We all know the standard breakup line: “It’s not you; it’s me.” And we all know what that means: The problem is absolutely, 100% you.
The same is true when it comes to millennials, the demographic employers are working hard to keep active and engaged in the workplace. They’re dumping their employers left and right, and whatever PC phrases they might use in their resignation letter, it’s not them; it’s you.
Lisa Earle McLeod, a global expert on Noble Purpose, wrote a recent post on LinkedIn with her daughter, Elizabeth, talking about the mass exodus of millennials from corporate America and the reasons behind it.
“We know the stereotypes. Millennials never settle down. We’re drowning in debt for useless degrees. We refuse to put our phone away. We are addicted to lattes even at the expense of our water bill. Our bosses are not wrong about these perceptions. But, pointing to our sometimes irresponsible spending and fear of interpersonal commitment isn’t going to solve your problem. You still need us.”
The post goes on to say that, for millennials, “ROI isn’t enough.” Millennial employees are looking for more out of their work experience than helping meet quarterly goals. And we’re not talking about free Panera or a company foosball table. Making a difference is important to millennials and—as the soon-to-be largest generation in the workforce—they should be important to your company.
“I was raised to believe I could change the world. I’m desperate for you to show me that the work we do here matters, even just a little bit. I’ll make copies, I’ll fetch coffee, I’ll do the grunt work. But I’m not doing it to help you get a new Mercedes.
I’ll give you everything I’ve got, but I need to know it makes a difference to something bigger than your bottom line.”
Millennials want to work for companies that give back. To that end, implementing a successful CSR campaign saves your company time and money while increasing brand awareness in your community.
But you can’t just claim a company charity and consider the job done. For the best results, you need to create a personalized experience.
Millennials are interested in deciding for themselves what they want, as evidenced in how they digest digital content, make employment decisions and spend their time. The same can be true with regards to their philanthropic giving. Providing millennials with options when hosting a giving campaign is crucial.
You also have to make it accessible. Giving them a complicated paper form to fill out probably isn’t going to generate the engagement you want. So meet them where they’re at: their phones.
There’s another benefit to all this, of course. When your company makes a deeper commitment to giving back, and gets its entire team engaged in the process, your reputation in the community gets a significant boost. That’s good for your brand and your bottom line.
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