the impression that the job is not a right fit for them or that they don’t fit the job.
It is evident that the times they live in play a huge role as to how they are influenced.
What should be done from this point onwards should be picked up by the companies who are to hire these millennials.
Here are a few practical tips:
1) Create a conducive environment. Give them the tools to do their work and let them do their work. Treat them like adults.
2) Recognize their efforts however small. Confidence is key to any person.
3) Lead by example and be a mentor to them. Inform them of the realities and expectations of the job. Teach them to embrace failure – know that failure isn’t the opposite of success, but part of it.
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Author Bio:
Benjamin Sim is a content marketer at iPrice Group.
An entrepreneur at heart with the spirit animal of an owl. Ben loves reading and practicing on psychology, marketing and business. He lives under the mantra that “less is more”, “perception is reality” and “if you get them, you will get them.”
