What's inside
- 01Millennials: a new era
Who they are, how they use technology and what they prioritize at work.
- 02Are we ready for them?
The gap between what they expect and the training many companies offer.
- 03A radically different generation
Why recipes designed for previous generations don't work.
- 04Techniques 1–3: pay attention, listen, be transparent
Fast responses, room for their ideas and clarity about where the company is headed.
- 05Techniques 4–5: feedback and flexibility
Frequent check-ins instead of annual reviews, and room to organize their own work.
- 06Techniques 6–9: goals, meaning, happiness and impact
How to align their goals with the company's and give them a reason why.
- 07Techniques 10–11: success and freedom
Training that's tied to their career and runs at their own pace.
- 08Techniques 12–14: technology, mobile and social
Interactive platforms, training on their smartphone and learning as a community.
- 09Techniques 15–16: useful and challenging
Applicable content and individual or team competition.
- 10Bonus technique: turn it into a game
Why video games are their natural learning ground.
- 11Gamification vs. game-based learning
The difference between adding game mechanics and learning by playing a video game.
What are millennials like at work?
The guide defines millennials as people born between 1980 and 2000, and starts from a figure that sounded like a wake-up call back then: they already made up almost half the workforce. They grew up with game consoles, social media and a phone in their hand, and it shows in how they work and learn.
These are the traits it highlights:
- Connected: 75% use social media daily and 83% sleep with their phone next to them.
- Multitaskers: Gen X was proud of using two screens; they use four or five.
- Collaborative and competitive: great in teams and hungry for challenges.
- Impatient: if something doesn't convince them, they switch products, companies or careers.
How to manage millennials: 9 techniques
According to the guide, companies weren't ready: 63% of online and mobile training lacked quality, and 71% of organizations weren't using advanced digital formats such as video games or simulators. No wonder that, in Deloitte's Global Human Capital Trends 2015, 68% of L&D and HR leaders called managing millennials one of their biggest challenges.
The first nine techniques are about management. Millennials expect the same from work as from their phone: a fast response. Pay attention to their needs, listen to their ideas (they believe their boss can learn a lot from them) and be transparent about where the company is going and what you expect from each person.
Feedback is non-negotiable: 80% want it regularly, and nobody wants to wait six months for a formal review. So is flexibility: flexible hours, the option to work remotely and the freedom to be themselves at work.
Then there's the why. 95% say they work harder when they know what their work is for, and 75% want a mentor. Half would rather have no job than one they hate. Share goals, give meaning and help them feel their work makes a difference.
7 techniques for training millennials
The second part of the guide is all about training. Rule one: connect it to their career success. If they can't see what it's for, they'll tune out instantly, and with 65% using a second screen, the fight for their attention is fierce.
Rule two: freedom. 93% name it as one of the most important values at work. Force a course on them and you'll get disinterest and dropouts; let them choose when, where and on which device, and they'll get involved. The rest of the techniques, in short:
- Technology: interactive, personalized, real-time platforms.
- Mobile: nearly 90% have their own smartphone, so your course has to work there.
- Social: they want to feel part of a community, including when they learn.
- Useful: anything irrelevant gets rejected, no mercy.
- Challenge: individual or team-based, as long as there's something to win.
The bonus technique: turn it into a game
Millennials grew up playing video games: 65% call themselves avid or regular gamers. That's why the guide saves a bonus technique for the end: bring play into your programs with gamification, simulators and serious games.
It also clears up a common mix-up. Gamification means adding game mechanics (points, levels, competition) to motivate. Game-based learning goes further: the video game itself does the teaching, through simulation and constant feedback. The guide cites Traci Sitzmann's meta-analysis, which found 20% higher learner confidence and 11% higher conceptual knowledge compared with traditional training.
That's exactly what Game Strategies (formerly Gamelearn) does with its catalog of training video games: practice skills in realistic situations and get feedback while you play.
Does any of this work for Gen Z?
The guide was written when millennials were the new kids on the block. Today many of them lead teams, and Gen Z is coming up behind them. The guide has no data on Gen Z, and we're not going to make any up.
What does stand the test of time is the techniques: frequent feedback, flexibility, and training that's mobile, useful and challenging. They're good practice for any young workforce, and for the not-so-young too. Download the PDF, go through all 17 techniques and flag where your training falls short today.
FAQ
Who are millennials?
The guide defines them as people born between 1980 and 2000: a generation that grew up with game consoles, social media and mobile phones, and that places a high value on feedback, flexibility and meaningful work.
How do you motivate millennials at work?
With frequent feedback, flexibility and a clear purpose. According to the data in the guide, 95% work harder when they know what their work is for, and 80% want regular feedback from their managers.
What kind of training do millennials prefer?
Useful training linked to their career, which they can take at their own pace and on their phone, with a social element and a challenge. The guide also suggests turning it into a game: 65% call themselves avid or regular gamers.
Do these techniques work for Gen Z?
The guide focuses on millennials and doesn't include data on Gen Z. Even so, techniques like frequent feedback, flexibility and mobile, challenge-based training are good practice for any young workforce.
What's the difference between gamification and game-based learning?
Gamification adds game mechanics such as points, levels or leaderboards to motivate learners. In game-based learning, the game itself does the teaching, through simulation and constant feedback.
