TOP 7 TIPS TO ENGAGE
MILLENNIALS AT WORK
Liza Bennigson, KonnectAgain
January 2016

Who are Millennials?
 Born between 1980-2000
 Average time on the job?
Two years.
 Strong entrepreneurial mindset
 Digital natives
From cubicles to coworking spaces.

Why Millennials Matter
Millennials will be 75% of the U.S. workforce by 2025.
Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016

“Businesses must adjust how they nurture
loyalty among Millennials or risk losing a
large percentage of their workforces.”
-Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016

But how?

1. A Sense of Purpose
 Nearly 90% of millennials gravitate toward companies
with pronounced CSR programs.
 86% of millennials would consider leaving if their
employer's CSR no longer met their expectations.
55% of millennial
employees were
influenced to take
their job after
discussing cause
work in the interview.

2. Learning &
Development
 68% of millennials who plan to to stay with
their organization for 5+ years have a
mentor.
 Millennials crave new ideas, coaching,
mentoring, & development of leadership
skills.
 71% of those likely to leave in the next two
years are unhappy with how their
leadership skills are being developed.
RetailMeNot Inc.
includes millennial
employees in
hiring decisions.
EY & Philips send
millennial
employees across
the globe to
develop leadership
skills
.
Employee development opportunities
include online training, speaking
engagements and mentor programs. It’s
just important to promote L&D as it is to
plan for it.

3. Advancement
Loyalty results when millennials feel understood and supported in their
ambitions to advance and become leaders.
28% of
millennials feel
that their
organizations
make “full use”
of their skills.
75% of
millennials who
quit cite “lack of
advancement
opportunities” as
a top reason.
63% of
millennials say
their leadership
skills are not
being fully
developed.

4. Communication
In a world of instant feedback, semi-annual reviews just don’t
cut it. Millennials want feedback on their performance, and
they want it now.
Recognition must be
personal and
sincere in order to
resonate with
millennials.
o Millennials like to have their voices heard,
and employee surveys are a great tool. Keep
them short and sweet, with transparency and
follow-through.
o Recognition really matters for millennials.
Positive feedback increases their drive and
determination, and improves performance.

5. Work/Life Balance
What millennials most want is flexibility in where, when and
how they work. Many would take a salary reduction, pass
up a promotion or move for better work/life balance.
o 75% of millennial employees
want to work remotely, compared
to the 43% who currently do.
o 66% of millennials who quit their
jobs cite “a boss who doesn’t allow
flexibility” as a primary reason.

6. Culture
 76% of millennials report high levels of
satisfaction in an inclusive, creative
workplace, compared to 49% in a more
authoritarian, formal environment.
 Nearly 90% of companies cite "Culture and
Engagement” as their top challenge. Two-
thirds of HR respondents are updating their
engagement and retention strategies.
“For these young professionals, one of the very top
considerations for applying for a job is the company’s work
culture, involvement with causes, office environment, and
attention to diversity and HR standards.” -Lindsay Gellman, The
Wall Street Journal
IBM, Coca-Cola and
Visa relaxed office
dress codes and
organized councils of
millennial employees to
offer feedback on
things like marketing
campaigns and
workplace policies.

7. Compensation
 78% of millennials who quit their jobs cite “minimal wage growth” as
a primary reason.
 Millennials feel that, in order for a business to be successful long-
term, it must prioritize people, products and purpose as much as
profit.
“Carrot-and-stick” incentives
may work in the short-term, but
can serve as a distraction when
workers become more focused
on the reward than the task at-
hand.

So, does all of this really make a
difference?

YES!
Satisfaction with various aspects of working life directly impacts anticipated
tenure.
Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016

When All Else Fails…
Should companies should stop trying so hard to curtail the
inevitable? “The Alliance,” a book co-written by LinkedIn
co-founder Reid Hoffman, promotes an employer-
employee relationship based on shared expectations and
openness around the possibility of the employee leaving.
“By talking openly about the
fact that an employee might
leave, you actually increase
the likelihood that he or she
will stay on.”
Ben Casnocha, “The Alliance” co-author
and Reid Hoffman’s former chief of staff.

 After millennials leave, keep them connected to your
organization via a corporate alumni network.
 Former employees can be worth millions in recruiting,
referrals, business development, industry insights,
mentoring and new client leads.
 The acceptance of boomerang employees is
Forbes’ #1 Workplace Trend for 2016.
…Stay engaged.

Thank you to the following references!
 Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016
 2015 Millennial Impact Report
 5 Ways You Drive Away Millennial Employees, David Sturt and Todd
Nordstrom, Forbes, October 1, 2015
 Work-life challenges across generations, EY 2015 Global Survey
 Why Millennials Quit Their Jobs, Alan Goforth, BenefitsPro, May 6,
2015
 Global Human Capital Trends 2015, Deloitte
 How employers wrangle restless millennials, Lindsay Gellman, Wall
Street Journal, May 6, 2015
 The Alliance, Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha and Chris Yeh, 2014
 Drive, Daniel Pink, 2009
 Millennials In The Workplace: They Don't Need Trophies But They
Want Reinforcement, Jeff Fromm, Forbes, November 6, 2015
 Millennials at work: Reshaping the workplace, PwC Survey, 2011