Change or Chance? A past colleague of mine, a middle-aged Technical Aritect, had an epiphany just three months into his new job. He looked up and announced ‘I’ve got it, this place is like a work house’.

Now I ask you in this day and age, surely not?

Interestingly looking at that organisation, the majority of employees were non-millennials which may prove an interesting observation later in the document. Reportedly one of the constant challenges when it comes to

recruitment is the expectation mismatch. A new generation is driving a bottom line change. Expected to make up circa 50% of the workforce by 2020, millennials (born from early 1980s to early 2000s) are starting to dominate the working landscape as more baby boomers begin to retire. Typically this new wave of talent possesses significantly different characteristics from previous generations; they have close affinity with the latest technology, they tend to favour their personal needs more than that of the organisation they work for, they want open communication & regular feedback and are more comfortable with a fluid career!

Organisations need to redefine the way work gets done, innovate talent and build engaged, enabled and agile workforces if they want to retain their footprint in the commercial marketplace.

Job hoarding was first reported as a trend in 2016, and is set to intensify. Over half of candidates are still in the habit of reneging on job offers if they receive a better offer during the period between job acceptance and start date. Major factors influencing those decisions include: • Negative online reviews of your business. • Below average salary. • A job description offered during interview which differs from that originally advertised.  • Delays in reaching agreement on final candidate selection.

NextGen’s A Global Generational Study, highlights how people’s priorities have changed and include some thought provoking stats;

• 71% of millennials say that their work demands interfere with their personal lives. • Upwards of 60% of millennials would like to occasionally work from home and shift their work hours. • 41% of millennials prefer to be rewarded or recognised for their work at least monthly. • 96%of millennials want to talk face-to-face about their career plans and progression.

“If businesses are not focused on millennials, they are at a competitive disadvantage. There is a clear business case to have these discussions and to change the culture in the workplace to attract and retain millennial talent. Organisations that understand how much millennials matter are going to win”.

Anne Donovan, Managing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers

Our people will make or break our business! …think on that for a moment.

So are these Millennials a new breed of individuals, or rather are we all the same in our wants and desire yet this next generation not prepared to compromise, and on mass driving a bottom up change?

Terms of engagement are changing and this is much more about ‘why should I work for your company?’ The days of expecting people to fall over themselves to want your job have gone!

Millennials do not want to sacrifice their personal lives for excessive work demands, even if they can reasonably expect substantial compensation later in their careers. The majority of respondents shares the same sentiment regarding this topic. Increasingly, the work/life balance is a key measure of job satisfaction. Technology’s role in this data point is undeniable. With some of the most advanced technological resources at their disposal, millennials are equally as concerned that the work gets done, however they want more flexibility when it comes to where and when they do their work. Millennials thrive on teams where they feel a sense of purpose and community. This feeling comes from openness with peers and transparency from their superiors. As millennials are part of the instant gratification age, they want and need real-time feedback to facilitate their own growth. Perhaps a shift in annual review process from performance feedback forms to real-time “snapshots” of performance based on a specific framework for the skills and behaviours each staff level needs to display to be performing within expectations. This new model opens the door for constant face-to-face coaching, feedback, and development.

Contrary to an often-held misconception, millennials actually want to look up from their phones and get out from behind their laptops when it comes to talking about their careers.

All generations say compensation is an important driver for retention, but millennials place a higher relative value on being supported and appreciated for their contributions than their non-millennial counterparts, yet this is not to say that they are happy with being remunerated below par.

The contrast illustrates that millennials simply are not content with just having a high-paying job. Millennials want to see purpose in what they do, and know that their efforts are adding value to their personal lives just as much as to their clients and employers. A pool table and funky break out area just isn’t going to cut it…

So will your business maintain it's position in the marketplace, loose ground to the competition of steal ahead?

DEGREES OF SEPARATION Degrees of Separation have a twenty five year pedigree supporting businesses through transformation, be that as a result of a merger or acquisition, regulatory or mandated, enhanced business process or controlled evolution!

We have a virtual bench of Change Practitioners, Transformation Managers, Business Coaches and Leadership professionals to provide guidance and scrutiny, or a structured roadmap to focus initiatives and mitigate risk of failure.

To start exploring what level of support might best suit please get in touch.

Website: www.dos.uk.com