It’s no secret that Generation Y tends to love working hard and craves a challenge. So, in that aspect, you’re probably going to have a lot of Gen Y’ers as employees. Do you know what makes them tick? Here are some tips to get those Millennials to stick around:
Embrace frequent communication. Generation Y is used to being able to communicate at all times through different Internet sources — social media, e-mail, etc. Make sure you’re talking with them and give them ample opportunity to contact you. An easy way to do this is to set up a company intranet (a private community for you and your employees to use) for communication.
Help them build relationships. These young professionals will be stepping out into the real world at your company. Give them opportunity to talk with more senior employees to seek out advice and expertise. You can do this several ways, such as creating a lunch series with senior employees and young professionals or giving new employees the option of taking senior employees to lunch once a week.
Create a mentoring program. Millennials have received guidance and directions throughout their schooling careers, and they’ll probably want that to continue at their job. Create an informal mentoring program where young professionals can talk with senior employees. This will aid in young professionals more quickly becoming integrated in your company’s culture and gaining expertise from senior employees.
Provide challenges and opportunity. Give your Gen Yers the opportunity to participate in a project with senior employees. Be sure not to pass over a Millennial employee for a project or assignment just because they seem “too young” to do it — they love a challenge and likely will not stay at a company if they feel they aren’t being challenged.
Allow for professional development. Young professionals not only crave a challenge, but they are eager to continue learning well into their careers. Pay for them to attend a conference; set up a professional development day at your company; suggest professional groups they should look into.
Recognize and reward achievements. Young professionals want to receive feedback more frequently than you may currently give to your current employees. If they are doing well, consider small promotions and salary increases to keep your Millennials around. Communicate often and convey concerns and praise whenever necessary.
What are some other ways would you add?
