As part of the HR team, you are bound to hear comments such as:

Hiring Manager: I can’t fathom how a tweet can help me find me a good resource. In my days we got hired through headhunters and job boards

Line Manager: In our times, we had to put in a certain number of years at a position before moving up the ladder. I don’t understand why these young ones are always talking about career growth….

Such statements represent the next big challenge grappling the HR organization across the globe as new generation, the Millennial also known as Gen Y (people born between 1977 and 1997), become part of the workforce. This issue becomes imminent in light of recent HBR blog post stating that in the next few years the Millenials would constitute half of the global workforce. Moreover, another recent study by PWC highlights that this generation would switch an average of 10 jobs in their career- a fact which would have serious ramifications on the future of the organizations. The question that each HR leader struggles with is whether he, as part of a Trans National Organization or an SME, can build and sustain an HR organization which can effectively attract and retain these new breed of workers.

Behavioral traits gleaned from various studies undertaken to understand this suggest that the following four systems need to be in place ensure a millennial friendly workplace.

A Strong Feedback Culture

Unlike their predecessors i.e. the baby boomers and Gen X who were content with annual or bi-annual performance reviews the Millenials need and value regular feedback. Hence a strong culture of feedback would help ensure a high level of engagement for the Millenials in your organization. Add mentoring and coaching programs to the menu, and it will create an effective pull for these new breed of workers.

Robust Development Plans

Gen Yer’s tend to be attracted to roles as well as employers which offer meaningful work as well as strong and transparent development plans. However this new lot is not just looking to figure out a shortcut to the top- they evince a strong willingness to stretch their professional boundaries. Hence an organization which offers opportunities for learning and a clear development plan supported by a culture of feedback would have greater success in retaining their millennial talent for the longer haul.

Flexibility as a Policy

One key finding that stood out in the PWC survey was that Millenials tend to prioritize learning opportunities and flexibility higher than cash rewards. This was reaffirmed by the HBR article quoted above where Millenials were reported to prefer managers who allowed flexibility in work schedules. These young individuals tend to show an inclination towards companies who consider work life balance as a key priority.

Embrace Technology

This generation has experienced first-hand the multifold benefits of technology. They use the internet for research, social networks to connect and smart phone to communicate and stay up to date-hence they truly believe in the efficacy of technology at the workplace. An organization struggling with tech integration would be seen as rigid and outdated by these individuals and would tend to struggle with the task of recruiting and retaining them.

By ensuring the above four elementary yet revolutionary measures, HR practitioners can help build an organization which can recruit, engage and retain talented Millenials and develop them to take on critical leadership roles within the organization in the future.

Ayesha is a seasoned HR professional and runs a HR and Personal Development Blog at http://www.talenttracked.com/blog/. She is also the Founder & CEO of TalentTracked- a boutique HR firm targeted towards SME’s and Startups. If you are interested in pursuing a career https://www.facebook.com/talenttracked for details.