4 Handy Tips For Training Your Millennial Workforce
As millennials enter the workforce in increasing numbers, are employers prepared to team up with this tech-savvy generation? Employers may be put to the test sooner than they think, with Forbes predicting that millennials will total nearly half of all workers by 2020. A near-millennial majority will likely influence best practices and office culture, beginning with employee training and on-boarding. In fact, a recent survey by staffing agency Adelco found that “68% of recent graduates identified good opportunities for growth and development as one of their top professional priorities”.
To help employers get ahead of the curve, we’ve compiled a list of four tips for successfully training millennials. For starters, connecting with the generation that grew up with cell phones in their pockets and instantaneous social media updates means making sure all the information they need is at their fingertips. Here’s how to get them that information in the ways most likely to empower them to be more productive employees right off the bat.
1. Go digital
Increasingly, employers are leveraging the devices that their employees already have on-hand as training tools, known as “BYOD”, or “bring your own device”. In fact, a recent Gartner report says that by 2017 more than half of the world’s employers will require their workers to supply their own devices on the job.
While nearly every form of corporate content shifts to the screen, however, employee training materials are often left in outdated and overwhelmingly large binders. Allowing your employees digital access from the get-go sets a standard for your employees to communicate digitally and indicates that you take training your employees as a serious investment.
2. Make content bite-sized and accessible on the go
Millennials are used to digesting lots of information quickly–whether 140 character tweets or clickable headlines on a news site. Make sure that your training materials have been broken up into small, easy-to-read portions that your employees can read on their commute, while at meals, or on the way to a big meeting. And, for accessing content on the go, optimizing your content for mobile is key.
3. Mix up your content with interactivity
Unlike generations before who learned through classroom lectures, PowerPoint decks and handouts, millennials expect content to be varied and engaging. Incorporate videos and photos within your training materials to better help your employees visually understand your material and break up their learning from static text. Not only will engaging employee training set your employee up for success, but will save you money in the long run, too. Gallup estimates that disengaged workers are costing the nation’s employers between $450 billion and $550 billion annually.
4. Enable both classroom and self-paced learning
Millennials love to learn in multiple ways. Enable both classroom and self-paced training with content that looks great anywhere, from tiny apps to huge screens. Give millennials the community they crave, while also allowing them to learn at their own pace. Self-paced learning has actually been shown to enhance learning speed and effectiveness by enabling employees to apply their own learning styles and preferences.
The bottom line:
It may seem as though you’re bending over backward to accommodate millennials, but, more often than not, they’ll return the favor. Typically, millennials will sacrifice their paycheck for a positive company culture, with 64 percent citing that “they would rather make $40,000 a year at a job they love than $100,000 a year at a job they think is boring.” To help foster a stimulating work environment, creating engaging employee training materials is step one.
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