Millennials now make up the dominant force within the workplace, with 35% of staff falling under that umbrella. As such, they are beginning to set the tone for what the modern office looks like, with their main concerns revolving around flexible hours, a positive company culture, and access to technology. Businesses are trying to buck the trend and create millennial-friendly workspaces in order to attract and retain talent. However, employers could be neglecting one of the demographic’s biggest priorities for millennial job satisfaction — workplace training.
A recent survey revealed that training and development would influence 70% of employees across all age brackets to stay in their current job. This attitude was particularly strong in the millennials who were polled, with 87% citing professional and employee development or career growth opportunities as crucial factors in their decision to remain in or leave a job.
Millennial job satisfaction: Why training is crucial
With millennials so key to businesses around the world, allowing them to skill up is something employers should certainly consider investing in. In fact, there are several factors linking this desire for training and overall millennial job satisfaction.
Investing in employee development enables career growth
Statistics show that approximately 90% of millennials are looking to grow their careers within their current companies, which is great news for employers hoping to retain talent. However, millennials will only stick around if they can evolve and develop within the company. Roughly the same number also said they would stay in a job for a decade as long as they get annual raises and a chance at upward career mobility.
Offering training sessions allows workers to develop their skillsets and prepare for an eventual promotion. There are many training methods that could prove effective for millennial job satisfaction. For instance, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs may incorporate workshops, conferences, e-learning programmes, and mentoring schemes to update staff on the latest workplace practices.
Providing training proves to an employee that the company is invested in them and their future with the organization. Through engaging schemes that will challenge and inspire them to achieve new goals, millennials will be more likely to think about a long-term future with the business.
Developing new skills keeps millennials motivated
Learning and development is considered the most important benefit for 42% of millennials when deciding where to work. And though 86% are confident in their ability to pick up new skills and technologies, only 42% had learning, development, and training opportunities provided by their employer.
Without these provisions, there’s surprisingly little to motivate millennial job satisfaction. Worryingly, only 29% are engaged at work, and a mere 16% describe themselves as ‘actively engaged’ on the job. It’s not enough for millennials to mindlessly complete task after task. For real job satisfaction, they need to feel passion for what they do and experience an emotional connection to their work.
Workplace training can go some way towards meeting this desire to learn by giving millennials something meaningful to focus on. Regular sessions can add interest to an average working day, encourage them to think about self-improvement, and perhaps prompt them to ask questions and think more analytically about the topics addressed. In a nutshell, engaging with millennials in this way means they will extend the same courtesy back to the company.
Training programs provide staff with a sense of purpose
Millennials don’t want to just work for a company—they want to be a part of it. This means supporting corporate values, contributing ideas, and sharing in its success. Ultimately, this relationship provides them with a sense of purpose that makes their job incredibly satisfying.
There’s much more reason for millennials to stay put if they feel connected to the business, and know exactly where they fit in. Regular training sessions are a great way to make them feel included in their employer’s aims and plans for the future, and allow them to explore new ways they can add worth.
What’s more, training shows millennial employees that they are noticed by their superiors, thus reminding them of their importance in the business structure. Little could be more satisfying than the assurance they are making a difference to their workplace.
