You may or may not have noticed that the workplace climate took a shift when millennials entered the force. Gone were the days of 30-year commitments to companies, long, overbearing workdays, and micromanaging bosses. The millennials won’t stand for it.
What they will stand for, however, is growth potential, collaborative work environments, space and trust with responsibility, and, most of all, purpose.
According to Jackie Dryden, co-author with Bethany Andell of Get Your Head Out of Your Bottom Line: And Build Your Brand on Purpose, millennials desire careers beyond making money–which is a pretty good thing.
“Millennials might be feeling the backlash of receiving negative press but they are right–a company must first start with purpose; then innovation and profits follow. Companies have much they can learn from this youngest entry into the workforce,†says Dryden, chief purpose architect of Savage Brands, which works with companies to build purposeful brands.
In order for employers to promote work with purpose to engage millennials, Dryden has identified three critical steps in what she calls Savage Thinking.
- Focus: Identify what the company stands for and uncover its purpose, mission, vision, values, and behaviors. These statements create the foundation for the company’s journey toward improved employee engagement, stronger relationships, and more enduring success.
- Filter: Examine each element of the business to understand what is currently in place to support the company’s “Focus†and where obstacles exist, and from there generate a roadmap for moving forward.
- Fuse: Align all of the company’s words and actions in support of what the
company believes in.
“These three phases establish the structure that supports everything a company stands for and provide the guide for everything they do,†says Dryden. “When a business is able to engage millennials, along with all other stakeholders, in speaking and acting with one purpose, it begins to propel the company toward meaningful and sustainable success.â€
A recent Forbes article had even more to add about what millennials are looking for in the work place. President of millennial marketing consultancy, FutureCast, Jeff Fromm, explains the four things professional millennials are looking for.
- Millennials want to grow, even if that means growing out of your company.
- They want a coach, not a boss.
- They don’t want to waste time on the little things.
- They want balance and democracy.
Agreed? Millennials, feel free to chime in.