Can Flexibility Motivate Millennial Workers?

You want your company to be appealing to millennial workers. After all, they are the largest growing segment of the workforce. How can you attract employees to join your company and how can you ensure the rock star performance that you need to launch your business into the future?

Millennials strive to maintain a work/life balance. One of the best ways to do this is by having a flexible schedule and work environment. If your employees are not customer-facing and it's not necessary for them to work specific hours during the day, why not give them the freedom they thrive on?

How to Provide Flexibility for Your Employees

A flexible work schedule can look different depending on your industry and your employee's job duties. Here are a few options that may appeal to both you and your millennial workers.

Telecommuting

Let's face it, sitting in traffic wastes an awful lot of time... time that your employees could be spending with their family, friends, or pursuing hobbies or charitable endeavors. If you trust your employees, and their job doesn't require them to be physically present in the office, why not offer them the freedom to work from home a few days a week or even every day. When necessary, meetings can be held through video conferencing. Your employees will be happy with the time and money they are saving by working from home or a local coffee shop and will appreciate that you trust them enough to give them this freedom. They'll probably even be happy to work late if a project needs to be finished up by a deadline.

Different Hours

The classic 9-5, or 8-6 as it has somehow become over the years, doesn't work with everyone's schedule. If you have employees in school, involved in philanthropy, taking care of a family, or just exploring all that life has to offer, they may feel stifled by having to "punch a clock." Many jobs can be done during non-traditional work hours leaving employees plenty of time to take care of personal matters (without having to call in sick, use personal days, or arrive late) and enjoy their lives outside of the office. Plus, some people just work better at different times of the day.  Your employees will also save time by avoiding high traffic hours. Some workers may want to take longer breaks during the day to pursue interests outside of the office. Offer flexibility in scheduling and your millennials will appreciate the freedom.

Shorter Hours or Compressed Schedules

When a job is project-based rather than dependent on how many hours a person is present at their workplace, there is more freedom for employees. Can your millennial worker complete the assigned duties in less than 40 hours per week? If so, why make them sit there for a longer period of time doing nothing for the company and building resentment for their job?

Another option is to offer a compressed workweek — a longer shift but shorter hours. Many employees would happily choose 4-10 hour days over 5-8 hour days. This allows them to have 3 full days to run errands and enjoy their lives.

20% Time

You can thank Google for this idea. They allow employees to use up to 20% of their work time (or one day a week for a full-time employee) to work on projects outside of their usual scope and responsibility. Offering this flexibility gives millennials the opportunity to flex their creative muscles and be innovate and daring within your company. Your employees will be happier, less likely to look for another job, and more likely to solve problems within your organization and industry that you may never have known even existed.

Marvelless Mark® likes to remind his clients that millennials are an impressive group of individuals who are looking for a satisfying career where they can showcase their skills, develop themselves personally and professionally, and still enjoy their lives outside of the office. Offering flexibility as to where, when and how they work will make for a healthy organization and millennial employees who are business rockstars that truly love their jobs.

"I love what I do, and when you love what you do, you want to be the best at it." Jay-Z

Mark Kamp® aka Marvelless Mark® works with organizations who want their teams to achieve immediate rock star results. A Keynote Speaker/Entertainer/Author, Husband, Father, and child of God, his primary message, “Opportunity Rocks®” gives attendees a fresh new perspective on Sales, Marketing, and Employee Performance. Fun and engaging, Mark combines the success secrets of your favorite rock stars with just the right amount of entertainment to transform your employees into business rockstars. Learn more at www.OpportunityRocks.net.