How To Connect With Millennials In The Workplace

Interestingly, according to a 2015 analysis by the Pew Research Center Analysis, millennials (people ages 18-34 in 2015), make up the largest share of the workforce in the U.S. Still, these stereotypes seem run rampant in many workplaces. Generational gaps may make it difficult to understand each other- but not impossible. Millennials are young professionals and relating to them may be more fun than you think.

Here are five steps you can take to bridge the generational gap in your office, and optimize the potential for both you and the young professional.

1. Build genuine relationships
It might be the most obvious of them all, but this one tip will serve you well if you keep it as a reminder. No matter your industry, professionalism is key to building a good business relationship, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get to know each other as people. Try taking the time to get to know the young professionals in your office and, better yet, to understand them. We know they’re not a completely different species, but every generation adds a new perspective to the world we live and work in. Embracing this will allow you to learn something new from just about anyone you meet in life, no matter their age. Plus, having an “I know it all” attitude never works with anyone, including millennials. Go ahead, ask that 20-something in your office what they thought of that new movie. Ask them for help when your phone goes bonkers. Better yet, the occasional lunch invite is an excellent show of interest and effort.

2. Make their work meaningful
Some work is mundane, some work never sees the light of day, but other work has the power to make money and affect reputation. And we all know there’s nothing like the feeling of watching your project make a difference – it’s very rewarding. It’s likely the entry-level young professional won’t have much office experience, if any. You can help them get their toes wet by giving them work that makes them think and pushes their limits. Doing this encourages growth and can help establish their self-confidence.

3. Partake in their youthful enthusiasm
Instead of just going with the flow, try engaging with the millennials around you. You never know what you might find in common. Maybe you can connect over sharing humorous memes. If you can’t figure out what the new slang is all about – go ahead and ask if they’ll teach you. And if you can’t make heads or tails of a new app or technology, ask a tech savvy millennial for help. While you’re doing these things, go ahead and connect on a human level. Something as simple as showing interest, can make every generation more relatable and in the long run will make all the difference.

4. Match their intensity
The thing about youth is that it comes with plenty of energy, and often in the business world, with the desire to grow. As a professional you understand that a career is a journey and young professional are simply at the beginning of their journey – energetic, full of hope and drive. Millennials have fresh ideas and approaches that hold the potential to grow your business in directions you have not yet thought of.
Over confidence may be the only pitfall of youthful intensity. Understand that, like anyone else, millennials may fall as they learn they are also able to get back up and try again. That’s all part of the process of growth. Besides wouldn’t you rather have a confident and motivated employee rather than a pessimistic one who doesn’t push boundaries?

5. Trust the process
What do we mean by trust the process? At the root of it, we’re saying to trust that your example and insight have the potential to help young employees grow into considerate and empathetic professionals. It is very rare to see someone come in and be everything you’ve ever wanted in an employee. This takes time. Many young professionals, whether they’ve had zero or five years of office experience, will likely be relatively clueless of what it’s really like to work in a professional work environment beyond the entry-level. You are an integral part of the process of helping mold them into the top professionals of tomorrow.

Here at BioMarketplace we see millennials come and go year-round through our internship program and each one of them teaches us something new, just like we teach them something new. We are able to teach them about the industries we serve and well as the industries we operate within, and we teach them how to simply be professionals. They teach us how to look cool on twitter. It’s a win-win. Tell us in the comments how you relate and grow with your young employees.