Maslow’s Need Hierarchy for the Millenials
Millennials are gradually taking over the workforce. 35%-40% of employees are the millennials, making them the largest group around the world. They are also more skilled than those in earlier generations. Millennials want to know everything and with no arising surprises that could prevent these planners from their pathways. We must understand that the Millennials are a different class than the previous age group. They have grown up with the Internet providing their window to the world. They expect the work experience to be participating and someplace offering time for social networking.
To explore a millennial’s lifestyle, expectation and things by which they can be kept motivated, we simulate Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs with the Millennials needs. Why they work, what factors keep them motivated and make them more productive as compared to the previous generations.
We accept the basic needs are met in most job practices. Maslow’s hierarchy owns that physiological needs are the groundwork for all other desires. In other words, the need for food, water, and shelter are basic to sustain life. Safety and security come next. It is important to note, unlike other previous generations, the pursuit of wealth is not the driving force in the workplace. Instead, Millennials look for fulfilling experiences, opportunities for growth and development, satisfying work-team engagement, and a social networking environment that motivates them. Most millennials are type Y. They accept changes and adopt new changes very frequently. They understand that the business and technology environment is continually changing and that our ways of working should adjust with them
Millennials care a lot about the following factors in the workplace and culture:
Flexible Environment: Millennials enjoy flexible work schedules and easily adapt to different projects, environments, and expectations. Millennials prefer to choose when and where they work rather than being placed in a 9–6 position. This is because they assess productivity by the work accomplished, not by time spent in the workplace.
Personal Development: As we know most Millennials are type Y. They accept new challenges and are always eager to learn new things. They follow the Maslow’s need of hierarchy for their personal development. As we can see in picture 1 they start from physiological to self-actualization. They would like to imagine their manager as a coach who encourages them in their career development — just keep in mind that Millennials generally desire to learn by application rather than by being told what to do. Personal development is a vital part of an individual’s growth and uncovering new things can make them happier. “It’s actually a fundamental necessity for psychological well-being.
Work-life Balance: For the Millennials, the never-offline and the always-available workplace is all they know. Checking email before they get out of bed in the morning, then shopping online while at work, exchanging messages with their managers after 8:00 p.m., And then catching up on e-mail on Sunday afternoon is native to them. But does not mean they do not care about the work-life balance they just do because they are inquisitive. They need better work-life balance and family is top on their priority.
Transparency and Feedback: Generally, workplace feedback has been a proper, defined process, and most undoubtedly delivered in a downwards route. Today, be grateful to cyberspace, people are engaged in a hyper feedback culture: familiar to others commenting on and confirming their actions in real-time. This mirrors the shift in workplace beliefs. Millennials seek frank, in-the-moment feedback. Not only do they wish to accept it, but they also expect to give it. Feedback has become a two-way street now. Sites such as Glassdoor have covered the way to shift power dynamics away from the employer and towards the employee. Millennials love transparency in the system and policies.
References and further study:
1.Maslow’s needs theory: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
2.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324922926_Understanding_the_Millennial_Generation
