Millennials are an important and influential part of today’s workforce. So, for any company to be considered a great place for millennials to work is an honor. And that is especially true at O.C. Tanner, where we were recently named to Fortune’s 2016 list of 100 Best Workplaces For Millennials.
With a workforce that is 23% millennial, and estimates stating that millennials are on track to make up 50% of the workforce by 2018, we’re pleased to know that a large and growing segment of our co-workers are happy here. And, on the heels of also being named to Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, for the second year, the recognition that O.C. Tanner is a great place to work for its multi-generational workforce gives us cause to celebrate.
But what is it that makes us special to our millennials? Some of the questions we ranked highest on in Fortune’s survey for the list are keys:
1. When you join the company, you are made to feel welcome.
This statement resonated with our millennial employees in a huge way, and there’s one reason: Onboarding done well. Statistics show that 69% of employees are more likely to stay with the company for at least three years after a great onboarding experience.
Onboarding is a key time in the tenure of an employee. It shapes their impression of your company, as well as the direction they will take as they continue to grow throughout their career with you. This is the time that you set them up for success, and it doesn’t occur over the span of a day, a week, or even a year. Managers should view their first year with employees as a time where they continually connect new employees to the mission, vision and values of their organizations. If you can truly make an employee feel connected and engaged, you’re going to get great work out of them.
2. I am able to take time off from work when I think it’s necessary. And, people are encouraged to balance their work life and their personal life.
Wellness has been the topic du jour in HR for some time now, but people are beginning to realize there’s a lot more to happiness in the workplace than steps on a pedometer. It’s not really about wellness, it’s about wellbeing.
Wellbeing consists of physical, social, and mental health, with mental health being the most important of the three. With millennials in particular, there often isn’t such a thing as a work-life balance as much as there is work-life flexibility. Millennials not only take their work home, but in many cases their work is a large part of what defines them as humans. And so there’s not so much a boundary between work and life wherein the email goes off at 5 p.m. and isn’t back on till 8 the next morning. There is much more fluidity, and with that can come stresses that tax a person’s physical, social and mental health. For millennials, being able to co-determine with their managers what works best for them, whether it’s time off, flex time, or even alternative workspaces, goes a long way in improving employees overall wellbeing, and keeping them happy and engaged with the work they’re doing.
3. Everyone has an opportunity to get special recognition.
One of the best things that we could hear, as a company that promotes employee appreciation, is that we do a good job at recognizing our own employees. But there are some pretty big reasons for us to encourage people to do this one thing and to do it well.
Lack of appreciation is the number one reason people leave their jobs, and on the opposite side of that coin, appreciation is the number one thing people say causes them to do great work.
It’s pretty simple, recognize your employees, show them you appreciate them, and do it often. It’s a basic and yet powerful way to show thanks while creating an environment that fosters great work.