5 Things to Love About Your Millennial Employees

Millennial employees get a bad rap in the workplace. They have been called lazy, entitled and arrogant, and accused of having low work ethic. While this may be true of some Millennials (and some Baby Boomers and GenXers, for that matter), many are an asset to your company.

5 Things to Love About Your Millennial Employees

Sure, there are some drawbacks to hiring Millennial employees. There are plenty of articles detailing them. Let’s take a moment to focus on the good things Millennials bring to the corporate table. Here are five things to not just tolerate, but love about these workers:  

1. They believe anything is possible — Have you noticed how some of your Millennial employees are pretty idealistic about the future of your company? Many truly believe anything is possible. Even if anything isn’t possible, having the mindset that says it is will foster innovation, a catalyst for change.

2. They are the most educated generation — Did you know that your Millennial workers on average have more education than any other generation? In 2015, the Pew Research Center reported that Millennials were on target to be the most educated generation to date. A highly educated employee is an asset to any company, and may be more open to being taught skills that boost work ethic.  

3. They want to make a difference — The desire to make a difference, not just a living, defines the Millennial generation. These individuals are often passionate about changing the world (or their sphere of influence) for the better. This translates to being compassionate and dedicated employees when working for a company that supports a good cause or has a clearly defined mission statement that correlates with their values.

4. They are impressionable — Millennials are the youngest individuals in your workforce, and (in many cases) the most impressionable. For a capable manager, this is great news. It means these workers can be influenced by management. Keep this in mind next time you are frustrated with a Millennial employee. It will help you to remember to give them constructive feedback so that they may become the employees they have the capacity to be.

5. They are open to feedback — Think Millennials are closed down to receiving feedback? Think again. A contributor to Forbes wrote, “Many millennials have received adult feedback throughout their earlier years; they’ve often had close involvement from parents in their education and close support and encouragement from teachers and mentors at school. The contrast can be jarring when they arrive at their first professional position and suddenly have nobody who’s interested in telling them how they’re doing.” Don’t hesitate to let Millennials know how they can improve their work. Most of them would welcome this commentary.

There are pros and cons to every type/generation of employee. More often than not, the good outweighs the bad in the Millennial population. Start focusing on the good and see if it brings about positive changes in your Millennial workers.