Employee Wants after the First Year

Shawnee Love   •  
February 2, 2018

Truthfully, the desires to be happy and successful seem to be universal at all stages of work. While not every job can be a dream job, no one gets paid enough to have the life sucked out of them.  I haven’t found the wants of Millennials to be all that different from Boomers or Gen X in truth.  The ways they want something demonstrated may be different, but it seems to me, people are people and they all want the same things at work.  They want:Customer.

  • To be good at their jobs,
  • Nice, positive co-workers,
  • Fair pay and benefits (when compared in industry and within their own company),
  • Job security,
  • A good boss who supports them, has their back, and let’s them get on with doing their work,
  • Flexibility (e.g., to rearrange their own schedule or work plan) and trust
  • Opportunities to learn and grow,
  • To know they are valued and appreciated,
  • Respect and courtesy,
  • A future!

Where people differ is in how they prefer to experience each of those 10 wants.  And while there may be some commonalities across generations, I don’t recommend basing your management and leadership style on stereotypes.  Instead, talk with each of your employees to find out exactly how you can meet these wants for them.