New data finds that Gen Y/Millennials - the new generation of workers born between the early 1980’s and the early 2000’s are highly dedicated to their jobs and often times work well beyond normal business hours. Yet they remain fiercely independent in their work habits.
They are the largest generation in the workplace, bringing change along with them.
Weaned on keypads and cyberspace, exhibiting a comfort level with technology difficult for other generations to fathom. Their social skills, their expectations and demands, and the perceived gulfs between “us and them” have pegged them as vastly different from all generations before them.
Their presence can shake out a sense of complacency and fundamental assumptions that other workers...and entire cultures may carry.
Millennials are remarkably similar around the world.
They like their jobs and the businesses they work for, and they largely want the same things: an interesting, high-paying, stable job and working with people they like, trust, and feel appreciated by, in businesses or organisations that are socially responsible and value them enough to provide flexibility and opportunities for growth, development and promotion.
The good news is that Millennials can demonstrate high degrees of commitment to the business or organisations that employ them. They can be strongly motivated to contribute and actually like the business or organisation they are working for. They can be committed to do what it takes to help the business or organisation succeed, if they are engaged the right way.
This is according to a 2014 study and infographic by RingCentral that suggests companies must adopt the right tools, policies and procedures to empower this new wave of employees.
Further, in 2016 the proliferation of mobile technology seems to be eroding away at the very notion of “normal business hours.” Some 60 percent of millennials say their employers already expect them to be accessible during off hours, while 70 percent work up to 20 hours or more outside the workplace each week. Roughly one-half of Millennials surveyed say flexible work hours and the freedom to work from any location would improve their work/life balance.
It’s no surprise that Millennials are highly dependent on mobile technology to support flexible and productive work habits. The flexibility Millennials crave naturally requires employees to manage their businesses and personal communications separately. At the same time, it is critical for the company to ensure that communications with customers and partners is managed professionally and efficiently. To accommodate this responsibly, companies must formalise a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy and implement solutions that support a wide range of devices.
In a global economy where business is conducted around the clock, it’s reassuring to employers that Millennials are so willing to be available on a flexible schedule and use their own devices to do so. But, that means it’s the responsibility of employers to provide them with accessibility, solutions, security and freedom to work how and when it’s best for them and the company.
Reference: Jennifer J. Deal: “What Millennials Want from Work: How to Maximize Engagement in Today's Workforce”
