Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/805200
W EEKLY EDITION MAR 29, 2017 Attracting, Retaining, and Managing Millennial Workers: What Can Employers Do? ...continued Here is a chart showing the factors millennials say matter most to them in choosing and staying with an employer. It was a global study, so we are showing the overall results, and the US and Canadian results specifically. (Note that PWC uses British English – that's why some of the words in the legend will appear oddly spelled to many Association Insight readers.) While the portable sanitation industry often worries that it may not be an attractive employer, it is encouraging that millennials rate the sector in which an organization operates as a fairly low priority. There are other things that matter more – and if you cant make adjustments at your company to address them, you may be on your way to hiring and retaining these younger workers. Despite the similarities with prior generations of workers, t here are many ways in which this growing proportion of the workforce is different. They have strong beliefs and expectations about the world and how it should work. These ideas often extend to the workplace. There are several key steps employers can take to address the concerns about millennials in the workforce that have been raised through PWC's research: • Understand them: It's particularly important to understand and address generational differen ces and tensions. Do some fact - finding within your company and/or social circle, talking to both older workers and millennials so that you come to understand what millennials want and how these desires might be different from your older workers. Think abou t this in the context of your larger company operations, growth and development plan. Is it time to start evolving things so your workplace is more likely to attract and retain these younger workers? • Take pains to make sure they understand what's important to you: It's important for employers to explain what they are offering a potential employee, but also what they expect in return. You may need to be more explicit with younger workers than you are accustomed to being. For example, you may need to define y our attendance expectations, the amount of notice you expect for time off, and the sorts of things that are in bounds and out of bounds for being away from the job while staying on your good side. • Get the 'deal' right: Think creatively about reward strateg ies and what motivates millennials. For example, is it time to shift focus from cash bonuses to other things (e.g., a flexible schedule, more time off) in order to get the behaviors and outcomes you want? In the PWC study, the vast majority of millennial s were attracted to the prospect of customizing their benefits. There is also significant gap between perception and reality when it comes to the promises made by employers on diversity and work/life balance. If employers want to continue to attract millen nials, this has to be addressed – companies should review the messages they are sending out and test them against the reality of the employee experience. If a millennial hears you promise a balanced work life, then your busy season hits and you expect 12 h our days 6 days a week, that's going to be a disconnect that needs to be addressed up front. It may seem obvious to you that "work life balance" is a different thing in the busy season than other times – but it most likely won't be obvious to your millenni als. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 P AGE 3