Attracting Millenials to the Workplace (and retaining them!)

Guest Blog Post Written by Author Jenny - Terrific and Thoughtful Piece

“Millennials are lazy and don’t want to work. ”

“Don’t hire a millennial, they think they know everything.”

“Millennials expect to be paid handsomely for their efforts, right out of school, even though they possess no experience or wisdom”.

These entitlement stereotypes are ones that I have encountered not only in my own workplace, but from discussing millennials with scores of people I meet, most of whom are between the ages of 40-80.

I’m a marketing director for a consumer goods manufacturer, and am in the unique position of working for a company that tends to retain its employees for the long haul. Not just five or ten years, but quite literally for decades. Some of our employees even have multiple generations of their family working at our company. Presently, we are facing a number of our key employees reaching retirement age after dedicating their entire careers to our business. So much tribal knowledge has been amassed, and it’s a bit daunting to think about how that knowledge will be handed off to the next “generation” of employees. But will there be a next generation? Many people have the impression that millennials job-hop, in search of the next pay raise or extra week of vacation, and have no dedication to their employers or to a cause bigger than themselves. I'm here to tell you that this doesn't have to be the case.  I want to dispel the notion that millennials are not wise hires in the current job market. Quite the contrary. They can be some of your very best and most productive employees if you are willing to go to the effort of creating workplace in which they can feel a sense of belonging.

Being a fringe millennial myself (born in 1982), I can see both sides of the great debate surrounding this up-and-coming generation. I believe that what they're are seeking is a workplace that feels like something they want to belong to and feel passionate about. They seek a company with a product or cause or mission that they, too, believe in wholeheartedly. Millennials are not as interested as other generations in defining their lives with their career or with financial success; rather, they genuinely want to be happy, they value having a  vibrant life outside of the office, and want to work for a company that not only respects but also nurtures their outside interests and allows them time to pursue them. They crave flexibility and customizability; 9-5 jobs seem to constraining. So, with all of these factors in mind, we’ve worked to create a workplace that allows for personal freedom, a healthy work/life balance, and plenty of opportunities to grow. We already had a great foundation in place for many years, so with a few modifications and tweaks, we’ve been able to attract some top talent in recent years, and have managed (at least for now!) to retain them. Not only that, but we believe we've also created a workplace that benefits ALL employees, not just those from the millennial generation.

So what have we done differently to position our workplace as a  millennial-friendly spot that meets these aforementioned needs and desires? A number of things, and I'm not sure that I can pinpoint any single factor in particular that is most compelling to people from this generation. But in conjunction with one another, these factors have created a workplace in which millennials (and all others!) can thrive:

A Flexible Schedule

How do you come up with a one-size-fits-all office hours policy? It's nearly impossible. Our employees are scattered across seven counties (yes, seven!) in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Some have a 2 minute commute, others more than an hour. Some arrive by bus, many by car, quite a few by bicycle, and we have some motorcyclists among us. Some have kids that need to be dropped off at school or daycare in the mornings, others do not. To us a flexible schedule does not mean that people A) work less than 40 hours per week, or B) spend all of their time telecommuting from home rather than being at the office. We do, however, define it loosely as this: So long as we see you in the office regularly, so long as you clearly communicate to everyone why you will be stepping out during the middle of the day or why you'll be coming in late, and so long as the flexibility does not interfere with you getting your job done to a satisfactory degree, we want you on our team. We understand and respect that you put in time at home and during your commute, maybe even on an occasional weekend to get caught up. We know you have some weeks that are much longer than others. Bottom line is, we're committed to making our workplace 'fit' your life, within reason.

Exploration & Education

Whether it's taking a three day photography workshop to help advance someone's graphic design skills, or several individuals signing up to be a part of a long distance cooking class online that they participate in together once per week, we encourage ongoing education that will help our employees hone their skills or learn something new. Social media strategy conference? Go for it. LEAN/Six Sigma training? You bet. Taking an hour with your team in the middle of a workday to go trend shopping or walk a retail store for product inspiration and to get caught up on what's happening in our industry? Perfectly alright. In fact, it's encouraged! As long as the topic is related to an employee's role within our company and will help them think outside the box or do their job better, we will support (and often fund!) such learning. We are always looking for ways to do things more efficiently and more creatively, and we believe this ongoing continual challenge appeals to millennials (as well as other generations of motivated people!).

