Millennials Transforming Workplace Communication

You will find millennials – also called y generation- everywhere within the corporate world of today, and one thing is for sure; they are definitely transforming workplace communication. As their volume increases, communicating in the right way has become top of the agenda with the need for more mobile friendly digital devices.

Research shows that whilst businesses appreciate the importance of communication, many of them are not treating it with the importance that it deserves. However, this cannot continue, as millennials are demanding that employers get up-to-date, making the most out of mobile communication tools the same way as they do.

An open mind is required

Having grown up surrounded by digital communication, they expect it to be instantaneous and flexible. Not only do they use the latest technology themselves, but they also expect those communicating with them to do the same. Whilst this may be easy enough for the more modern start-ups, older and larger businesses may struggle, as they might not be sure which devices or systems will work best for them.

The world of millennial workplace communication should be approached with an open mind; they should be involved from the start. Managers should listen to them and decipher ways in which they can use the information gleaned to improve employee engagement whilst boosting productivity. Upgrading and updating communications methods may not be cheap so getting it right the first time is vital. Microsoft recently carried out a survey, which showed that 93% of millennials referred to sophisticated and modern technology being one of the most essential aspects of their working environment. Get it wrong and you may not only be wasting money but also losing valuable employees, with disgruntled millennials going elsewhere to a company that they feel understands them. 77% of millennials reported in a recent study that “sub-optimal application performance” had a detrimental effect upon their productivity, 50% said they would ditch an application if it ran too slow, and 78% mentioned that they almost constantly suffered delays when using business software.

Viewing millennials in a positive way

The millennial stereotype that they are rigid, easily bored and constantly job-hopping should be broken, because they bring many benefits to the workplace including added flexibility, increased use of digital devices and better collaboration. They want to be able to do their job in the best way possible with 55% rating in-person communication as being even more important than digital despite 81% citing the use of “state of the art technology” as being paramount.

If businesses and millennials want to work well together, then employers need to realise that communication and employee engagement should be given priority. The millennials should be provided with multiple tools and apps so that they stay connected, perform better and communicate with ease. Training should be provided where required and bosses should not simply assume that the millennial generation will automatically know how to use every new tool. Proper instructions should be provided to them; for example, texts may be appropriate in some circumstances but not all.

Companies that transform their workplace communications in the right way can look forward to many benefits coming such as improved employee engagement, better performance, improved work environment, faster communication and higher profits.