Creating an environment that motivates millennials

By 2025, 75% of the global workforce will be made up of millennials; a shift that businesses need to prepare for in order to attract and retain workers.

Forget about the misconceptions, millennial employees can be just as hardworking, spirited and loyal as any other generation; it’s all about how you motivate them.

As the race is on to captivate their attention, many companies are asking the same question: how can you harness the skill and determination of millennials and create a culture that inspires them to succeed? Cognism’s Chief Revenue Officer, Nazma Qurban, looks at how companies can foster a culture where millennials can thrive and talent is retained.

Become a mentor

Traditionally, the manager-employee relationship has been centred around achieving the objectives of the business or department. However, managing purely based on performance won’t work with millennials; in order to see the whole picture, companies need to move their focus to development.

From fostering an open-door policy to setting up regular one to one meetings to discuss both personal and work-related issues, managers should always put personal growth first. Casual conversations can lead to feelings of trust and by becoming a mentor that acknowledges the employee’s strengths, employees become empowered to make their own decisions. It is only then that they will truly learn for themselves.

Pave the way for a future

91% of millennials consider the opportunity for rapid career progression as one of the most important aspects of a job. Ultimately, they want to know that if they work hard, they will reap the rewards. So, making sure encouragement and benefits such as salary and remuneration are in place is key to increased productivity and performance.

If space is created for people to step up, they will do so. Putting a progression plan in place from the start is the best way to make a millennial employee feel that you, as an employer, prioritise their career growth and advancement. And job titles really do matter; for motivated millennials, a job title reflects their status and success. Giving them a taste of authority will give them a sense of purpose which could help drive company success.

Cultivate a culture

Millennials want an environment that lets them thrive, but how can companies make this happen? With many millennials fresh out of university, replicating the university environment in the workplace through socialising and collaboration is a great way to engage them.

Creating a business unit which doesn’t feel isolated from other departments and doesn’t have any members of the management team locked behind glass doors, is the first step. Once this roadblock is removed, the workplace feels immediately more inclusive. Solving the problem of diversity through regular collaboration will help build a supportive environment that millennials want to be a part of.

Celebrate success

Millennials respond well to a celebratory culture; this shouldn’t just be limited to business success, but inclusive of both team and individual success too. Celebrating milestones such as a great customer review, when a contract is signed, or even their triumphs outside work will give millennials the positive reinforcement to keep achieving.

One way this works is through company socials and entertainment. Assigning a dedicated budget to host regular activities at work will help blur the line between work and play. Whether it’s team lunches, beer and pizza evenings or even an annual trip away, when people enjoy what they do and who they do it with, they will feel like they have a sense of purpose.

Champion transparency

Millennials expect transparency and are willing to be transparent in return. Being open and honest in both communications and conduct will go a long way in winning the hearts of millennials. Opening up these conversations and creating an inclusive environment will make them feel a level of value and respect whereby they can impact actual change.

Giving them the opportunity to innovate and pursue their personal interests in the professional setting is one way companies can keep things fresh and provide them with the opportunity to get involved in the way the business is run. After all, you never know what hidden talents might transform your business.

Conclusion 

Business owners need to realise that it’s no longer about what millennials can bring to the company, but what the company can bring to millennials. Working with millennials needn’t be an obstacle. If organisations invest in them as people and not employees, they will create a happier team, which is inevitably more effective and motivated and set up to succeed every time. Engage with millennials in the right way and there are no limits to what can be achieved.

Tips for going eco at your next exhibition

With huge amounts of energy and resources required to deliver on such short lived projects, exhibitions might appear in direct contradiction to the concept of environmentalism.

Thanks to advances in technology and a burgeoning eco awareness across the business board, there are ways you can reduce your environmental imprint in the exhibition space.

Stand

Exhibition stands can be short lived affairs, up for just a few days before being dismantled, at which point a lot of the branding can and often does end up in the bin.

Where possible reuse your materials, keep your messaging simple and avoid using dates or seasonal imagery, not only will this cut down on waste but it should save your business money too. Many display products allow you to keep the frame and update the graphic message.

If you’re not able to reuse your backdrops then trying to make the waste as recyclable as possible is the key – using recyclable backdrops such as fabric rather than plastics for instance.

Think about your up and coming events, and the size of space that you will be occupying, how best can you use your display equipment without having to change it for each show. It is possible to hire certain elements from the venue or a display company.

During the build it’s also worth considering the entirety of your stands carbon footprint. Not just in regard to the waste that you personally produce at the event, but also the carbon that’s consumed by both the production and transportation of the products. For instance, where possible use products made from eco materials, which rely on low energy production processes, and that are locally sourced.

Go digital

Discard the paper leaflets, business cards and attendee packs and go digital instead. The amount of waste that’s produced from discarded handouts at exhibitions is staggering. And not only is it bad for the environment, it’s not good for business – it’s a waste of money and resources, and if your marketing material ends up in the bin it’s not driving sales either.

Instead there are tools on the market that capitalise on QR codes and mobile apps to create digital platforms that allow interested delegates to simply swipe and collect information from exhibitors. Many exhibitions actually offer their own scanner hire and provide all delegates with coded badges, which allows data collection for the exhibitor too.

Going digital not only cuts down on waste and drives efficiency in data collection, but it also provides easy to use data post event, which should enable the business to effectively chase their sales leads.

Team

Exhibition events are resource greedy, not just in the materials they require in the build and execution of an event, but also in man hours required on the ground. The actual event itself can run for multiple days, each of which may demand up to ten or twelve hours a day on the stand. And for this reason any exhibitor will reasonably need a large team of people to effectively service the event. So with all of these people involved it’s essential to consider the impact they’ll have on the environment.

When organising the logistics for a team the two key elements that can have an eco impact are the travel and accommodation arrangements. Most exhibitions take place in major cities, so wherever possible choosing train travel over cars is preferential, or if vehicles are needed then opting for a green fuel or electric car hire company is the best alternative. And in these days of environmental awareness hotels have picked up the eco baton, which means there’s a good selection of carbon neutral or low carbon hotels and self catering apartments in many of the UK’s major cities.

Carbon offsetting is a great thing for businesses to back to increase their green credentials and to show that they are serious about the environment. As well as a fuzzy glow for the businesses of ‘doing the responsible thing’, it also creates a great boasting point to boost conversions as a USP.

It’s now not enough for businesses just to say they’re green by adding a recycling box in their kitchens – it’s more about becoming carbon neutral and making more considered purchases that aren’t wasteful to the environment (in terms of their production as well as opportunity to reuse & recycle to not end up in landfill – which also increases their ROI).

Offsetting

Why not join the likes of Sky and offset your carbon, it is relatively cheap and makes a brighter future for all.

Carbon offsetting is great for businesses to back to increase their green credentials and to show that they are serious about the environment. As well as a fuzzy glow for the businesses of ‘doing the responsible thing’, it also creates a great boasting point to boost conversions as a USP. It’s about becoming carbon neutral and making more considered purchases that aren’t wasteful to the environment in terms of their production as well as opportunity to reuse & recycle to not end up in landfill – which also increases their ROI.

Nimlok are providers of bespoke exhibition stand design and hire. Visit the site for all your exhibition stand needs.