Much of what matters to organizations -- from performance to customer service to stock prices -- hinges on a deep understanding of how their millennial employees live and work. Gallup recently released what is believed to be the most robust and comprehensive study of the millennial generation to date. This research combined more than 30 separate studies and included more than 1 million respondents. Millennial workers currently make up 38% of the U.S. workforce. Some estimate that they will make up as much as 75% of it by 2025.
71%
According to the report
'How Millennials Want to Work and Live'
this number represents millenials who are either not engaged or actively disengaged.
MILLENNIALS IN NUMBERS
Currently employed
Millenials
Predicted number of employed
Millenials in 2025
Opened to different
job opportunities
Would like to stay
with their companies
Job Clarity
and Work Priorities
Millennials differ in significant ways from other generations
They share basic employee needs with older workers
Understanding millennials is the first step toward engaging them
If only 29% of millennials are engaged at work, then these findings suggest that managers can double the likelihood of engaging millennial employees by doing something many would consider simple and intuitive: holding them accountable.
How Millennials Would Like to Work
- Understanding
The first step toward engaging millennials is understanding the differences in how they live and work compared with other generations. Many leaders are on the right track, having acknowledged that millennial employees differ from other workers in their needs and desires.
- Setting performance goals
Employees require job clarity so they have an understanding of what to do. They also require direction in establishing priorities -- knowing the order in which tasks should get done.
- Management
Organizations need great management to overcome this obstacle. When managers get involved and help with prioritization, it greatly improves employee engagement.