Unlike their older colleagues, millennials have a unique perspective on work. While they have all already passed the age of college undergraduates and have largely entered the workforce, they have different demands and concepts of what work should look like. With changing technology and the rise of remote and flexible working, millennials in the workforce have both affected changed and added value for their employers. Here’s how millennials have changed the game when it comes to work.
Employer Transparency
Because millennials no longer expect to stay at companies for the majority of their careers (the average millennial only stays at a job for approximately 2 years), they expect their employer to act more transparently. They are also willing to walk away if this is not the case. This has forced companies to act more transparently toward their employees more generally, and has upended company culture in a positive way. As millennials become a more significant portion of the workforce, departments have shifted to keep employees abreast of any changes so that they can make the necessary career moves and not be blindsided by any layoffs or company-wide changes.
Remote Work and Experience-based Hiring
While C’s may have gotten degrees at one point, this is hardly the case anymore. When millennials think of college, they often think of looming college debt, and most degrees are not specialized enough to make college a necessary investment in their future. As such, millennials in management positions are much more likely to recruit based on experience rather than degrees, particularly when it comes to jobs that involve technology, such as programming, IT, or even technical marketing. This has helped companies recruit more competent employees who are much more well-suited for the jobs that they are hired to do.
In addition to this, millennials have helped to usher in the remote work revolution. While not all companies can be fully remote, many offer particularly employees remote or flexible working options. This allows companies to save money on office space, as well as equipment and other amenities that an office requires. In many instances, companies have gone entirely remote due to the influence of millennial workers, which allows companies to save even more significantly, as they may not even have to pay rent on office space. This allows employers to invest more in their employees and make sure that they provide a superior experience working for the company.
In conclusion
Due to growing up in the shadow of the recession, millennials have a unique perspective on workplace culture and values, and want to see companies reflect these values. In doing so, millennials have added value to the companies they work for and helped to bring various changes to the workplace that have benefited both employers and employees alike. Because they do not expect to spend the majority of their careers at a single company, millennials are also much more likely to take bold action in the workplace. In doing so, millennials have affected much change in the workforce, and have allowed technology to boost business productivity like never before.