Senior Analyst with Forrester Research (internationally)
– Characteristics of new workers
– learning approaches
– ways of recruiting
– tools/resources
Millennials between 1980 & 2000, There are 81 million of them coming.
78 Million baby boomers will be retiring with only 45 million Gen X to fill the places.
Short Term
– boomers are working longer
-workers are being imported
-jobs are outsourced
-economy shifting
But….
- The millenials are the catalysts of change. They have lots of thoughts to share. Open environments to allow them are key.
- They want career opportunities, and are optimistic of finding jobs.
- Very innovative in collaborating, learning, working and fun.
- Have an innate ability to use technology.
- Value the opportunity to be given the chance to find the solution to a problem on their own.
Characteristic
- multitasking
- materialistic and entrepreneurial
- innovative
- family/social life important
- work-life balance key (more task oriented rather than 9:00-5:00)
- socially responsible
Career Traits
- Task oriented rather than time-based – Can we start employing home workers? The commute isn’t important, less cars, …..but will they really work at home and how can we evaluate that?
- Team oriented, supportive work culture. – Looking for how people are working. Just in cubicles, not group gatherings. Not everything in teams, but looking for some. Looking for quiet rooms. Find with moving around, just give them a place they can go when they need to gather with 3 or 4 people. Don’t necessarily need a desk. Looking for more of a “pod” atmosphere. (some might not want to hear everything, but remember these are more multi-tasking types of people).
- Looking for good pay. Millennials know what they are worth based on their skills. They look it up and expect they will be paid equally.
- They want feedback, constant feedback.
Experiences that Shaped the Millennial Generation
-after school programs
-don’t remember not having technology
-parent both have hectic life styles (work)
-have seen parents lose their jobs (look out for themselves instead)
(presenter has been working with the same people for 6 years and never met them in person)
Rate technology low as to what companies will have. They just assume that we will have it and have it all! (big thing for mgrs to think of)
How to retain them…
- short, meaningful learning – quick and matters to their job at the moment (podcasts big – short 5-20 minute pieces) (orientation podcasts – great idea, or youtube videos)
- self-generated learning to help others
- collaboration tools to speed the work process (video conferencing, desktop even interest growing, millenials are not afraid to be online)
Nike and what they have done:
They have a continual challenge that sales associates (100% turnover rate – workers only come to work for a few years at a time) need to learn about new products every season. Need to also teach new workers selling techniques, they all are tech savvy, and it needs to create minimal disruption to the retail environment. Lastly, it’s often blended.
They have paper based info, hand held info – scan a product and find out about it. Sell-through of Nike product increased by 4%. They have created the Sports Underground Network. Online based training is only 3-5 minutes. Reinforcement and performance support constant. Based on the UK underground subway maps, each train link represents a different part of the product chain. Learners go through a virtual subway, click on subway poster to find out about the shoe, benefits, how they function in the weather, click the subway map to go to another product info area. Challenge of the job is that it’s retail and it’s the nature of the job there will be quick turnover. A stepping stone to other places. This increased selling though, perhaps not retention. Learning is allowed instore when no customers around. Tracked through LMS. Supervisor is checking from time to time.
At Black and Decker all training staff have flip cameras to capture appropriate training scenes. Capture short segment videos. Now have a full library of videos that can be accessed on specific topics and are no longer than 10 minutes. “sales people need it and it doesn’t need to be perfect”
DHL has an 11 week blended program. All the history & general understanding of product is online. Job shadowing and mentoring done face-to-face. Face-to-face mock sales situations. Then trips to customer service locations to understand procedures and to meet the CEO.
Millenials like to meet the CEO and they have no trouble talking to the senior management.
UPS – pilot training facility, used a transparent car, sensors on the truck for enter/exit, lift & lower simulators, slip and fall simulators, mini town for driving practice. Key here – all hands on learning and not classroom based. Students then as well watch animated demos. Took quizzes and trialed hand held tools. Important here is that they learned the WHY of what they were learning.
Recommendations:
clear learning opportunties
provide formal, informal, online, training
pair with mentors
build communities