TECHNOLOGY CAREERS

Generation Now: How to Attract and Retain Millennial Workers

They don’t remember a time without computers, they actually like to ask their parents for advice, and the idea of “paying your dues” seems antiquated to them. Millennials, also known as Generation Y, is a group that consists of more than 80 million individuals born approximately between 1979 and 1999. Many are already out of college and in the business world, while others are still in elementary school.

With baby boomer retirements looming, Millenials’ work styles and professional expectations are relevant to every hiring manager in an IT department. Our company, along with Yahoo! HotJobs, surveyed more than 1,000 adults ages 21-28 to help understand the group’s priorities and mindset. Following are some tips to help you attract Gen Y workers and keep them motivated, inspired and loyal to your firm.

Make them an offer they can’t turn down. When asked to rank the importance of 11 factors relating to job opportunities, survey respondents placed salary first. Millennials are accustomed to instant results: They’ve grown up in a time when you can receive your test scores almost immediately online, for example, and see an excerpt of a show everyone’s talking about by simply going to YouTube. So rather than offering a low starting salary with the possibility of a raise in six months, make them an up-front offer they can’t refuse. You can ensure your company is offering a salary slightly above the average for your industry and region by using sources including the Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide, data from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics and industry or trade publications.

After salary, benefits and opportunities for advancement topped the list for those in the survey. Millenials are concerned about the U.S. healthcare system becoming more costly and the availability of Social Security benefits as they age. As a result, they want the best healthcare and retirement plans employers can provide. Make your programs easy to understand and, if possible, don’t make new employees wait three months for healthcare coverage or a year to be fully vested in the company’s 401(k) plan.

Create an inviting work environment. Millennials we surveyed preferred a casual workplace, and weren’t particularly impressed with big titles: They ranked job title seventh among eleven factors they use to evaluate a job opportunity, and ranked “more prestigious job title” last among six factors that would prompt them to leave their current jobs. However, nearly three-quarters of Gen Y professionals in the survey said they were concerned about being able to balance a career with personal obligations. Offering options such as telecommuting, compressed workweeks or alternative scheduling are attractive to these individuals.

Demonstrate how they’ll grow. About half of respondents in the survey expected to spend no more than one to two years “paying their dues” in entry-level jobs. You’ll attract people from this group by showcasing in-house training programs, tuition reimbursement, paid time off to attend professional development events, and reimbursement for membership fees for professional associations. Mentoring programs also are attractive to Millenials: Consider developing a formal one in your department or, if your organization has many locations, you might try an e-mentoring program.

Once you’ve hired a Gen Y worker, make sure you give the person assignments that stretch his or her skills and help develop competencies such as team leadership, business management and customer service. Also try to make the individual’s day-to-day work diverse: These workers grew up with a high level of stimulation (TV, video games, the Internet) and can become disengaged if they’re not challenged.

Know how to manage. Millenials are accustomed to direct, ongoing supervision and guidance from parents, teachers and other authority figures in their lives, and they want a similar relationship with their bosses. In fact, 35 percent of those surveyed want to communicate with the boss several times a day! Because this group has high expectations for their managers, pairing them with your best supervisors will help keep these employees satisfied and productive. Management tactics that are likely to bring out the best performance in these staff members include:

• Offering constant feedback. Immediate input helps motivate these individuals, and as recent graduates, they’re used to receiving the regular feedback that comes from test scores and grades.
• Being open and authoritative. This group enjoys a friendly manager who gives advice and provides support, but they don’t like pushovers. They want their bosses to clearly be the ones in charge.
• Walking the talk. This group wants to work for companies that act true to their values, and are suspicious of corporate announcements not backed up by clear action.

Generation Y brings their own brand of values and ideals to the world of work, and creating an attractive environment for them will be particularly important in the coming years, as more baby boomers retire. Fortunately, many of the perks Millennials seek – from education and training to advancement opportunities – also will position them to tackle new business challenges and help their firms prosper in the future.

Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of IT professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. The company has more than 100 locations worldwide. Search for jobs now or learn more at www.rht.com.