Born between 1981 and 1996, the Millennial generation is a powerhouse in today’s workplace. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 50% of the workforce will be made up of millennials. This generation displays an intrinsic knowledge and trust of technology, a consistent work ethic and a commitment to excellence in standards and practices. To fully engage these employees, companies must not only honor what millennials bring to the table but also be honorable themselves. The key points below will assist in gaining insight on how to harness the power of millennials in your company.
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Build a Solid Professional Relationship
Employers may fear that taking a relational approach to management is too time-consuming. However, accustomed to instant access to information, many millennials in the modern workplace prefer a coaching style that consists of frequent, brief check-ins rather than epic conversations.
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Value Their Strengths
This is a generation of people who have been told their whole lives that they can be anything they want to be. Consequently, they have put a lot of effort into discovering and becoming who they want to be, and they expect you to learn who they are and what their strengths are. Generic praise and cookie-cutter tasks won’t cut it with these employees. Encouragement needs to be specific and sincere, and
The good news for employers is that getting to know how millennials in your workplace like to be encouraged and the tasks at which they thrive won’t be hard to do. This generation tends to be pretty self-aware. They probably know off the top of their heads what their top five CliftonStrengths and they are likely to have some great ideas about how to best utilize those strengths in a call center workplace environment. You just need to take the time to ask them.
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Foster Open Communication
Millennials, in particular, tend to see their jobs as a significant part of their identities. They don’t want to simply punch a time card and go home at the end of the day. Their personal lives may bleed into their work lives, and their work may be viewed as a second home. This holistic view can blur the lines of traditional hierarchies in ways that older generations are not accustomed to taking into account.
Bridging this gap in perspectives can be tricky. For example, seasoned executives are not always comfortable with having decisions questioned by newer employees. If employers can look past the perceived affront to their expertise, however, these questions may prove useful. They not only offer an opportunity for professional development for the person asking them but also challenge decision-makers to analyze and, if necessary, adapt decisions to better serve the company and its clients.
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Exhibit Ethical Business Practices
In 2018, Deloitte revealed that only 48% of Millennials view corporations as ethical. This number dropped from 65% in just one year. To improve this impression, the ideal call center workplace must show that it values people as much as or more than profit and have a certain level of transparency.
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Demonstrate Diversity and Flexibility
The aforementioned Deloitte study concluded that millennials are more likely to be loyal to a company that actively champions diversity. Employees are more likely to feel a sense of belonging in a workplace where they can be mentored by people in leadership who look like them or identify in similar ways. Younger workers also tend to value team goals that stem from the collaboration of a wealth of differing perspectives.
A flexible environment is vital to millennials’ successful work-life integration. With modern technology, most of the work that has been traditionally done at desks can easily go mobile, and there’s little discernible reason why it shouldn’t, particularly if it results in happier, healthier workers. Enabling employees to telecommute or choose their own location can increase their engagement and job satisfaction in their workplace.
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Practice Accountability
Millennials tend to have a strong awareness of and commitment to ethical business practices. They want to make the world a better place, and, as both consumers and employees, they actively seek out companies that share their values. Communicating your commitment to ecological responsibility, social justice, and solid labor practices is a good first step. It takes consistent fulfillment of those promises to earn the trust and loyalty of millennials in your employ.
Millennials will soon make up half the workforce, and that percentage is only going to get larger in the next 5-10 years. Seek out innovative service options and more efficient ways to reach company goals. In order to reap the multitude of benefits that this particular population brings to the workplace, employers must adapt the way they have always done things to accommodate their needs and preferences.
