How to Create a Great Work Environment for Millennial Employees

As we have evolved as a society, our idea of a job, making a living and being employed has changed significantly. Work is no longer just a means to a check, it’s actually a place we seek fulfillment, purpose and happiness. This is especially true for the millennial generation, who have revolutionized work in so many ways.

Though millennials have been given a bad reputation for being lazy, difficult and entitled, they can be loyal employees who are passionate about helping the business grow. Companies who make the work environment better for their employees reap massive benefits, and if your business is getting left behind on this front, it will struggle.

Most old-school leaders think only about the work product and the output of their employees.  The truth is, the work environment influences the quality of the work product, so creating it the right way should be your top priority. Whether you run a small business, or you’re a manager in a bigger organization, there are so many ways to improve the worker’s experience.

Just look at how startup companies have found ways to make work a happier place. Many offices there have fun things like pool tables and other games to relieve stress. They also help employees solve some of life’s practical issues like laundry and transportation, and they have health and wellness programs. Many business leaders have come to accept that their employees seek a lot more than a good salary to take home. The companies that don’t recognize this suffer high turnover rates and fail to attract top level talent. So how can you improve your company for millennials? Here are a few recommendations. 

Feeling Heard and Understood

Millennials are known to speak their mind and make their opinions heard, and whether you like it or not, they want an environment that allows them to be open. Gone are the days of top-down decision-making where bosses gave commands without any employer input. Now people want to feel like they are given a platform to speak, and that what they believe and say is respected. This doesn’t mean you’re giving them a platform to be rude. When opinions are shared in a respectful way, it actually makes the organization stronger.

Tolerance

Many highly successful companies have come under fire over the last few years for intolerance, discrimination and harassment. It should go without saying, but if your workplace has even a whiff of that, that is very bad. A company can get into deep trouble for practices that show discrimination towards people when it comes to things like race, gender, and disability. This requires a major cleanup of the company culture which starts with making the voices of your employees heard. If it’s not dealt with, you might find yourself on the wrong side of disability discrimination lawyers or gender discrimination attorneys, and your business might never survive such a public relations hit.