A Millennial Employee – What This New Generation Demands to Have at a Workplace


Millennials are active, conscious and responsible workers. There is no doubt that they are transforming the business, making it even more oriented towards people, society and global goals. They are able to do the same with your company – but only if you allow them to be yourself in their workplace.

Business is becoming not only customer-oriented but also millennial-oriented because at the moment it is the most efficient (and solvent) part of the population of the entire globe. Moreover, according to the study, in five years, millennials will make up 75% of the working populationOpens in a new tab.. And we will tell you even more – millennials are growing up and are increasingly beginning to occupy high positions, which means in the coming years these people will indicate development vectors for the next generation workplace – generation Z.

That’s what they want from the employer today to move the business forward according to their unique work style.

10 Demands Millennials Have of the Workplace

1. Feel Their Own Contribution to the Development of Society

2. Constantly Learn and Evolve

3. Grow Up

4. Develop Their Strong Abilities Instead of Focusing on the Weak Ones

5. Be Free From Control and Command

6. Be Flexible and Able to Balance Work and LifeOpens in a new tab.

7. Choose a Convenient Location

8. Have Fair Opportunities for Wages Review

9. Know That the Company Cares About the Environment as Well as They

10. Have Conditions That They Don’t Want to Refuse

1. Feel Their Own Contribution to the Development of Society

Millennials are a generation of conscious people. They do not want to work for work and wages. They want to feel their contribution to the development of society, no matter what they do. This generation is not like all the previous ones since no generation has previously realized their individual responsibility for society and the world as a whole.

These are people for whom “Start with yourself” is one of the main rules, and they carry this rule to their workplace. They really want to start with themselves, offer society their unique value and begin to move it forward, even in professions, when the contribution to positive development can be imperceptible at first sight.

2. Constantly Learn and Evolve

People of this generation have elevated the process of learning to the cult. And they really sincerely want it. If the previous generation treated the learning process as a necessity, according to the principle “study well – you will get a good job”, then millennials sincerely and passionately focus on what they really consider necessary.

The purpose of this approach is clear from the previous paragraph – the more you know how to do your job well, the greater will be your contribution to the development of society. Millennials are real life-long learners, and so they expect corporate learning opportunities from companies. Using innovation and gamification, if possible.

3. Grow Up

According to the study, the majority of millennials consider career opportunities to be the number one priority. These are not the people who will work to receive money and rejoice that they have at least some kind of work. This is the generation that wants to see the future.

Moreover, in this case, career growth is not synonymous with a higher salary. Career growth is synonymous with more advanced opportunities to contribute to the development of community, society, the planet, as well as learn further and teach others.

4. Develop Their Strong Abilities Instead of Focusing on the Weak Ones

This is a consequence of the fact that Millennials love to learn and expect this opportunity from the employer. These are people who choose targeted training and development of their strengths. The school model of education in which all people supposedly have equal abilities and the same interests does not fit the millennials.

They believe that it is necessary to develop your strengths instead of focusing on the weak ones, and study what is really interesting and useful, instead of clogging your head with tons of information that may never be useful.

Therefore, they expect from the employer the opportunity to match their strong skills with business tasks, plus opportunities for their development.

For example, authors from the Online Writers RatingOpens in a new tab. writing service reviews website prefer to work remotely and individually, developing their strong academic writing skills without having to focus on teamwork that is not suitable for most of them.

A Millennial Employee - What This New Generation Demands to Have at a Workplace

5. Be Free From Control and Command

Millennials hate when someone tells them what they need to do. But they are ready to tag along and listen to every word of someone who agrees to teach them new things in a mentoring manner. They don’t need bosses – they need coaches and leaders. As we already said, they love to learn, and sincerely respect those people who help them to develop and grow.

In this context, companies that form their teams from millennials need to review their leadership models now. It is necessary to replace the strict leadership style with mentoring and personalized leadership – when the manager gives feedback to each of the team members in a way that each of them wants to receive it. The millennial work environment implies ethical or even spiritual leadership.

And by the way, Millennials hate criticism, but consider it normal to learn from their own mistakes. Instead of criticism, they are waiting for a constructive explanation of what was wrong and the opportunity to correct their mistake next time. As for the praise, they also expect specifics and personalization instead of the universal “good job!”

6. Be Flexible and Able to Balance Work and Life

Flexibility is one of the favorite words of millennials. These are not the people who will go to work from 9 to 18 to create the effect of presence. This generation believes that flexibility and the ability to choose is synonymous with productivity, and the converse is also true. As soon as this generation falls within a clearly defined framework, they no longer feel a desire to show their abilities.

The statistics on this subject are impressive – 85% of millennialsOpens in a new tab. prefer to work remotely a full day, but only 40% of American companiesOpens in a new tab. are ready to offer such an opportunity.

However, there is a way to offer flexibility to millennials even if they work in the office, for example, through work-from-home days or “change the environment days” when the whole team goes to work to a library or cafe.

7. Choose a Convenient Location

Millennials prefer flexibility wherever possible. So, for example, according to the CBRE study, 55% of them are willing to consider medium or small cities for work. In this case, we see another characteristic typical of millennials as a generation – they are not inclined to become attached to one place and are always ready to relocate. As for the location of the employer, the above statistics are a chance to get talented millennials even if the company is located outside the cities.

And by the way, 65% of millennials prefer to live and work in a big city, and 21% of them will even be ready to choose a longer route to work in exchange for a more comfortable working environment.

8. Have Fair Opportunities for Wages Review

Only 14% of MillennialsOpens in a new tab. think that annual wage revisions make sense. The vast majority believe that the review of wages should be an ongoing process and based on current results, but not on the results of past years.

The results of a month or several months seem to them more compelling reasons for revision than the results of the whole year. And perhaps this is the only wish of the millennials, which employers are not in a hurry to satisfy – only two out of ten employees said that their wages are being reviewed in such a way that it motivates them to do their job even better.

And by the way, there are things that millennials value more than flexibility. And this, as we have said, development, flexibility, and trust.

9. Know That the Company Cares About the Environment as Well as They

For millennials, ecology is not a trend. It is a real need that they realize. No generation has ever worried about ecology more than millennials – as no generation has ever encountered such a state of the environment and its consequences.

According to the studyOpens in a new tab., millennials really want to work in companies that care about the preservation of the environment. 40% of them chose their job because the company is more eco friendly than others. Moreover, 30% left their previous job due to the fact that the company did not have a clear strategy for preserving the environment. And 10% of them are even ready to agree to a lower salary in return for the belief that the company’s activity does not harm the environment, or the company is doing everything possible to level this effect.

These are quite convincing figures, and employers should take them into account. The rejection of the paper, plastic, production optimization and ethical materials is the minimum that must be realized.

10. Have Conditions That They Don’t Want to Refuse

This may sound paradoxical given the millennials’ desire for freedom of flexibility, but 62% of them prefer not to change their place of work as long as possible. However, there is an important clue here. To ensure that the millennial does not look in the direction of other job offers, all the above wishes should converge in one company. Fortunately, this is real – moreover, you already know what you need to do to keep the millennials in your company for as long as possible.


Author: Frank Hamilton, Frank is a blogger and translator from Manchester. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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