Wellness Programming

Most companies will tell you that they have a 'wellness program' in place, because that is a trendy buzzword and topic at the moment. However, if you ask many companies to define what their wellness programming consists of, it's typically a very narrowly defined plan that's sponsored by the company health insurance provider, and reimburses employees $20 per month if they can show that they've checked into a gym 12 times in the past 30 days. How trite. (Everyone knows millennials have an intense dislike for platitudes and can see right through them).

We've expanded our definition of wellness programming to have something for everyone in our company, regardless of their schedule, interests, or athletic abilities.It began with a community garden program five years ago, when we built 20 organic garden plots for employees to grow their own produce in. Our company provides all of the seeds, seedlings, tools and even a master gardener for weekly consultation. Employees get to take home crop share baskets each week, and jointly we donate 10% of our weekly harvest to our local foodshelf. Last year, we donated over 150 lbs! Employees are encouraged to get up from their desks and walk to the gardens for fresh air and exercise whenever they like throughout the day. So far, it's been a huge success, and one that's made news headlines as well for being quite progressive.

What came next was an exercise program during the workday, an intense bootcamp of sorts. One day each week, for a half hour, a fitness coach/personal trainer comes and gives anyone who opts in a challenging workout. One never knows what to expect from week to week. We might be doing barre/pilates exercises one week, and pushing tires across a parking lot the next. You can always count on being sore for several days afterward. It is a great team bonding time for all who participate as well, and it attracts (surprisingly!) a wide variety of ages. Our youngest participant is 23, and our oldest is a youthful 60-something. We cook healthy lunches together afterward too, which typically results in great dialogue about what everyone's doing to eat nutritious meals, and often means recipes get exchanged among us. It's a highlight of the work week for many, and a mental break that allows us to re-focus in on our work once back at our desks.

One year ago, we made Fit Bit devices available (free of charge! Company funded!) to anyone who wanted them. We then formed teams to compete for monthly steps against other teams. As in, can the Finance team take more steps per month than the Sales team? This has been a fun competition as well, and is eye-opening for people to get attuned to how many calories they're burning each day through various activities.

A Sense of Family

Some companies call their employees a team, and we take this concept one step further. Given that we are still family-owned and operated, we choose to treat our employees like part of a large, extended family. We extend the same treatment and respect to everyone in our company, regardless of position or tenure. By doing this, we foster a work environment where people feel safe to express their thoughts and ideas. One where everyone has a strong sense of purpose, and where everyone is aligned on a common end goal. There's a sense that we're all in it together, and if someone falls behind or stumbles, the rest of the family will be there to step in and give them a hand to get back on track. I believe it is this type of corporate culture that can erase all of the ill sentiment that millennials harbor about "large corporations" who lack an element of compassion in favor of focusing on financial gains.

So how do all of these factors mesh together to create a sense of passion in our employees? In our company's case, I believe a lot of it comes from a sense of pride of being one of a handful of companies left in our industry who is still making products in America. It's a continual challenge, and it's not easy, but it's something that unites every one of us within the company. We are fiercely proud of the fact that our company did not send its manufacturing overseas at any point, but rather, invested in our employees and our plant domestically. We're proud that we're small, nimble, and privately funded--no need to make decisions based on whether or not they'll satisfy investors or the stock market. We are united by the satisfaction of knowing how many millions of people around the world use our products each and every day and are avid fans of our brand.  All of this creates an atmosphere in which I believe millennials can thrive, and in exchange, will put forth their best efforts. But moreso, it is the thread that keeps us all woven together, regardless of what generation we come from. Create an environment in which people feel welcome and cared for, and everyone will benefit.