Millennial Motivation: What Factors Into Their Job Hunt

Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1998, became the biggest portion of the U.S. workforce in 2015, according to staffing giant Adecco USA. In fact, Generation Y, as they are also known, represents more than 53 million employees or more than 34 percent of the workforce. This cohort is tech-savvy, smart and full of fresh ideas but they expect to do things differently than workers from other generations. Read on to find out how your organization can be more attractive to members of this dynamic group.

What Millennials Really Want

Earlier this year LaSalle Network surveyed thirteen thousand recent and soon-to-be college graduates about what they are looking for in a job. Sixty percent of respondents were open to taking a temporary role especially if it could lead to a permanent position. This could signify a positive shift toward temp work as a way to gain real-world experience soon after graduating college. The survey also showed respondents are looking for:

• Opportunities for growth
• Work/life balance
• Training and development opportunities
• Challenging work
• Autonomy
• The ability to work remotely

A Survey released in August by the Futurestep division of Korn Ferry showed Millennials also want to know what companies stand for and how they can make an impact on business. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they would choose one job over another because of “visibility and buy-in to the mission and vision of the organization.” Respondents also said they are less willing to work long hours, they would like the ability to work remotely and they prefer ongoing feedback to assess their performance and to understand how they fit into the organization.

While Millennials know what they want they are willing to negotiate when a company is a right fit. If a firm is looking to tap into this segment of the workforce, Adecco recommends employers:

• Be flexible when it comes to work/life balance
• Partner younger employees with older employees so they can collaborate and learn from each other
• Encourage a culture of feedback
• Find out what causes employees care about and support some of those causes with “time, talent or treasure”
• Subsidize classes and training

To sum it all up, Millennials would like challenging work and the ability to contribute to an organization while being able to maintain work/life balance and a sense of autonomy. To attract younger workers some companies may need to adjust policies, on telecommuting for example, but the payoff could be well worth it.