I will be the first to admit that managing a millennial can’t be easy. I know this because I’ve had my fair share of managers (one at a law firm, two at PR agencies and two at large multi-national corporations), some who have been AMAZING and some who left more than a little to be desired. But, I believe there are a few things that managers can do to bridge the generational gap and enjoy a successful relationship while managing a millennial.
1. Give them plenty to do. The most comment complaint I hear from millennials, whether in internships or jobs, is that their managers do not give them enough work to do. And just tossing all of your busy work our way won’t cut it either, we want meaningful work that is actually important to the business. Give us plenty to do and we are happy as clams. But, if you just let us sit at our desk all day Facebook chatting you will find that we tell everyone (our friends, family, professors) how bored and dissatisfied we were working for your company. When managing millennials, work=happiness.
2. Ask for their advice. Even if you don’t take it and even if you don’t care what we say, ask the millennial you manage for advice. Part of feeling valued when at work is feeling that you can contribute to the greater good. And who knows, you may find that the millennial you manage will make your job and life a little bit easier just by asking for their advice.
3. Let them teach you. Millennials know things. LOTS of things. The glory of managing a millennial is that they are willing to teach you anything they know that you don’t. The easiest way to build a rapport with the millennial you manage is by letting them teach you something, ANYTHING. Millennials sit around all day at work getting taught by their managers, and flipping the scenario gives us a feeling of worth.
4. Give them a skill. The whole reason that millennials intern is so they can work somewhere in the future. So the best thing a manager can do is give us a skill that makes us valuable to others. Give the millennial you manage an important skill, and they will remember you favorably forever.
Follow these rules and I promise you will have an easier time managing millennials at work. Do you have any tips on how to manage a millennial?
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Another “tip”- give lots of feedback. What we’re doing well, what we can improve on, how we can learn more about our industry, it doesn’t matter. A millennial myself, I don’t want to hear once a year what I’m doing well and what I need to work on. Likewise, there are many people who have been in the workforce longer than I have and I’ll soak up any advice/insight they’re kind enough to share.