Millennials Flourish in a Remote Workforce with the Best Digital Tools
With more than 53 million adults aged 18 to 34 in the U.S. workforce, millennials have overtaken Generation X as the largest group of workers in America today, according to Pew Research. Millennials represent a hard-working, technologically adept demographic who pride themselves on finding a work-life balance and thriving in challenging situations.
The growing popularity of a remote workforce ticks several of the boxes the newest generation of employees are looking for in their careers: work-life balance and a chance to grow in new environments. A 2014 study conducted by the University of Southern California and London Business School revealed that “millennials view the opportunity to work overseas as part of their desired career path more so than their non-millennial counterparts.” This mentality goes to show that work isn’t just about going into an office but rather it’s an engaging and fulfilling activity that employees can do whenever, wherever and however they need to.
With more workers flung far and wide across the globe, organizations have to find new ways to foster company culture to ensure it doesn’t dissolve along with the physical workspace. Digital tools and solutions are the gold standard for cultivating a unified work climate in an online workspace.
Pride of Ownership through Empowerment
Motivated millennials flourish when they are empowered to solve problems on their own and accomplish tasks without waiting in a service queue. For example, Rochester Regional Health System implemented electronic medical records procedures across its five hospitals, along with about 180 satellite clinics, offices and other practice locations. With only 300 IT staff members to assist over 14,000 employees, the healthcare system knew it needed a way to give its workers ownership of a successful launch.
Rochester Regional turned to BMC’s self-service platform MyIT to help its employees troubleshoot their own tech support issues while still providing avenues for advanced assistance from IT staff. Rochester Regional’s Manager of Information Services & Technology Paul Moriarty explains, “Using MyIT allows us to route issues quickly and allows it to get to the right person faster so that we can get a resolution quicker.”
Acknowledgement of Individuality with Personalized Apps
From shopping habits to workplace recognition programs, millennials love the personal touch. Digital tools that break away from the cookie-cutter approach to employee engagement are standout favorites among today’s newest generation of workers. They want the same type of experiences from their technology that they enjoy in their personal lives, so it needs to be customized to their needs.
As the second-largest mobile operator in the world, Vodafone employs 150,000 workers across the globe. Its IT staff handles over 250,000 calls per month across 31 service desks. Many of Vodafone’s employees work from home or at off-site locations, further complicating efficient tech support workflows.
To reduce worker downtime and keep productivity on track, Vodafone offers employees IT access through the BMC MyIT mobile app, so workers can get the help they need from the device of their choice. The customized app combines user-friendly, personalized and context-aware services to get workers back on track quickly while respecting their individual needs and choices.
Familiarity with Collaboration and Crowdsourcing
Collaboration and crowdsourcing aren’t just buzzwords to millennials; they are common activities that permeate many aspects of their lives. They cut their teeth on popular social apps like Facebook and routinely turn to crowdsourced sites like Yelp or Twitter for answers and information.
BMC MyIT maximizes the millennial’s affinity for collaboration and crowdsourcing by offering a platform structure that mimics the tools they use in everyday life. Employee satisfaction skyrockets in the face of a familiar interface and user experience, and productivity improves by reducing the amount of time wasted on fixing technology-related problems.
Meeting Millennials Where They Are
Millennials expect remote work to be an option in their benefits package. Will Storr, CEO of staffing agency First People Global, explains that millennials don’t just think that remote work sounds nice but rather that they grew up with this type of lifestyle. Now that they are in the workforce, they have transferred the idea of working whenever and wherever they are from their personal lives to their careers as well.
As more organizations move toward a distributed workforce, good digital tools build a strong foundation for a company culture that supports workers and helps them find long-term job satisfaction. BMC is a great resource for more information on the digital workplace and how to successfully create a business that revolves around employees’ needs to improve engagement, productivity and business agility.
