Within the next five years, Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce. No matter the size of your company or what industry you are in, now is the time to start thinking about how you will attract the next generation of great employee talent.

A recent blog from The Huffington Post gives employers some ideas about how they can attract and retain Millennial employees and they don’t include flashy work spaces or outrageous salaries.

Upward Mobility
Employees want to understand what development opportunities are available within the organization. According to a recent poll by Gallup, 87 percent of Millennials rate professional or career growth and development opportunities as important to them in a job. Help your employees understand from the very start what opportunities might be available. Don’t have a lot of opportunities available? Find ways to support employees developing professional (and even personal) skills, so they feel that are learning and growing.

Social Responsibility
The new generation of employees are far less motivated by a paycheck and far more motivated by the change they can make in their communities and the world. Make sure your employees understand the “why” behind what your company does.  Additionally, look for ways that your company and your employees can give back to your community.

Flexibility
The term flexibility can be scary for employers who may not feel like this is something they can offer in their organization. The truth is companies of all sizes and in all industries are finding creative ways to offer some flexibility to employees. That may mean allowing telecommuting or work from home options for some employees, but it could also be as simple as offering flexible time-off policies or even flexible lunch breaks. There was a story a while back where an industrial company with assembly line workers was struggling with turnover and they couldn’t figure out why they were losing so many employees. It turned out that employees wanted the ability to request what time their breaks occurred. Some liked having a break at 3:00pm in the afternoon so they could call and check in on their kids, while others preferred mornings so they could make phone calls to set up appointments. Offering flexible work arrangements doesn’t have to mean allowing telecommuting.

Empowerment
Let employees know what is expected of them and then allow them to get there in their own wait. Having clear and transparent communication empowers employees to better understand their accountability. It also helps them understand how their work fits within the organization and moves the company toward its goals. Employees want to know that their job matters.

The great thing about this is that these same things are attractive to employees of all generations and therefore are a great investment for the organization. If you are looking for ways to motivate and communicate with employees of all generations, check out our Generational Management Toolkit.