It’s been three years since millennials (born between 1982 and 2000) became the largest generation in the American workforce. While the youngest millennials are just entering the workforce, the oldest are well into their careers, and many of them are in management roles. With millennials dominating the labor force for decades to come, attracting and retaining employees in this key demographic will be vital to your small business’s success in the coming years.
How is the massive millennial generation changing the way we work, and what do you need to know about their expectations for their employers? Here’s a closer look at what’s most important to millennial employees.
Millennial Employees Want to Make a Difference
Millennial employees care about your business’s impact on society and the planet. More than three-quarters (76%) consider a company’s social and environmental responsibility before accepting a job offer. How do you treat your employees, vendors, and customers? Millennials will want to know.
Show you care about the planet by instituting environmentally friendly practices in your business. Printing and paper are prime waste areas in most businesses, but you can minimize your environmental impact by choosing Xerox® printers that print double-sided by default and can restrict printer use with PIN codes. Is it time for new equipment? You can save money and reduce waste by purchasing a refurbished printer or multifunction printer from Xerox®.
Millennial Employees Value Collaboration
The millennial generation grew up doing team projects in school. They value diversity and a wide range of input, so encourage collaboration by bringing employees from different departments, different generations, and different roles together.
Make it easy for your team to collaborate by using Xerox Versalink® printers with ConnectKey technology to scan paper documents into the cloud. ConnectKey works with popular apps such as Box, Dropbox, Microsoft Office 365 and more so you can securely share.
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Millennial Employees Seek Work-Life Balance
Some 82% of millennials say work-life balance is a big factor when evaluating job offers. According to a Gallup poll, more than seven in 10 millennial employees say they “sometimes” or “always” feel burned out at work. Offering flexible hours or remote work options is sure to appeal to this generation (59% of whom want the ability to work remotely). Cloud storage and collaboration solutions ensure your team can work from home, a local coffee house or anywhere they choose.
Saving time at the office also helps boost work-life balance. Try these tips for working more efficiently:
- Instead of scanning in documents, saving the files, and then extracting data to use in business applications, your employees can use Xerox® Web Capture Service to create automated workflows that scan documents and save data into the appropriate app.
- Speed up printing by installing the Xerox® Mobile Link app on your team’s mobile devices so they can connect with Xerox® MFPs to scan, fax and print straight from their smartphones or tablets.
- Provide your employees with professionally designed templates they can use to create marketing materials or presentations so they don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time.
Millennial Employees Want to Contribute
Even entry-level millennial employees are eager to have an influence on your business from their first day of work. Whenever possible, let them come up with ideas instead of micromanaging them. If you give them the tools they need to do the job, provide guidance in how to do it, and offer feedback along the way, they just might find a solution you haven’t thought of.
Speaking of solutions, a whopping 93% of millennial workers say it’s important for their employers to have up-to-date technology. Who better to advise your business on technology than the generation that grew up with it? Get input from your millennial employees about what technology tools would make their work lives easier—and your business more productive.
Millennials are here to stay. By understanding what they want from your workplace, you can get the most from these valuable employees.
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