In my last blog post, I discussed the latest Plantronics research on personae, or personality type, and how these personae play a very important role when an enterprise looks to design and build a unified communications system or upgrade the one they have.
One key point that came out in this research is that Millennials are found in every single one of the eight personae discovered. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary cites the term “Millennials” as generally referring to the generation of people born between the early 1980s and 1990s. Wikipedia says that although Millennial characteristics vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions, the generation is usually marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies.
What does this mean for the enterprise? Keep in mind that this group of workers has skyrocketed from only 12 percent of the workforce in 2013 to almost 50 percent in 2017. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Millennials have been the largest generation in the workforce since the end of 2015. This should not be shocking considering Millennials are quickly becoming the most influential population in our market today as they are graduating from college and reaching their peak employment years. Consider this too: the generation will represent nearly 75 percent of the work force by 2030.
As a result, there’s a really good chance if you’re hiring someone, they’ll fall within this age group. So, if you’re looking to hire top talent and keep them working happily and productively at your company, you’ll need to offer the technology they’re already familiar and comfortable with, and/or give them a choice of which technology they’ll be able to use once they’re working for you. Otherwise, they won’t be at ease with the provided technology, may look for other job situations that do provide what they are comfortable with and go to those other companies.
For example, what if a great prospective hire comes along, and the role requires a lot of travel. How long is that person going to stay satisfied on the job if your company cannot provide them with things like high-quality, noise cancelling headsets so they can easily conduct business wherever they are – like in an airport concourse or walking to pick up a rental car?
In a recent Forbes article titled “The Millennial Expectation of Technology in the Workplace”, the author writes, “Technology has become completely unified into the everyday life of Millennials. They no longer ask for sufficient technology at their jobs; they expect it. Often, this expectancy has been painted as entitlement, but what millennial workers really want are the tools they need to do their jobs efficiently.”
The workforce is changing fast and so are the needs (and expectations) of high-potential employees. Now, as technology changes on what seems to be a daily basis, it’s important to accept how technology has become an integral part of Millennials’ goals and lifestyle. Give your Millennial employees the tools they need to excel at work.
This post can also be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/millennials-found-every-persona-mathew-miller/?published=t