Q: How can I attract, hire and retain talented young millennials for our insurance agency? ACE advises: Millennials, who range from 20 to 36 years old, have been called “lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents” by Time magazine. Leaders often find millennials challenging to work with due to their sense of entitlement, […]
Q: How can I attract, hire and retain talented young millennials for our insurance agency?
ACE advises: Millennials, who range from 20 to 36 years old, have been called “lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents” by Time magazine. Leaders often find millennials challenging to work with due to their sense of entitlement, impatience and inattention to authority.
Yet millennials are technologically savvy and purpose-driven and could represent 75% of the U.S. work force by 2025.
Here are five ways you can engage the millennials who already work for you and attract talented new millennials to your organization:
1. Share your why: Millennials want their work to have meaning. Growing up in a world of instant gratification leads to impatience if they feel disconnected from the mission. Senior leaders need to communicate company values that resonate with them.
2. Discuss growth opportunities: It is important to millennials that you provide many opportunities for them to grow and advance in their careers. Schedule frequent one-on-one meetings to provide feedback and discuss goals for personal development.
3. Leverage technology to promote teamwork: Millennials aren't used to being restricted by an IT department and are frustrated by poor systems. They want to collaborate, so knowledge must flow seamlessly throughout.
4. Focus on results: Corporations must focus more on setting clear project goals and productivity metrics. Meet one on one to review performance and reinforce how meeting or exceeding goals will impact the team.
5. Involve in improvements: How should you deal with a group of employees who are easily frustrated with inefficiencies and poor culture? Ask them for their improvement ideas.