In the corporate world, the hottest topic of discussion when it comes to learning and development and HR is one word: Millennials. This generation of young individuals has reached a stage where they make up the majority of the employable workforce.
As many managers will agree, hiring and developing new talent for a company is no easy task. The process of hiring may seem simple at a glance; review applications, select qualified candidates, and conduct interviews. In reality, it’s a tumultuous endeavour.
Hiring is the first step of developing an employee into an asset for your team, while simultaneously upskilling them. But millennials pose a new challenge for employers, as retaining and impressing a generation that quickly became classified as job hoppers isn’t for the weak-willed.
While many millennials view jobs as stepping stones to an entrepreneurial venture, most of them like holding down a secure position, but often don’t do so, as the work may not be stimulating enough or the workplace too rigid. We as managers just need to tap into the correct strategies to train them. They are smart, resourceful, extremely tech-savvy and can adapt to new challenges quickly.
The generational gap we face when we train millennials in the workplace is that our methods of learning are completely outdated to them. We might as well be speaking an alien language! With shorter attention spans and a deep-seated fear of being a corporate cog in a machine, this generation desires creative freedom, holistic development, autonomy over work, and personal fulfilment apart from working for your brand. With the right strategies to train millennials, we can retain their loyalty and make them feel as they important to your organization, and make it their second home.
Some of the strategies you can keep in mind when training millennials include:
Explore Microlearning
Microlearning is a method of instruction that breaks down the subject matter into bite-sized content, which is information specific for one particular training objective. Microlearning employs training materials that can be easily understood, like videos, infographics, animations etc. Microlearning works well with the millennial mind, as it’s not time-consuming and doesn’t overwhelm the person with an information overload.
Use Up-to-Date Technology
Most Millennials are tech-savvy and expect the same from their work environment. Modernization of companies has led to an increase of dependence on technology, which is beneficial in dozens of ways. It’s not just about modern hardware like new laptops, phones etc.; The software also needs to be at par with today’s industry standards so this new workforce can bring your brand into the future.
Offer Accessible Tools
Most millennials prefer a fluid work model in which they have the convenience of working from home rather than turning in a traditional 9 to 5 day in, day out. Young adults are goal-oriented and are able to juggle, deadlines, meetings and tasks much better when they work at their own pace within a stipulated time period. Most millennials prefer communicating through emails or other official channels, where are all necessary details can be communicated without meeting in person. The benefits of remote work may not obvious to some of us who are used to more traditional work models, but it can be a true differentiator if you actually understand the positives.
Gamification
A seemingly boring experience, like learning a bunch of facts, is given an element of fun by turning it into a game with rewards, levels, trophies etc. Skill development activities often employ gamification techniques to create cool challenges to keep people motivated and focused, just like video games.
Spaced Learning
Spaced learning is an excellent method for imparting important information quickly and effectively while reducing the loss of knowledge associated with one-time learning. Spaced learning breaks down long modules into smaller, shorter versions with intervals in between. Important portions are often reintroduced repeatedly over time, promoting mental recall and long-term retention. Spaced learning has three instructional periods.
- Present – The information to be absorbed
- Recall – Simple assignments/tasks/quizzes for people to recall what they have learned.
- Understand – People apply their learning to a particular task, like application-based questions in exams.
Coaching and Mentorship
Millennials embrace continuous learning and improvement. They understand that failure is a part and parcel of progress, but lack the patience to continuously keep perfecting one particular task. Hence, they require mentoring and coaching to nudge them in the right direction. Mentoring millennials helps them set a specific goal and follow through, while making them feel connected with the organisation and setting up a channel of open communication between employer and employee.
Implement a Continuous Learning Culture
Training millennials in the workplace to develop leadership skills is a great way to invest in having more productive and happy employees. They will feel the intrinsic desire to improve, make decisions in their department and take charge. This also creates a great two-way exchange of feedback between employer and employee.
Training millennials may seem like a daunting task, but it simply requires a creative approach. Employers can’t miss out on tapping into this new human resource simply because they can’t adapt with the times. There is a lot to be learned from millennials — and a lot they can learn from older team members. Building the right bridges can transform this generation that is notorious for being job-hoppers into job-keepers.
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