We all need to work, but we don't all necessarily want to work. Tasks can seem menial and you may not be getting much out of your daily duties. That's why it's important for employers to create a comfortable and motivated work environment. Check out the tips below for how to make sure your employees are happy:
1. Offer smaller, but frequent, promotions
We all like to feel like we're doing well. Rewards and incentives are our motivation. Compared to older generations, Millennials want immediate results. They want to move up the corporate ladder quickly, according to an article in Entrepreneur. By receiving promotions at smaller intervals, employees feel accomplished and will work harder to ensure they keep moving forward.
2. Provide incentives
Just like with promotions, everyone likes being rewarded for their hard work. Employers can offer something as big as bonuses or something as little as free lunch. Schedule holiday parties, weekend trips or office competitions. Working extra benefits into your financial plan can help boost office morale and keep your employees happy.
3. Make them feel valued
Bonuses are nice, but your employees also like feeling like they're respected. According to the source, Millennials, especially, want to feel needed. Schedule one-on-one meetings with them to discuss not only their work, but also how they're settling in at the company. Offering critiques and advice, as well as talking openly, can make them feel welcome and respected. Treat them as people, not only as employees.
4. Give them a difficult task
According to a 2012 survey done by the Society for Human Resource Management, 63 percent of employees said the "opportunities to use skills and abilities" gives them the greatest job satisfaction. Workers want to feel like they are putting their education to use. If they're performing menial tasks, they can lose motivation and focus. Try getting your workers engaged in a task they wouldn't normally work on or having them use their knowledge on a more difficult assignment, an Inc. article suggested.
5. Teach them
Millennials want to learn something while they work, according to Entrepreneur. They've spent 12 or more years in the school system, and their instinct to learn doesn't stop just because they've graduated. The best managers of Millennials are the ones who think of themselves as teachers, author Tammy Erickson told the source. Give your young workers something new to work on, whether it's a topic they've never written about or a project that requires critical thinking.
Generation Y's work habits differ from those of its predecessors'. These young workers need a hands-on approach that involves frequent rewards and new assignments. If you can figure out the best way to manage them, you'll get a successful, productive workforce.