Today I'm reading a German article entitled "Millennials rocken das Enterprise" (translated "Millennials rocking the Enterprise") and I wonder.
I wonder if companies have an idea what's in store for them if they aren't prepared for the massive relocation of their workforce over the next couple of years. Millennials or Generation Y or whatever they call us will have different demands going into our careers. As stated in the article mentioned above; "Companies need to build a bridge between the old and the new ways of working" (my translation).
I will in short and VERY generalising terms try to explain some of the stuff we (yes, I'm one of them) millennials look for in a workplace. In my humble opinion.
- Collaboration
- Development
- Speed
- Fun
Collaboration and sharing is not something we often think of, we just do it. Forget your key account manager taking his/her facts about and thoughts on the customer with him/her to his/her grave. It's my strong opinion that this "new" generation is more focused on the greater good, will it be the company revenue or the world in general. We share our knowledge instead of siloing it inside the dark corners of our heads.
Development is all about personal development. If I feel that my work is'nt doing anything helpful for me, if it just keeps me and my mind chained to one spot, I am likely to switch my workplace for something more developing. I personally also love when development of new features and products happens fast.
Speed is of course referring to the Astons and Lambos we millennials want as our company cars. Or maybe not :) We like things to happen swiftly though, whether it's searching for information or getting the "go" for setting up a new line of products.
Fun at work is something I always like to discuss and it's so important. Fun really can be the deciding factor if millennials accept a job offer or not. Does your company provide the right environment and proper tools for me to have fun while doing a great and effective days work?
Enterprise 2.0 and new technology is a real help and a great starting point for your new employees, but you need to start transforming and build bridges soon if you like to be competitive in the future (who wouldn't?).
Feel very free to disagree and discuss with me through commenting or Twitter.
Cheers,
Gustav