Managing the millennials - Adapting your management

style to the changing talent landscape

Leadership challenges - Millennial Workforce Management

Abstract ID: PMIBC_17_3_020

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CONTENTS

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Details of the paper...................................................................................................................................................... 5

Managing the millennials ......................................................................................................................................... 5

Providing a work-life balance and an employee centred workplace ............................................................ 5

Coaching, Feedback and Training ................................................................................................................... 6

Collaboration and growth ................................................................................................................................. 8

Attracting the millennial talent – What do the Millennials look for? .......................................................... 10

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................. 11

References ................................................................................................................................................................ 12

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ABSTRACT

The millennial generation are entering employment in large numbers and in a country like India where 65% of the

population is 35 or under, the millennials are going to play a large role in shaping the future of businesses. They

would soon form a major part of the workforce of most of the organisations, so attracting and retaining millennial

talent will be crucial in achieving long-term goals and ambitions of an organisation

Our teams as in most organisations today have a mix of people at different age groups and so we have brought in

gradual but significant changes in the way we work which tries to balance the old with the new.

Providing a work-life balance and a fun workplace:

• Provide the freedom to have a flexible work schedule but at the same time have core working hours when

the team meets and collaborates

• Moving away from using the time spent in office to effort based attendance which emphasises on

producing results

Coaching, Feedback and Training:

• Flat hierarchies where managers are approachable and act as mentors rather than bosses

• Regular and real time 1-on-1’s where feedback is given, highlighting contributions or improvements and

training needs

Collaboration:

• Opportunities to work on collaborative projects other than regular project commitments

• Setting collaborative yearly goals at the Org, Department and team levels

• Challenging them to come up with new ways of streamlining processes

Adapting both at Org and project level, to the significantly changing talent landscape has helped us manage our

millennial employees better

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INTRODUCTION

The millennial generation or Gen Y, those born between 1980 and 2000 are entering employment in large

numbers. They are our future leaders and will shape businesses for years to come. In a country like India with a

significantly large young population, with over 60% of the population under 35 years of age, the millennials would

be playing a large role in shaping the country’s future.

Millennials often called the “instant gratification” generation are often stereotyped as lazy, entitled and arrogant. An

internet search for “Problem with the millennials” brings up thousands of articles written on this subject. So is there

really a problem with millennials at the workplace? In reality, there are strong similarities between the millennials

and the generations that have preceded them. Some of these behaviors can be attributed to age and stage of life

than specific generational characteristics. But not all issues can be dismissed on that basis. Unlike the previous

generations, the millennials have developed work characteristics from doting parents who gave them ample

amount of attention and validation, structured lives and exposure to a diverse set of people and culture. They have

strong beliefs and expectations that extend to the workplace.

Millennials would soon, if not already, form a major part of the workforce of most of the organizations. So attracting

and retaining millennial talent would be crucial in achieving the long term goals and ambitions of an organization.

To get the best out of their millennial employees, managers and organizations must understand this and adapt

their management style accordingly. The change needs to take place at both the team/project and organizational

level.

Millennials are a different type of employee than the generations that preceded them. The definition of success has

changed. They might value flexibility and fresh challenges over long-term stability and compensation. For

millennials a job is not just a job, it is a big part of their life.

This paper makes a few recommendations, many of which are based on studies and surveys done by many

organizations as well as best practices which are being followed successfully by many organizations, to manage

the millennial workforce and make turn them into a superior workforce.

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DETAILS OF THE PAPER

MANAGING THE MILLENNIALS

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and

love chatter in place of exercise"

The above quote probably reads like an older worker talking about a millennial, but it is attributed to Socrates over

2000 years ago. While some of the behavioural attributes of millennials can be explained by their age, there are

other attributes which are significantly different than their predecessors. But whether they are different to previous

generations is immaterial. To be successful, organizations have to ensure that they understand the millennial

generation and are taking steps to effectively manage millennials

Most organizations now have a mix of people belonging to different age groups. So it is very important to create a

fine balance between the old and the new by bringing in significant but gradual changes in the organization. Below

are some specific recommendations for handling the challenges

PROVIDING A WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND AN EMPLOYEE CENTRED WORKPLACE

SPENDING TIME IN OFFICE VS PRODUCING RESULTS:

In a traditional setup, working long hours is often encouraged and rewarded over delivering results. In contrast,

being chained to their desk frightens millennials. They hold the belief that spending hours in the office is not vital as

long as your produce results at the end of the day. Companies would need to move away from this practice of

using the clock-in, clock-out times and adopt effort and result based approach.

