The Millennial generation includes people born between 1980 and 1994, give or take a few years, and now they’re all grown up.
That means that they’re out there looking for jobs, bringing: fresh eyes, youthful optimism, up-to-date computer and social media skills, and the “new blood” that will drive companies further into the 21st century.
All well and good – but is your office set up to attract them?
Baby Boomers and, to a degree, the cohorts that came after them, grew up with a very different view of what constitutes a good company to work for. While smoke-filled offices with mandatory brown suit-and-tie were standard 40 years ago, they would be massively out of place today.
Of course, everyone knows this – but knowing what’s out of place is not the same as knowing what is in place.
Millennials know about Facebook, Google, and Apple. They think great offices are “cool” offices.
They think discipline and hierarchy take a backseat to relaxation, when it comes to building a productive working environment. They want open floor plans, “chill out” zones with beanbags and maybe an iPad or two. They probably want facilities like Ping Pong or Pool.
They also want their surroundings to look, well, the way that companies they admire look. They like cool, interesting, office-furniture. They like bright colours and white-board walls to scrawl ideas on.
Of course, there’s no need to go pandering to Millennials’ every whim. Ping Pong tables aren’t going to be sensible for most small businesses.
But it is worth taking their opinions into account: one more difference between Millennials and earlier generations is that Millennials don’t want, or expect, to work for the same company for their entire working life. You need to reel them in, and keep them!