The term ‘millennials’ is regularly used to describe the generation of individuals born in the mid-eighties and nineties. These individuals are desirable for employers due to their age and propensity to develop and take on new information and technologies. Therefore, in today’s competitive job market, employers may want to consider how to make their organisation the most attractive workplace for new recruits.
As a first step employers should evaluate how they advertise any vacancies and consider adapting their methods to maximise applications. Although millennials may still use more traditional channels when searching for jobs, employers should look to expand their approach by incorporating social media. Using platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn, which tend to be more popular with a younger generation, to advertise roles will increase the likelihood of these being seen by a more diverse audience and should therefore encourage more millennials to apply.
According to a recent study by YouGov, a third of millennials believe work-life balance is the most influential factor when selecting a job. Therefore, employers that wish to appeal to younger workers should look at ways to ensure their staff are not spending excessive amounts of time at work and avoid presenteeism. They should also consider introducing flexible working opportunities such as flexi-time or remote working wherever possible in order to make the organisation a more attractive proposition.
Over recent years there has been a gradual change to the typical office environment with many employers, largely influenced by tech-savvy start-ups, choosing to opt for a more modern and open plan approach. This is something that will be particularly appealing to millennials and introducing collective workspaces and break out zones will help organisations avoid appearing old-fashioned in the eyes of younger staff.
Millennials are also known to place significant emphasis on a company’s workplace culture and are more likely to be drawn to progressive forward thinking organisations. Therefore, it would be wise for organisations to introduce new technology and alternative working practices wherever possible to stand out from the crowd. Employers should also place a significant emphasis on employee wellbeing, with a particular focus on work related stress and mental ill health, as this has become a key issue in recent times.
It is also important that millennials feel supported and fulfilled at work, therefore employers should ensure there are sufficient training and progression opportunities available to keep young staff motivated and less inclined to seek employment opportunities elsewhere. At the same time, employers should consider how taking an active role in various charity initiatives could appeal to more socially minded younger workers and instil a sense of company pride.
Whilst more traditional employers may be reluctant to change their practices to appeal to millennials, these organisations face the unfortunate prospect of being left behind in the battle to recruit top talent. The more successful employers will be those that take a holistic approach to the situation, tailoring their existing practices to appeal to the younger generation who could ensure the success of the organisation in the years to come.
Alan Price is Chief Operations Officer of the Peninsula Group.
Alan is responsible for the leadership of the Group’s operations strategy, overseeing 100,000 client monthly service interactions and client experience.
He also holds a number of non-executive positions across the Group companies, while UK maintaining a Group operational overview and Group HR responsibilities.
Alan is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD with 18 years’ experience in employee relations, a Chartered Manager and Fellow of the CMI, a certified practitioner and Fellow of the AHRI (Australian Human Resources Institute), and a member of the Canadian Human Resource Professional Association.
Having demonstrated a significant contribution to business and society, he is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
In 2003, Alan was appointed to her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service and was one of the youngest judicial appointments to the Employment Tribunal Service, which he continues to hold.
For the last four years, Alan has been a charity trustee and Non-Executive Director for the global HR professional body, the CIPD, which represents over 140,000 HR professionals worldwide.