A recent study from Elance-oDesk revealed that 92 percent of Millennials prefer to work from home and 87 percent

want to choose their own work hours, instead of the traditional 9 to 5. A survey done by Gallup reported that

remote workers log more hours and are slightly more engaged than those who work in the office

Key Takeaway: Millennials look for flexible work schedule and relaxed workplaces

1. Give them the freedom to choose their own work hours that everyone can agree but at the same time let

them also have core working hours when the team meets and collaborates

2. Provide the flexibility to work from anywhere. While changing the organization policy might be difficult, at

least provide this flexibility for a fixed number of days in a month where the employee can work from home

or a remote location

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EMPLOYEE-CENTRED WORKPLACE:

The key to tapping into the power of millennials, in not to expect them to fit into the outdated workplace of the past.

Organisations should provide a fun, employee centred workplace. Ensure there are activities that let them bond,

interact and make friends at workplace.

Key Takeaway: Millennials want to enjoy their work and enjoy their workplace

1. Create opportunities for social interaction like “Friday Fun”, treasure hunts etc.

2. Create fun leagues at work and give them the opportunity to manage these leagues and organise activities

COACHING, FEEDBACK AND TRAINING

COACHES NOT BOSSES:

Millennials want to look up to their bosses and learn from them. Millennials are uncomfortable with traditional

corporate hierarchies. They need their leaders to be approachable and to encourage and guide them. Loyalty to

boss is the number one reason why they stay in a job and dissatisfaction with the boss is the number one reason

why they quit.

Managers need to move away from traditional command and control style of working to a coaching and mentoring

style of working. They need to strike a balance between managing collaboratively and granting autonomy. Regular

meetings and consistent feedback pays dividends not only in engagement, but also in performance

Key Takeaway: Millennials look for managers who helps them understand and build their strengths

1. Think of leading and mentoring than managing. Plan to spend a lot of time teaching and coaching them

2. Provide them with greater autonomy to choose their way of working while providing the necessary

guidance. Millennial employees work well with clear directions and concrete targets. Describe the target

you are looking for and let them define their own ways in reaching that target

FEEDBACK AND MORE FEEDBACK:

Multiple studies confirm that millennials are accustomed to getting constant feedback, and expect it. This level of

feedback meets their need to always be learning and growing. While twice-yearly reviews might have been

sufficient so far for providing feedback, millennials want to know how they are doing much more regularly.

Providing plenty of regular and real-time feedback both positive and negative is crucial to successful millennial

management.

According to a survey by Gallup (Figure 1), millennial workers are more engaged when their managers provide

frequent and consistent feedback. Forty four percent of millennials who reports that their manager holds regular

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meeting with them are engaged compared to 20% millennials who do not meet regularly with their manager are

engaged.

Figure 1:

Key Takeaway:

1. While twice-a-year reviews may still be required, shorten the feedback loop by providing informal feedback

at least quarterly

2. Hold them accountable for mistakes and praise them for success

Please note that providing the same kind of feedback might not be apply to all your team. Tailor your feedback

and the frequency on an individual level.

CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND TRAINING:

Millennials are impatient but eager to learn and quick to do so. They are always eager to learn new things and gain

new experiences. It is important to have excellent training and development programs to have the millennial

employee engaged. It is equally important to provide coaching and mentoring opportunities from senior employees.

Millennials are the first generation digital natives and their use of technology clearly sets them apart. They are

more comfortable in an informal training environment and are happy using technology for learning.

Key Takeaway: Organizations need to leverage technology while keeping their training needs in mind

1. Tailor your training programs to make them collaborative in nature connecting tutors, mentors and peers

remotely, via technology

2. Explore newer learning strategies such as online video based learning, webinars and gamification

3. Have strong emphasis on providing on-the-job training and mentoring by senior employees

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COLLABORATION AND GROWTH

WORKING IN GROUPS:

Millennials are used to working in groups and teams and often tend to want to work in groups. While they value

inputs from a diverse group, they are still capable of make decisions on their own.

In an IBM study of millennial workers (please refer Figure 2), more than half the millennial respondents said they

make better decisions when a variety of people provide input and more than half also said that it is important to

have a group consensus. These are surprisingly also similar to the responses of Gen X

Figure 2

Key Takeaway: Foster a collaborative culture where key decisions are taken by consensus

1. The newer generation of employees are likely to prefer working in a collaborative environment where they

are encouraged to contribute new ideas and inputs of the group are taken into account while making

decisions. Organizations where this isn’t common should think of ways to implement this

2. As the workplace is becoming virtual, managers need to consider how their collaboration tools can

leverage the latest technologies

3. Setting collaborative yearly goals at the Organization, Project and team levels would help as these would

require the teams to work together in order to achieve these goals. Use collaborative and individual goals

to assess employee’s performance

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CHALLENGE AND CHANGE:

