*Best Ron Burgundy voice*: I don't know if you know but... Millennials. They're kind of a big deal.

YOU: Who the bloody hell are they? 

ME: I for one am sick of seeing the word "Millennials" written everywhere by some Tom, Dick or Harry (sorry guys!) and not really having any idea why it's become such a big buzz word in today's job market. Heck, I'm one myself and if I don't understand I can bet there's a whole load more people that don't either! 

When people use the term Millennials (also known as Generation Y), they referring to the demographic that typically includes anyone born between the 1980s and 2000, reaching young adulthood in the 2000s.

YOU: Right, ok, I got that. Tell me some more about them...

ME: Millennials have come of age during a time of technological change, globalization and economic disruption. This has given them a different set of behaviours and experiences when compared to their parents and grandparents.

This also means that they’re the first generation of digital natives, and their affinity for technology helps shape how they live/shop/communicate - basically how they do everything! 

ME, AGAIN: So to help you out, I've collated some fun facts about Millennials that might help you make more sense of the next article, post or conversation that arises about them in the workplace. 

Charley's Lovely List of Millennial Goodness

Fact #1 Half of Millennials would “rather have no job than a job they hate”

“Loving what I do” outranked salary and a big bonus. Half of Millennials would “rather have no job than a job they hate”. This is reflected in Pew’s study, indicating a job that benefits society outranks high salary.

Fact #2 Millennials want to be evaluated on output not input

You'll find that most Millennials believe that because of technology, they can work flexibly anytime, anyplace and that they should be evaluated on work product – not how, when or where they got it done. The general consensus here is that hours spent at the office (input) does not equal results (output). 

Fact #3 Millennials work hard, but only when it benefits them

Work-life balance is important, which means Millennials won’t work hard for the sole sake to impress their employer. They will sacrifice balance, but only occasionally and if it’s aligned with their plan of self-development. Millennials are motivated to work harder when they know where their work is going.

Fact #4 Work is extension of Millennials’ identities

They want a job where they can be themselves. Even more so, they want their co-workers to be like a second family.

Boomers typically depict their work persona to be formal and non-revealing of personal interests. Millennials on the other hand, want to show who they are with the clothes they wear and the behaviours they exhibit, to the mind-set they bring to work. There’s no life AND work anymore. The work and life are now one!

Fact #5 Millennial relationships with their bosses

Millennials’ thrive on fairness and performance-based appraisals, not tenure and seniority. Millennials seek responsibility early on in their roles. They have high expectations of bosses and managers to assist and mentor them in attainment of professional goals.

They respond poorly to those who act in an authoritarian manner and/or who expect to be respected due to higher rank alone.

TA DAAA! 

And to link a nice little post back to my actual day job, here are some things that employers HAVE TO think about in order to attract and retain the Millennial employee:

1. Career customisation is a must. - Don't just do what you've always done. Don't have a 40/50 something MD making the same succession plans they made when they were in their earlier career. The industry, business and economy has changed vastly since then and we'd be stupid to ignore that. After all you don't pick up your quill and ink despite that still working! Don't ignore the changes we've been through, embrace them. 

2. Products must be customised. - In a world where data is power, make use of what you have. Customer journey and insight is something businesses use to give their customers what they want, so why wouldn't you apply the EXACT SAME SUCCESSFUL technique to your hiring strategy?

3. Involve them in the innovation. - They want you to talk to them. If you're hiring technique is a large, online portal where someone is only judged by a paper CV, you'll never have the opportunity to find that creative, innovative and passionate new team member that you're looking for. Millennials excel when they are given the opportunity to engage, be it on the phone, through Skype, social media or even the brilliant idea of a video CV (nice little plug for you Vonkel). 

4. It’s all about belonging to a community. - If you have an inclusive culture, listen to them and make them feel like their voice and opinion is valued, they will believe in your business and your product. They will then act like the one thing businesses are doing this all for - a free-of-charge referral generation machine. They'll tell their friends and talk about you on their large social media networks and that will build out your brand. Who do you think hires more people; The businesses that post a few pictures of their "young, fun working environment" accompanied with a few cokes in the fridge and some beanbags, or the business that is tagged in several pictures of the same day on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by its' employees because it gave them all free ice cream or gave them the afternoon off to do some charity work of their choice? 

AND BREATHE.....

YOU: Bloody hell Charley, that was pretty useful. I now understand what people mean when they say "Millennials" and I can also relate to some of the things you've listed as being key identifiers of them as a group because I am/my friend is/my colleague is one of them. 

ME: You're absolutely welcome. Thanks for stopping by. If you need any more de-bunking of terms from dictionary corner, or maybe you actually need some recruitment support get in touch - I do that stuff too! :)