Currently, millennials have overtaken Generation X as the largest segment of the American workforce. But forget about 2015 for a moment and look ahead to 2025. By then, millennials (ages 25-44 in a decade) will comprise 74 million employees in the United States, and about equal to the number of Gen Xers and baby boomers combined. Moreover, Generation Z—Americans born after 2000—is estimated to contribute 19.3 million employees to the workforce. In short, the job demographic will look completely different in 10 years.
For now, let’s set aside Generation Z, the oldest members of which are barely in high school, and focus on millennials. This group of workers is unique in how they approach their jobs, how they communicate with their bosses and each other, and what they value both in and away from the workplace. Companies must adapt their philosophies—including training—to the priorities of this generation. Here are four corporate training tips for the millennial workforce:
1. Use technology that resonates
At a certain point in the 1980s, many industries turned to computers for workplace functions. If you were a young employee at that time, this would have seemed a major innovation—and a sign that you worked for a truly cutting-edge company. For today’s millennials, handing them a printed training manual is on par with sitting a teenager in front of a typewriter 25 years ago. Tablets and smartphones are technologies that today’s younger employees are already comfortable with. Adopting solutions that incorporate these devices into training processes not only will impress millennials, but also will result in increased effectiveness and impact.
2. Don’t bore them
No list of corporate training tips would be complete without this obvious piece of advice: Make learning interesting. If you bore millennial employees during training, they will tune out and not be fully prepared to apply the skills they need to be productive. Furthermore, if training creates a negative impression on new hires on their first day, the odds they will stick around to be long-term employees greatly decrease. Mobile learning solutions that incorporate dynamic approaches and are more than just studying written content will keep employees interested.
3. Realize the power of video
Millennials are accustomed to watching videos on mobile devices. Video has been shown to be more effective in terms of retention and impact as opposed to written content. Combine these two facts and you get a powerful means to teach younger employees—and have them eager to learn. Mobile training solutions are perfectly positioned to use video without much hassle. The best platforms compress file size so that videos can reside locally, without streaming and without monopolizing all of a device’s storage. Among corporate training tips, this might be the most important in connecting with millennials.
4. Engage them immediately
For the most part, millennials want to be immediately engaged in their new jobs, and also want to be part of the process and have their voices heard and opinions considered. A training environment that discourages this, even unintentionally, can decrease productivity and increase turnover. Today’s mobile training solutions get employees up to speed faster, as well as allow communication if they have questions or comments during the learning process.
What corporate training tips do you think are most important when interacting with millennials?
