This week’s post is the last in the Millennial series written by our HR Associate, Joy Panaligan. Read part three of the series here.
We’ve spent the past few weeks talking about what a millennial is and how they behave. The millennial workforce is expected to grow by 50% and dominate organizations by 2020.3 At Altitude alone, 83% of our company are made up of millennials! With this subset making such a significant impact in our companies, how do we create an environment that caters to their well-being? Which HR policies can we enact that are millennial-friendly? Read on to find out!
1.Remote workplace (with office meetups)
Allowing employees to work anywhere gives them a sense of control of their time and liberty to juggle more than one task. The convenience of having a remote workplace is definitely a plus, especially when you don’t feel like going out to work. However, it doesn’t mean physical office space is completely out of the picture. There are still limitations when working remotely (such as delayed communication, or miscommunication altogether). Millennials still want office meetups for face-to-face interaction, meetings, and alignment.
2.Unlimited leave policy
According to Laszlo Block, Google’s Work Rules, “Google operates on the belief that people are fundamentally good”,1 and this is why they put trust in their people. Giving people the freedom of filing unlimited leaves may sound like a surreal benefit. But if you believe, as Google does, that people are fundamentally good, then you can trust them to take vacations without jeopardizing a project or missing a deadline. If employees know that you trust them with their priorities, then they will also trust you. And it can take more time to file paperwork for a leave, time they could have spent working. Altitude’s only policy for leaves is to add it to the company calendar, inform your team, and make sure your work is all wrapped up before you go.
3. Frequent performance review cycles
Millennials usually work best with constant feedback, as we pointed out in an earlier post. Quarterly reviews are important to keep track of the employees’ performance. Identifying their strengths and key areas of improvement help keep them focused on improving their work.
4.Active mentoring program
Art Director Chester Ocampo giving tips to improve art for Dream Defense
Millennials look for opportunities to grow; they want a mentor that can help them achieve their full potential. Online training sessions and peer-to-peer tutorials are programs we have to help our employees – not just to develop the skills they already know, but also expand and learn new things. We’ve done this both in person and online with much success.
5.Encourage personal projects
Tequila Tea Party is an all-female art group from Altitude Games. From left to right: Deanna Que, Aileen Martin, Eveth Nocon, Caroline Dy, and Shelly Del Mundo.
Allowing millennials to pursue their interests outside work gives them a sense of freedom and responsibility. A management team that supports personal initiatives helps people improve not just their work skills, but also their overall well-being. If you let them pursue their interests, they will appreciate it.
Whether you’re a traditional organization or a startup, every company needs proper process and policies for their employees to follow. The concept that a rigid structure is necessary to run an efficient team may be outdated for the millennial workforce. There is a simple principle in making sure your HR policies are millennial-friendly: just trust your people.
References:
- Work Rules by Laszlo Block
- http://www.slideshare.net/lxbock/work-rules-48029695/21-To_find_the_best_people
- PWC. (2011). Millennials at work: Reshaping the workplace. Retrieved from: https://www.pwc.com/m1/en/services/consulting/documents/millennials-at-work.pdf