If you picture a group of young adults with their heads down, lost in their smartphones, you wouldn’t be alone; but it may be time to give Millennial stereotypes a rest, and start embracing this generation for what they have to offer.
Millennials represent more workers than any other generation in today’s workforce, and incidentally, they comprise an increasing percentage of your customer base as well.
Despite the stereotypes, Millennials can be tremendously hard workers, able to take the initiative, spearhead projects, and ensure that things get done; often extremely efficiently and to a high standard.
By taking the time to welcome Millennials into your workforce, you could benefit tremendously. Here’s a look at four excellent advantages of having Millennials on your team.
They Work Smarter
You know the adage, “Work smarter, not harder.” Millennials understand this approach. This isn’t to say that they don’t work hard, it does, however, mean that in most cases, they’ll have a smarter and more efficient way to do things.
Getting a job done in less time doesn’t make one lazy, it makes them capable.
Smart workers are something every business owner can use more of, and, in fact, faster workers can make all the difference in a company, especially when you have a rush order or a task that needs to be accomplished quickly, and accurately.
They’re Open to Change
Millennials tend to be tremendously open to new ideas and more efficient ways of doing things. Traditionally, they’re also early adopters of new tech, helping to pave the way for older Gen Xers and Boomers.
Having some Millennials on your team can prove to be a tremendous advantage when it comes to onboarding the rest of the team on new software, different programs, or an alternative approach. When the others see their openness and enthusiasm, they’ll be able to warm more quickly to the concept as well.
They Want to be Engaged
Whereas previous generations viewed a paycheck and stability as the best reward, Millennials need to care about their work. As a small business owner, you hire people to perform specific jobs, but you also want them to be engaged with their work.
This will help them to not only excel in their role but also take pride in it, something that will carry over into everything that they do and even help to improve your retention rates.
They Relate to Customers
Finally, as we’ve seen, Millennials don’t just comprise a significant portion of the workforce; there’s a good chance that they also make up a big part of your customer base as well.
By having a few Millennials on board, you’ll be able to reach this demographic as customers more easily as well.
For any company, having different generations on the team will give you a wide range of skills and experience that you can draw on, allowing you to make sure your company is well-equipped to rise to the occasion and handle any issues that arise.
At the end of the day, each generation, and indeed each team member will have something different and equally valuable to bring to the table, allowing your company to benefit tremendously in more ways than one.
Small business owners: have you had Millennials on your team? Do you believe companies should cater to Millennials?
Bio: Eric Czerwonka is an entrepreneur, a writer at studyclerk.com and co-founder of Buddy Punch, an employee time tracking software company founded in 2013 that provides employee management solutions for any small and large companies alike – anyone with employees from startups right to corporations and anyone with a remote team to manage.
In the future, Eric hopes to continue to fit each problem with the correct solution through the use of technology as well as innovation. Eric also holds a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/buddypunch
