Last spring, Brand Amplitude conducted focus groups among professionally employed Millennials around the country. We asked, “If you could tell your boss one thing, what would it be?” Here’s what they said. (Are you listening bosses?)

1. “Teach me!”

“I feel like boomers don’t teach as much as they could… Millennials want to learn.”

While they do believe they are more knowledgeable in certain areas – such as technology – they realize that they have a lot to learn from older generations. As one Millennial, put it: “Go ahead and tell stories, share your wisdom, or teach them something you wish you would have known when you were their age.”

2. “Mentor Me!”

“The whole concept of ‘reporting’ to people is very parents’ generation… [we] are more team focused.”

Relationships and corporate cultures are especially important to Millennials. They want want to feel cared for as individuals — not just employees. In short, they want mentors, coaches and teammates – not just bosses. Participants expressed more loyalty to the people they work with than to their company. As one brand manager put it, “I feel connected to the people I work with, not necessarily the company.” Another said, “People make everything worth doing.”

3. “This job is not my life!”

“My job isn’t life or death – I’m not saving lives, I work in marketing – sometimes people forget that.”

This statement received unanimous agreement. It followed a conversation about expectations regarding flex hours, vacation time and work/life balance in general. All expected a minimum of three weeks vacation from the start. Most expected a flexible work schedule and the opportunity to work from home when they didn’t need to be in the office for meetings. It’s interesting to note that Millennials know they’re spoiled. While they can appreciate how fortunate they are, they don’t feel the need to apologize for it. They believe that work life balance will make them even more productive.

4.“Trust me!”

“I would tell my boss that they need to place more responsibility in the hands of younger employees.”

Millennials want to feel empowered to make a difference in the business. They yearn for autonomy and the authority to have a real impact. Millennials feel especially discouraged when they are micromanaged. A manager’s goal should be to find that magical middle ground – the perfect balance between giving employees generous feedback while simultaneously giving them the freedom to make decisions and solve problems on their own.

5. “Reward me!”

“I’m as loyal to them as they are to me.”

It’s important to clearly communicate performance expectations and how performance will be rewarded. It’s also key to be true to your word! The fastest way to lose a Millennial’s loyalty is to renege on a promise. It seems to be especially important to Millennials to know the right incentives are in place. Millennials welcome open conversation about compensation and incentive programs. Some want a raise, but others prefer a results-based bonus structure, more vacation time or public recognition.

6. “Don’t Take Me For Granted!”

“My company doesn’t realize that their most qualified people can and will leave for a better work environment.”

A common perception about Millennials is that they aren’t very loyal. Yet when we probed about workplace loyalty, we heard many say they would like to be loyal, but only to companies that ‘earn’ their loyalty. Millennials feel their parents’ generation was loyal to a fault. Millennials believe they have more options, so they insist they will only stick with a company that earns their devotion.

Special thanks to Carolyn Torres, Millennial, Notre Dame MBA graduate and Product Development Manager at Whirlpool for moderating these groups! (That’s Carolyn’s picture, fyi!)