Are you catering for the Millennial’s?
Recent research by a recruitment consultancy has found that 91% of millennial professionals (individuals born between 1980 and 1999) place career progression at the top of their wish list when looking at job offers. But what the research also found is that this level of importance is not matched by the employers, with only 15% stating that personal development was part of their employee engagement plan.
As a training and development specialist, I cannot emphasise enough how many organisations I come across that do not invest in staff personal development until it is a forced, reactive process, in response to an incident or other organisational transformation; and that this type of personal development does nothing for good succession planning or motivation of a workforce.
All businesses need younger people to come in, strive for promotion, be ambitious and bring in new skills and knowledge that comes from 21st century education.
And if the businesses of today are going to attract a new breed of talent, then they are going to need to place a heavier emphasis on the wants of the younger generation: “the Millennials”.
The earliest of this breed are now hitting their thirties and can be found taking up the more senior posts in organisations; and with this brings a new, fresh perspective on the role of the workplace in people’s lives.
Jobs are no longer for life and are considered by this generation ‘as disposable as clothing from Primark’. Access to opportunities is the best it has ever been with minimal barriers to application and enquiry. And the wider variety of roles available through the rise of the World Wide Web means more choice, easier comparisons and better understanding of what could be on offer elsewhere. If one company doesn’t offer what they are looking for, you can be sure the next one will, and they will be hiring.
Engaging with the workforce through training and development is now pivotal to the success of any business and in maintaining a motivated and skilled workforce. Creating a plan and delivering on it can be managed in-house or outsourced to specialists– either way it is something you should be considering if you want to attract the right people to drive your company forward and guarantee your continued success in the market place.
If you haven’t had a great response to your latest recruitment campaign, you may need to consider if you are appealing to the Millennials…..