Creating a continuously challenging work environment is important for millennials who seek ever changing tasks

within their work. This is not a generation that is happy to just fill timesheets and work for a few hours. They would

like to pick up additional assignments to gain new experience, and have an opportunity to engage, interact and

build new networks

Key Takeaway: It is important to engage them outside their regular assignments to keep up with their constant

quest for newer challenges

• Provide them additional opportunities through rotational assignments and hobby projects to give them a

sense that they are growing in experience and responsibilities

• Challenge them to come up with new ways of streamlining processes at the workplace that would lead to

improved results

CAREER PROGRESSION:

Traditional career advancements are built upon seniority and years of experience but majority of millennials suffer

from “Career Impatience”. Growing up in fast times and coming of age in an instant gratification culture, they have

little patience for stagnation, especially when it comes to their careers. Managers need to really understand the

personal and professional goals of millennials. Millennials who gain clarity on their career progression and

generally able to adjust their expectations and put their impatience to good use. In a PwC millennial survey,

opportunities for career progression was rated as the biggest factor which made an employer attractive

Key Takeaway: Millennials are motivated by a sense of progress. They want career progression much quicker

than what is currently the norm in traditional organizations

1. Create career paths with a timeframe short enough for them to envision. Adding more levels and grades

can help meet their expectations

2. Provide opportunities for young people to lead small teams and projects

3. Encourage them to contribute to department and organizational initiatives

PAINT THE BIG PICTURE:

If the employees don’t understand the business fundamentals, the organization is bound to struggle. It is very easy

for employees to feel disconnected from customers and core of the business. Leaders need to provide purpose

and promote passion. To the millennials, the “Why” matters more than the “What”. They really want their work to

matter in a larger scheme of things.

Key Takeaway:

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1. It is very important to make sure that the millennials understand the strategy, business model and what the

organization stands for

2. To bring out the best in them, leaders need to teach them about the company and also need to ensure that

the millennials know how they fit within the grand scheme

ATTRACTING THE MILLENNIAL TALENT – WHAT DO THE MILLENNIALS LOOK FOR?

In addition to the above recommendations for managing the millennials, organizations also need to understand

what would make their organizations an attractive destination for the millennials.

Money isn’t the only motivator – For millennials, compensation is important and must be fair, but money is not

their top priority. They value the prospects for career advancement in an organization much more than

compensation. Organizations which provide young millennials opportunities to lead would be a preferred

destination for the millennials

Offer incentives for higher education – Learning and developing themselves is very important to the millennials.

Companies which offer incentives for higher education, part-time programs and courses sponsored by the

company will be an extremely attractive destination for the millennials. Additionally, this will in turn help the

companies to have better educated and equipped employees

Giving back to the society - Millennials want to work on projects that make a positive difference to the world.

They want to work in a company that has a reputation for caring about people and important causes or the very

least allows them to actively support those causes. They want to be proud of their employer. In order to attract

millennials, it is very important for organizations to create programs and opportunities that help them give back to

the society.

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CONCLUSION

By 2020, millennials will be approximately 50% of the workforce and by 2030 they will account for 75% of the

workforce and will change the world decisively more than any other generation. With their sheer numbers alone,

they have become the catalyst for accelerated change in the workplace.

Growing number of millennials entering the workforce have led to disruptions in most of the industries and are

changing the way businesses are done. They are a talented and dynamic generation with expectations and work

ethics very different from the previous generations.

With a very large number of millennials entering the workplace, organizations should look for ways to create the

work environments where top talent can flourish. Organizations now have no choice but to learn how to recruit,

grow and retain these workers. If not, companies will lose out on talented employees who, because of their strong

networking and technological capabilities, would end up being a superior workforce.

The talent landscape is changing significantly as millennials become a major part of the global workforce, the

recommendations above would help organizations adapt their management style and prepare for the change

rather than wait for the change to hit them.

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REFERENCES

[1] Baird, Carolyn Heller [2014], https://www-935.ibm.com/services/multimedia/GBE03637USEN.pdf

[2] Gallup [2016], http://www.gallup.com/reports/189830/millennials-work-live.aspx

[3] Halvorson, Chad [2015], http://wheniwork.com/blog/smb/people-management/how-to-manage-millennials/

[4] Lipman, Victor [2016], https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2016/06/27/how-to-effectively-manage-

millennials-5-dos-and-donts/

[5] PWC [2016], https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/managing-tomorrows-people/future-of-work/assets/reshaping-the-

workplace.pdf