How to Develop Millennial Job Hoppers

How to Develop Millennial Job Hoppers

by Bobbie Little | Talent Management

 

We all have our bad days at work. Some people, such as former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater, take a little more extreme action when dealing with job frustration. He reportedly vented his frustration about a particular passenger's behavior over the plane's public address system, activated the plane's emergency slide and slid away from JetBlue forever.

 

Slater's exit literally gives new meaning to the term "job hopping." And while sliding toward the next big thing may sound exciting, the current economy dictates a more rational approach. Economists say the recession is officially over, but it doesn't feel like it for most of us. Entertaining thoughts of greener pastures are quickly put aside because of a stubbornly high unemployment rate, and most are simply thankful to have jobs.

 

Generation Y - also known as the millennial generation, born in 1981-2000 - is not immune to the effects of a down economy. In 2006, the Pew Research Center discovered that 50 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds were employed full time. That percentage dropped to 41 percent in 2010.

 

Troubled times are causing some millennials to re-adjust the ideals and expectations they envision for the workplace. Those expectations include interesting, challenging work with fast, upward mobility, a clear path to advancement, ongoing and timely mentoring and feedback, and access to the latest technology tools.

 

Taylor Foss, vice president of human resources for LifeBridge Health, a regional health care organization, said her millennial employees are realizing they cannot walk in and ask for the world. "I counsel them that career advancement, under today's circumstances, may mean a lateral move before an upward promotion, and they're willing to take on responsibilities that they would be reluctant to pursue in a healthy economy," Foss said.

 

Time for a Recruitment Strategy Refresh

 

While Generation Y may be going through a reality check, employers should be forewarned that millennials' ideals and expectations cannot be shelved forever. Employers need to take a long-term view of the employment situation. Their short-term view is focused on keeping companies afloat at any cost, including pay cuts, salary freezes, benefit reductions and requiring employees to absorb the duties left behind by their laid-off colleagues.

 

But Generation Y makes up approximately 30 percent of the U.S. workforce, the second largest group behind baby boomers. The economy will eventually sputter back to life, and this could create a big issue for employers.

 

In an August 2010 USA Today article, "JetBlue Flight Attendant Strikes a Nerve With Stressed Workers," economist Joel Naroff said, "I don't think we should be surprised that once the economy starts ... picking up, there's a massive relocation of workers who want out as fast as they possibly can. That's the warning that I don't think businesses really recognize: You can pull this off now because there isn't really an option, but once there's an option, it's going to be payback time. You're going to be losing some of your best people."

 

When the economy starts showing significant improvement, boomers who normally would have left in a more orderly progression may begin leaving in greater numbers. Companies that have not prepared for succession planning and have taken advantage of millennials during the recession could be in trouble when the war for talent heats up again.

 

Job hopping among millennials will not be driven solely by having lived through a recession. Job security meant something different for millennials even before the economy plummeted. Generation Y seeks to develop the skills that will make them attractive to any number of employers, at any time. If they're not satisfied with their employer's efforts to train them, deliver opportunities for senior management visibility and offer job flexibility, they will leave.

 

Knowing that job hopping will be a natural occurrence among millennials, let's examine how an employer can proactively develop younger employees from the day they start, which will help identify future leaders and ensure that even if they do leave, millennials will describe the organization to others as an employer of choice.

 

Engaging millennials needs to begin before they walk through the door as new employees. A company's recruitment strategy must adapt to show Gen Y applicants commitment to their career development and marketability and respect for their ideas and leadership.

 

For example, let's say a large East Coast utility company traditionally received significant, initial job interest from people who recently completed graduate school. But lately, it was becoming challenging to secure them as employees, and the people who did sign on grew restless at how their careers were progressing.

 

When this company gave a tour of its facilities, potential recruits would comment about how they didn't see themselves working there because the working environment appeared stagnant to them. There was a dearth of younger employees, and the technology tools they had grown accustomed to using were absent. The company also put its new employees through a two-year rotation within a facility, but some of the younger workers wanted to move to other job experiences after six months.

 

That organization, and any company struggling with similar circumstances, needs to take extra steps. For instance, demonstrate a commitment to create a diverse employee base and integrate millennials into a leadership pipeline to generate business success. Or consider offering sign-on bonuses to highly desired applicants, since members of Generation Y may be facing graduate school debt.

 

Further, for baby boomers, a bully boss may have come with the territory and may have been tolerated. Members of Gen Y are more likely to take their creativity and skills elsewhere if they feel underappreciated.

