A Managerial Mission: How to positively impact career growth for the millennial employee

Exceptional managers often have one quality in common: they strive not only to achieve results, but to have a positive impact on the careers of their employees. As the millennial workforce grows, managers must look to their team members to understand what drives them. In order to effectively motivate a millennial employee, managers need to understand the bigger picture of their desires. An honest effort to positively impact career growth can improve performance in an authentic way.

Approximately 73 million millennials were born in the US in the 80’s and early 90’s. This generation has inundated the workforce and has their own unique needs and motivators. When it comes to basics, millennial desires aren’t too different from the rest of the workforce. As a whole, they want consistent, reliable work that guarantees a paycheck. But, this group holds a higher importance to be emotionally engaged in their work. Millenials want to be connected to the bigger picture and engaged in a significant way.

Compared to previous generations, millennials also put more stock in their physical, mental, and emotional health. Their well-being is a priority. While they want steady jobs that produce consistent income, they also want those jobs to support their lives in a way that contributes to their overall existence. Their dream situation is a job that provides not only a paycheck, but a higher purpose, ties to a community, and a social setting.

As a manager, this can feel like a lot to promise your employees. You can’t necessarily  take full responsibility for providing your team with a “perfect career.” What you can do is strive to help the millenials on your team get more out of their work on a daily basis. When employees feel happy and fulfilled, your company will simultaneously see better efforts and results.

How to Positively Impact Career Growth for Millennial Employees

Allow them to adapt operations for mutual benefit

A common desire for millennials is to create change, whether it is in the world or in the workplace. If you want to positively impact a millennial’s career, provide opportunities to let them change systems for the better. By harnessing an employee’s desire to improve the way things operate, you can improve your own business performance while allowing them to feel like they have made a significant impact. 

Create a work environment that allows for community

Millennials place value on their social community, and this desire is reflected in their career goals. While prior generations often kept their work and social lives separate, this group values a community that is integrated. They want their co-workers and managers to care about them not only as an employee, but as a member of a team, and as an individual. To support millennial career growth, place an emphasis on team projects and community development. Recognize your employees as people first. Individual attention, personal support, and constructive feedback can go a long way with this group.

Embrace the idealism

The millennial workforce is a generally idealistic group - they strive for meaning in a way that can often be difficult for older generations to understand. These employees want to grow, do work that is worthwhile, and affect the world in a positive way. They don’t want to simply get the job done. They want to develop as an individual along the way.

Embrace this desire. If you can help your millennial employees find a sense of purpose within your company, you will see a greater effort in their work. Employees that understand the mission of your company, and can get behind it, will perform better and stay longer. Take the challenge to harness millennial idealism - both parties will reap the benefits.