There’s no denying that companies today have taken a shine to millennial workers – and with good reason. Millennials (aka the children of baby boomers) represent that sweet spot of the 18- to 34-year-old working demographic. They are some of the most tech-savvy, driven workers out there, and many companies are clamoring to attract them.
The thing is, many millennials have certain standards when it comes to companies they’ll work for—and, more specifically, the ones they won’t.
FlexJobs recently released a survey on the changing workplace priorities of millennials. If you’re finding your workforce is missing this valuable segment of the population, discover why millennials don’t want to work for your company.
Missing a strong office culture
Millennials don’t want to just have a job and work for any old company. They want to work for an organization with a strong company culture. Take a look at what your company’s brand truly represents. Is it clear or confusing? Does it encourage its employees to band together as a team and work together? Does it offer incentives to stay dedicated? Does it serve the greater good? If the answer to any of the above questions is no, this could be just one explanation as to why millennials are not applying for positions with your company.
Lack of schedule flexibility
Maybe it’s because millennials saw their baby boomer parents trudging into an office each and every day, or maybe they have been told that they can do everything or be anyone one too many times, or maybe they are simply fed up with the status quo. Whatever the reason, millennials decided they do not want to follow the traditional nine to five work schedule. For most millennials, workplace flexibility plays a huge factor in deciding what types of companies they’ll work for. Is your company a brick-and-mortar biz, only offering in-office positions? Then you might lose out on millennial employees. According to the FlexJobs survey, a staggering 85 percent of millennials want to telecommute 100 percent of the time! If your company doesn’t offer flexible work options, this might be the impetus it needs to implement a flexible work policy.
No work-life balance
Let’s face it: 60- to 80-hour workweeks are so passé. Since when did we have to start sneaking out of the office at 5pm? Millennials are a generation that believes in working hard and playing hard and they want their employers to give them opportunities to do both. In fact, 84 percent of those surveyed said they want more work-life balance from their current employer. If your company has a reputation for its hellishly long working hours, you’ll definitely detract potential millennial workers from even considering working for your organization.
Not aligning with millennial passions
Almost half of millennials who responded to the survey (46 percent, to be exact) stated that they want to have a meaningful impact in the world. As a generation that has grown up experiencing monumental changes like greater advances towards sustainable business practices and the approval of same-sex marriages, millennials believe that they can make a difference in their communities. This is having a major impact in the types of professional careers millennials are looking for. These young adults don’t just want to have a job; they want a fulfilling life and a job is just a piece of that. As a result, we are seeing an increase in the number of young adults that are turning down jobs just for a paycheck and are instead pursuing careers that align with their passions. Employers can help to nurture this type of mentality by creating opportunities for employees to give back through their offices and the work they are doing every day.
If you find there’s a shortage of millennial workers applying for positions within your organization, you should review your company’s practices and policies to determine how you can fix the issue. That way, you can attract millennials to the jobs you’re hiring for—and reap the many, many benefits.
