Millennials, the generation born between the 1980s and the mid-1990s, are currently the largest group of working adults in the nation. As a result, every manager needs to know how to work with millennials, and how best to motivate them.

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1) Realize They See the Advantage of Working Hard

Millennials see the advantage of working hard. After all, the first of them hit the job market just in time for the Great Recession of 2008-2009. They may have seen parents or older siblings struggling with unemployment or having to move back to their parents’ house. They know the importance of getting and holdings jobs as a result.

A key way to motivate them is to stress job security, if it is available. Make it clear your company values hard work and effort, and will appreciate workers who show it.

2) Create Paths to Success

Millennials are at an age where they are likely thinking about saving up for down payment on a home or starting a family. Many, in fact, have stepped up their saving for retirement at a faster rate than any other generation. They know that Social Security might not be around when they’re older.

If millennials know there are paths to earning more, they’ll be motivated to work for you. Make clear any benefits or promotional paths in your company for promising employees. After all, homes, families and retirement all cost money. Millennials know they do.

3) Use Technology

While millennials may not spend all their time on digital devices of one sort or another, they do spend a lot of time on them! Join them. They see texting, email and social media as very natural and obvious ways to communicate. A printed newsletter or notices tacked on a bulletin board may not motivate them or get their attention as much.

4) Communicate Often

It could be feedback about performance or new developments in the company. Millennials are used to the pace of texts, email and social media. Messages there happen many times a day. Many observers think the idea of a yearly performance appraisal seems quaint to millennials. They expect feedback more often and may not be comfortable with lack of communication.

5) Get Buy-In As Soon as Possible

The sooner you can get your new hires to buy in to the company vision, the sooner you will see them integrated successfully into your culture and production mechanisms. Even when a team has differing strategies and diverse backgrounds present, as long as the company vision is a shared vision, the team will ultimately be more likely to succeed.

6) Choose Strategic Flexibility

Companies are now choosing to adapt to new markets and technologies by expanding the flexibility of their work environments when possible. After orientation is complete, and both the supervisor and employee feels comfortable, offering a flexible work schedule puts the pressure of productivity squarely on the employee’s shoulders. Millennials, like other generations, want to know that what they are doing day in and day out is making a difference somehow.  Linking ownership of their own productivity to the outcome is a hugely motivating factor.  Doing this reinforces the generation’s focus on social responsibility and begin able to make their “mark.”

Motivation Is Key

Motivating employees will lead to maximum performance. We can help you find motivated and conscientious employees. Stride Staffing’s goal is to build stronger connections between employers and individuals by doing staffing differently. Really. 

Contact us today for our employment agencies in DeSoto, Texas, and other locations.