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:
- 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.