First off we should dispel a myth: “Millennials are not motivated by money.” Money indeed motivates them. Maybe not as much as previous generations but they still have similar pressures to the rest of us. Rent, holidays, past times and hobbies all need to be paid for. What has changed is how important other aspects of employment have become so it’s easy to see why there might be a perception that money isn’t a motivator.
All this means is that when millennials are looking for work, their search is more holistic than previous generations. Salary is obviously key but they are also concerned about the organisation’s profile and whether it will fit their criteria.
Millennials will look beyond the job spec and try to find out more information about you as an organisation, and social channels are one of the easiest ways to do this. So while you may have a policy of looking at their social outputs, be aware that they probably have a similar policy.
Work/Life balance is something we all look to achieve, but while previous generations might have been ok with blowing off dinner plans, younger generations are far less willing. If you promise Work/Life balance, you have to strive to achieve it.
One area of this is the ability to have flexibility in their hours and being able to work remotely. You have to trust them, and they have to feel trusted. While an office environment is obviously very important, millennials are happy to work from other locations, and for lots of them, it’s essential that they can have that freedom.
Action 1: Review your social channels and see what kind of content is being put out. Interrogate that content and ask if it will attract people. Does it show the organisation’s culture, its people and all the great things that you do?
Action 2: Look at your work practices and roles. If it’s feasible that some of the work can be done remotely, then consider allowing people to work from home one day a week or so.