Millennials—the generation of Americans born in the 1980s and 1990s—are firmly entrenching themselves in the workforce. These younger employees are no longer just a novelty, simply kids melding into organizations still dominated by older workers. Millennials are becoming the majority in today’s workplace. University of North Carolina research estimates that this generation will comprise 46 percent of the workforce by 2020. A company that might have developed strategies for millennials to adapt to its procedures may soon find itself instead adapting those same procedures to appeal to millennials.
One process that definitely needs an update for this burgeoning generation is training. Millennials simply don’t respond to the methods that seemingly worked so well for older employees. Companies that fail to react to this development will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. Tablet training offers a dynamic approach for younger employees to learn the skills necessary to be successful. And if they are successful, happier, more committed workers, their organizations will also benefit. Here are some ways that tablet training can keep millennials engaged:
Familiar Technology
Place an iPad or Surface in front of an average baby boomer employee, and the worker might take to it, or he or she might see if Candy Crush Saga is installed on the device. This isn’t a criticism, just a reality: Many older employees see tablets as an accessory and not a powerful technology that can be useful for business. Millennials are experts with tablets, and the technology’s use at work isn’t a novelty but, rather, a logical tool for success. Tablet training takes full advantage of the newest generation’s familiarity with the newest tech. To millennials, learning their new jobs on an iPad or Surface is not only typical, but also cool.
Convenience
Millennial employees don’t want to be shoved into a back office and instructed to absorb hours of learning materials, whether the content is printed in the form of training manuals, or a DVD (or, heaven forbid, a video tape) that can only be watched on an old TV. Tablet training adds an element of convenience that younger employees appreciate and embrace. They can consume the content whenever it’s most timely and comfortable for them. Furthermore, tablets can take the training onto the floor or into the field, thus providing a direct experience employees would not have found if they were exiled to the back of the store.
Audio
The sight of a millennial with headphones in his or her ears may invoke a sense of disconnection or laziness from older workers. However, this is just the reality many younger employees grew up with and are used to—favoring a constant aural presence over silence or audio that doesn’t interest them. By incorporating spoken instructions or podcasts into tablet training, companies provide a medium that millennials are more likely to respond to, and one that will hold their engagement.
Video
Video training offers an approach even more powerful than audio content. With today’s technology, creating videos is as easy and casual as ever—important because millennials can see through the overproduced video that has made onboarding employees cringe for decades. Watching training processes delivers better learning and better engagement than simply reading about them. Furthermore, because videos can be so easily made today, millennial managers and training specialists are more apt to embrace this approach as well.
How have millennials at your company responded to training processes?
