3 Challenges When You Manage More Millennials

Millennials aren’t the newest generation in the office, anymore. But they’re still growing to be the largest segment of the workforce. If you’re a manager, here are three challenges you need to be ready for:

1. Impatience with outdated technology.

Technology can quickly become a friction point when you manage a team that includes multiple generations. From one perspective, there’s nothing more annoying than one employee breaking procedure and documenting or processing tasks the wrong way because it’s ‘faster’ or ‘better.’ At the same time, there’s nothing more annoying than having to follow an outdated procedure that shouldn’t be so slow or manual.

Outdated technology is bad for business, but so is constantly switching to the newest tools and procedures. Reach middle ground with everyone in your team by making it easier for them to give feedback and technological suggestions. Not only can the company benefit from meaningful updates, but you can also explain why some procedures have to stick around for reasons that aren’t immediately visible.

2. The expectation for feedback.

Some employees expect constant feedback. Some employees want to be left alone to do their work. While millennials aren’t solidly in the first category, the majority of millennials tend to expect constant feedback during the course of a project. Positive feedback and suggestions can even boost learning, especially during new tasks, so incorporate it into your schedule.

Casual conversations, team meetings, and informal settings are easy ways to work it in so you can gauge which employees actually benefit from it. Offering feedback in team settings also reduces the risk of you treating employees differently over time.

3. Social media.

Social media is a constant in most millennials’ routines. While that’s a generalization, it’s also overwhelmingly true. That means your younger employees will be on their phones more often. Over fifty percent of millennials said they wouldn’t take a job that restricted phone access, so that means companies have to be the ones to change. Instead of basing an employee’s merit on how often they look like they’re working, use the quality and quantity of the work instead. It’s hard to fight the perception that someone on their phone at work isn’t the right fit for your company, but the end results matter more.

Read more at Tangram about employment trends and how to keep everyone engaged.