CIO.com discusses ways in which businesses can understand the traits and work styles of the Millennial generation
Lauren Brousell
03-05-2015
Excerpt from the Article:
This is the millennial generation’s moment in the hot seat. Millennials are often viewed as impatient, tech-obsessed and disloyal to their employers, but while the specifics may be different, each generation has been in this position before: You’re new to the workforce, you have new ways of working and businesses can’t quite figure out how to deal with you.
…“The accessibility of success is so much greater than it once was,” says Chris Davis, manager at consultancy Metis Strategy. “You have access to role models who are outside your own company. You have role models in public, on LinkedIn, and you can see how someone charted their path to success.”
…”Companies need to think about the tradeoffs that employees are making by not having a flexible schedule,” Davis says. “If you force people to miss out on life events because of a lack of flexibility, then that is taxing. People are more productive when they have a choice.”
Though millennials may value a flexible work schedule and the tools that enable the convenience — laptops, smartphones, VPNs and cloud software, for example—they still value face time, according to the report. About half (51 percent) said they prefer talking with colleagues in person, compared to the 19 percent who prefer email and 7 percent who favor online chat.
Davis says millennials should be cognizant of when situations call for face time, and when IMing or emailing is ok. Otherwise, they risk perpetuating the misconception that they’re self-absorbed, he says.
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