As businesses evolve with time, change has never been so rapid and necessary as now, with the entrance of Generation Z into the workforce, joining their predecessor's Millennials.
Millennials are already recognised as making a big splash and inciting change for the betterment of themselves, their peers and the overall workplace. From more widespread flexible working to an increased emphasis put on learning and development, companies now must alter their training alongside their culture to best prepare themselves to welcome the younger generation into the workplace.
Learning and development
Learning is at the core of everything Millennials want from a workplace, and without it, around 70% of them will be more likely to depart from an organisation within just two years of employment. They crave development and many want to desperately learn how to be better leaders, often following significant experiences with leadership in the past.
Reskilling and developing employees is now paramount to ensuring skills gaps do not derail processes and ensure that companies can keep ahead of their competition and ensure that they are able to offer on-demand training which will allow their employees to lead.
Technology, digital and the internet
Millennials and Gen Z grew up with technology all around them, therefore they have an expectation of how they think brands and companies should interact with them. Gone are the out-dated days of a handshake over a whiskey and instead these generations are looking to build meaningful relationships with their employer and the brand.
For companies who fail to interact with their future employees and the public across digital means and build meaningful relationships with them, they run the risk of isolating these key generations and can actually put them off wanting to work for the brand, instead gravitating towards more modern and forward-thinking companies.
Employer branding and culture
Now more than ever, Millennials are looking for a positive experience from application throughout the entirety of their time in employment. If a millennial has a poor experience with a brand, they, above all other generations, will be more inclined to go elsewhere.
Company branding is important, regardless of the industry and can make or break your capability to attract the best people in that sector. Candidates will look through reviews, both experiences during the interview process and employment, and negative or non-existent company branding can detract people from taking a job with your business.
Feedback regularly
Finally, companies need to implement an effective way to feedback to their employees regularly, whether this is in terms of performance, progression or in a general sense. This allows this younger generation to take stock of where they are succeeding and where they may be falling short. This can then tie into their personal development and inspire training for the future in order to bridge skills gaps or improve interpersonal skills.
For some businesses, the best route to managing regular feedback is through an online system that allows managers and employees to log in and submit feedback, notes or requests which can be managed and tracked most effectively.