In 2016, millennials officially became the most represented generation in the American workforce, according to the Pew Research Center. By the end of the next decade, they will represent 75% of all American workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This young, vital demographic comes with a range of expectations of their employers. One of those key demands is a working environment that uses technology.
"Having grown up with technology at their fingertips, millennials won't put up with poor enterprise technology," explained Alastair Mitchell, the co-founder and CEO of Huddle.com in a recent op-ed in Wired Magazine.
Outdated tech can turn millennial talent off from a job opportunity. But new technology can have the opposite effect.
Here are three ways your organization can use technology to attract younger employees:
"Leveraging modern technology that millennials know and love, through eLearning, makes a huge difference."
As the first generation to grow up with the Internet, younger workers like having constant access to information. But they don't want that information coming all at once. Instead, they express a strong desire to grow and advance their knowledge on their own terms. At the same time, they're often not interested in anything that feels too much like school, according to a report by KPMG titled "Meet the Millennials."
"Companies need to prioritize learning and, more importantly, upgrade how it happens," the report details."
"Leveraging modern technology that millennials know and love, through eLearning, makes a huge difference."
Millennials are eager to learn. They just want to do it using modern, digital
Getting frustrated by lengthy or unnecessary administrative processes isn't just for younger workers. But millennials might be the first generation to make their employment decisions based on them.
According to Stephen Hill, the Executive Director of Product Development for talent management firm the Allegis Group, younger workers expect the same level of efficiency, convenience, and usability in their work tools as they enjoy in their consumer products.
"They bring those same expectations to their jobs, so employers are increasingly examining processes to provide the same quality experience and ease-of-use for employees using technology in the workplace," he writes in a recent article in HR Technologist.
Hill goes on to explain that young people have little patience for red tape. "In the end, the goal is to enable employees with streamlined and easy-to-use administrative platforms, so they spend less time completing admin work and more time doing the work that matters most," he writes.
When it comes to new technology, some believe that if the old ways still work, why change? But staying ahead of technology trends can help attract younger workers.
"The phrase 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' is crippling to [younger workers'] creativity," explains HR and Business Strategy consultant and Forbes contributor Heidi Lynne Kurter in a recent post. "They thrive off of staying ahead of the tech curve to discover new methods of completing tasks and automating processes."
Younger workers want to feel like they're working for a company on the cutting edge. "The new generation is more flexible, open to change and willing to get hands-on to discover new techniques," Kurter writes.
