What Millenials want

Younger workers expect a lot from their leaders and seek opportunities for growth

Many organizations anticipating future Baby Boomer retirements have focused their attention on luring Millenials to their ranks. A new report shows younger workers expect a lot from their leaders and seek opportunities for growth.

The guide, is “What Millennial Workers Want: How to Attract and Retain Gen Y Employees,” is based on research from staffing firm Robert Half International and job site Yahoo HotJobs. The companies surveyed 1,000 adults ages 21 to 28.

“The research depicts a pragmatic, future-oriented generation that holds many of the same values as its predecessors,” says Reesa Staten, senior vice president and director of workplace research for Robert Half International. “Yet certain distinctive qualities, such as a desire for very frequent feedback from their managers, are unique to this generation. Generation Y expects a lot of its leaders. Making sure supervisors of Gen Y professionals have supportive management styles can go a long way in attracting and retaining these workers, who will play a greater role in organizations as more baby boomers retire.”

To continue reading, register here and become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

Many organizations anticipating future Baby Boomer retirements have focused their attention on luring Millenials to their ranks. A new report shows younger workers expect a lot from their leaders and seek opportunities for growth.

The guide, is “What Millennial Workers Want: How to Attract and Retain Gen Y Employees,” is based on research from staffing firm Robert Half International and job site Yahoo HotJobs. The companies surveyed 1,000 adults ages 21 to 28.

“The research depicts a pragmatic, future-oriented generation that holds many of the same values as its predecessors,” says Reesa Staten, senior vice president and director of workplace research for Robert Half International. “Yet certain distinctive qualities, such as a desire for very frequent feedback from their managers, are unique to this generation. Generation Y expects a lot of its leaders. Making sure supervisors of Gen Y professionals have supportive management styles can go a long way in attracting and retaining these workers, who will play a greater role in organizations as more baby boomers retire.”

Respondents rated having a leader they can respect and learn from as the most important aspect of their work environment, just ahead of working with people they enjoy and having work/life balance. Face time is also important to this generation. According to those polled, 35% want to hear from their managers several times a day, while another 25% expect to hear from their managers once a day.

Millenials are also practical, and value many of the same attributes as older generations when it comes to jobs. Top factors include compensation and benefits, opportunities for advancement, and more interesting work. Maybe that is why only one in five foresee staying with their current employers for six years or more.

Read more about infrastructure management in Network World's Infrastructure Management section.