 

Parents of millennials did not bully them into completing activities or run a dictatorship within their households. They served more as trusted, hands-on coaches and advisers, encouraging their children on the soccer field, providing guidance on complicated school projects and helping navigate the college admissions process.

 

Gen Y employees expect that same type of mentoring and safe environment from their supervisors. These workers want the ability to vent their concerns, and they are continuous, fast learners who seek frequent feedback on their performance.

 

Legg Mason, an asset management firm, created a mentoring program that is cross-business, cross-generational and cross-functional. Managing Director Patty Lattin said the atmosphere at financial services firms is traditionally more conservative, and Legg Mason needed to rethink how it kept its younger employees motivated. She said the company identifies high-potential employees and enrolls them in the yearlong, highly structured mentoring program, and this strategy has been successful. Lattin estimates that employee retention among participants is double the normal employee base.

 

Ideas, Work-Life Balance and Giving Back

 

It can be tempting for company leaders to dismiss the contributions, ideas and leadership potential of younger employees. After all, what do they know? Management may figure Generation Y hasn't faced the trials and tribulations - and acquired the subsequent wisdom - that comes with the experience needed to solve business challenges. That's not necessarily true.

 

Millennials can contribute, and leadership development will endear these employees to the company more if their contributions are welcomed. If employees are trained beyond entry-level positions, they will realize that management values their potential and that it makes career sense to stay with the company.

 

Development should involve opportunities to share proposals with senior management and conduct presentations in front of peers and supervisors. Allow Gen Y employees to nurture and grow ideas without fear of failure, or to be "intrapreneurs." Entrepreneurs can independently run with their ideas, but with freedom can come substantial personal and financial risk.

 

Intrapreneurs have the safety net of the larger company beneath them, and the company can leverage their skills and ideas for the benefit of the organization.

 

Lattin said Legg Mason also has a program that enlists the help of Generation Y employees to tackle company projects on employee diversity and talent management. "Such efforts demonstrate to the company's millennials that they can make a difference in the business and drive organizational improvements," she said.

 

While all generations like workplace flexibility, members of Generation Y often do not place boundaries between work life and personal life. They prefer to come and go as it fits their schedules. Work isn't a regimented time of day, Monday through Friday. Millennials believe it's a 24/7 world, and as long as they get the work done, why should an employer care about when and where they work?

 

From an employer's perspective, this can mean adjusting schedules for increased flexibility and understanding work-life balance. It can be as simple as closing the office a little early before a public holiday so employees can get a head start to visit family or providing the technology tools so millennials can instantly communicate anytime, anywhere.

 

Working for a company that values their ideas and fuels their career growth is important to Gen Y employees, but they also want an employer that has a social conscience. Corporate social responsibility and a philanthropic mindset matter to millennials. This is a generation that grew up recycling and participating in community service projects.

 

A company that allows employees to dedicate work time to social responsibility efforts provides a rewarding, well-rounded experience that simultaneously delivers tangible benefits to the community. For example, employees may offer pro bono professional services to a local not-for-profit, serve food in a homeless shelter or rake leaves at elderly residents' homes.

 

Foss said that LifeBridge Health established a community services corps with heavy Generation Y involvement. She said the group has helped coordinate Thanksgiving baskets for the needy, painting at a local school and cleanup at a local park.

 

Company Reputation on the Line

 

To fully grasp the importance of effectively engaging millennials in the workplace, employers need to understand just how plugged in millennials are to the rest of the world. Millennials embrace the immediacy of the online universe and all it has to offer - and that means more than just posting their latest news on Facebook. They may be reading and contributing to the latest tweets and blog postings about the company and doing so as current, past or potential employees.

 

For employers, Generation Y's connection to this vast digital universe can have ramifications for millennial recruitment and retention. Companies need to be aware of how they are being perceived by Gen Y and recognize that millennial employees will leave for other jobs.

 

The key is providing an exceptional work experience that delivers for both parties so that when a millennial employee leaves, that person speaks highly of the organization. A past employee often becomes a new client as well as a key advocate - or badvocate - to recruit new talent.

 

With an estimated 75 million millennials in the U.S., workforce demographics will continue to change, and employers must take a long-term view on how they can best engage, train and challenge their youngest employees.

 

Managing and understanding Gen Y employees goes beyond their roles in an organization. In today's hyperconnected digital age, their influence extends past company walls, so it's critical to create an environment where they can be natural ambassadors for their workplace experience.

 

Millennials may not be company employees for life, but in a sense, they will be the company's reputation for life. Make it count.

 

 

[About the Author: Bobbie Little is the director of worldwide executive coaching services for PDI Ninth House.]