When searching for a new user experience designer to join your ranks, it’s likely many of the candidates you screen will be millennials. An umbrella term, according to Gallup, for young adults born in the sixteen year period spanning 1980-1996, a report from Upworthy suggests that in just three years the millennial generation will form some 46 percent of the entire U.S. workforce. And many of these young workers have certain expectations from their employers, when compared with say members of Generation X and the Baby Boomer generation.
Given the prevalence of this demographic in the U.S. workforce, it is important to take note of some of the important expectations that millennials have when it comes to their professional lives – after all, if you’re not able to provide a working environment that they will enjoy and thrive in, you’ll likely miss out on fantastic talent.
Eager to learn more about how to attract top millennial talent to your company? Read on to learn more:
1. Promote a fair work-life balance
According to Isabel Thottam, writing for trusted careers website Monster, achieving a healthy work-life balance is a top priority for millennial workers. This is especially important given the role technology has had in blurring the lines between work and home – it can be hard to switch off, for example, when work emails flood your smartphone late at night.
The source explained that millennials understand a healthy work-life balance as a fair amount of paid vacation time, as well as the freedom to make their own schedule – whether that’s by setting their own hours or even working remotely.
A way to address this desire in your own organization is to offer your employees more room to work from home when necessary and abide by their own hours – so long as the work is completed, and to a high standard, of course.
“Achieving a healthy work-life balance is a top priority for millennial workers.”
2. Allow for the cultivation of closer professional relationships
According to an article from Gallup, which analyzes their survey “What Millennials Want From Work and Life,” young workers are keen to cultivate more open and connected relationships with their superiors at work.
This means that they want to able to talk to their bosses about anything – topics that aren’t necessarily related to work. The survey found that over 60 percent of millennials plan to stay at their workplace for longer than 12 months, simply because of the close relationships they feel with their managers.
It’s important, therefore, to work toward creating a work culture of collaboration across hierarchical lines – a culture that is more conducive to developing friendly working relationships.
3. Celebrate employee success
A company that celebrates the achievements of its employees is likely to be more attractive to millennial candidates, Michael Cohen and Amanda Jesenof explained, writing for Entrepreneur. Recognition can be conferred in a number of ways, from simple emails extending thanks to programs that offer rewards upon hitting certain goals.
The writers cited a study which found that companies with higher employee retention levels tend to place an emphasis on recognizing each employee as an individual, as opposed to a member of a larger organization.
If you don’t already have an employee recognition scheme in place consider setting one up. If funds don’t allow for this approach, even sending around a simple email blast when an employee does well is an effective move for keeping morale high and turnover low.
There are a number of ways to attract more millennials to your company.4. Promote your company brand
Writing for CIO, Sarah K. White suggested that younger workers want to feel connected to the company they work for and are generally more inclined to spread positive messages about organizational achievements on social media. White interviewed Ron Piccolo, a Professor of Management at Cornell University, who elaborated on this important point.
“Millennials are a generation of storytellers and they’ll happily amplify the great things your business is doing through their own social media platforms,” he said.
It is important, therefore, to promote your brand when interviewing millennials – get excited about what you do as you explain your organization’s goals and values. What makes your company stand out? What are you proud of? If you are able to demonstrate this enthusiasm, you’ll be more likely to attract and retain top millennial talent.
5. Embrace diversity
As reported by Fortune editor Alan Murray, the millennial generation is more diverse in terms of race than other generation that has preceded it – around 43 percent of millennials identify as non-white.
Therefore it should be no surprise that millennial workers tend to look for and celebrate diversity in the workplace, in terms of race as well as other identity markers such as gender, sexuality, religion, culture and so on. If your company is comprised primarily of caucasian employees , with males overrepresented in upper management, it’s likely that you have a diversity problem that needs addressing.
Consider Clear Point Consultants
If you’re looking for help with your staffing needs, contact Clear Point Consultants today. A boutique recruitment agency dedicated to the field of UX design, our professionals can help contact you with stellar millennial talent. To learn more, click here.
