Young Employees Value Culture and You Should Too

Leaders, are you paying attention to the younger employees on your team — members of the so-called millennial generation, in particular?

I occasionally see comments that are dismissive of these younger workers — alleging that they are too tech-obsessed, they are always glued to their phone, or what have you — but in my experience none of the common complaints about millennials actually hold true. These folks always seem pretty sharp and pretty substantive, as far as I can tell — and that’s a good thing: As of last year, they represent the single largest generational demographic in the workforce.

They are not going anywhere, either, so it’s important to try to understand what drives them. What drives members of this generation may be different from what drives older employees. Millennials aren’t just out for a paycheck. What they’re after is a richer array of benefits: A flexible work environment. Opportunities to learn and to develop themselves. Companies that have a distinct vision, and invite employees to be a part of it.

In other words, what millennials want is culture.

There are a variety of explanations for this. First, millennials came of age during the Great Recession, and as such they know how tenuous employment can be. Chances for professional growth and development matter…