Are You Prepared For The Millennial Generation of Architects and Engineers?

By Glenn Ebersole

 

Look around in today’s workplace and it is very obvious that today’s work force is undergoing significant fundamental changes. Every day we observe that:  10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 and there is a growing number of them heading into retirement; the Gen Xers are running businesses and organizations and the Millennials (with the oldest now in their early 30s) are preparing to and moving into the business mainstream, including architectural and engineering firms. The diversity of generations in the workplace and successfully navigating this personnel change is a real challenge to the Architectural/Engineering (A/E) community.

Today’s architectural and engineering offices provide evidence that walls are coming down and floor space is opening up into trendy new designs. Where small break areas used to be common, now there are café’s and lounge areas that offer employees a relaxing escape. Workdays are sometimes cut short to accommodate volunteer work by employees. It is more common for employees to occasionally telecommute. The real driving force behind these changes are the Millennials!

Millennials typically include anyone born between 1982 and the early 2000’s. Today, there are about 80 million Millennials and they are taking on the work force and influencing change. While Baby Boomers and Gen X made up more than half the work force a few years ago, studies indicate that by 2020 they will be outnumbered by Millennials. The A/E community is a completely different industry today than it was at the time the previous generations entered the work place. This means the work environment needs to adapt and those architects and engineers running companies need to be prepared for the Millennials.

Millennials are inspired by completely different factors than their predecessors and they tend to be most productive in environments that foster creativity and self-expression. In past generations, it was normal to work for one company for a very long time. However, that is not the case with Millennials. In fact a 2012 survey showed that a Millennial expects to stay at a job for less than 5 years. Knowing this employers of Millennial architects and engineers need to be concerned about future turnover among Millennials, since this surely will become a factor into at just about the time when many Baby Boomers will be entering retirement. The A/E industry is constantly evolving and sees increasing competition. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what inspires the Millennial A/E talent and to be prepared to retain and recruit needed A/E employees.

 

 

Preparing for the Millennials requires being proactive and providing some very important items. Some of these include:

A FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE

A 2013 study by PwC showed that 64% of Millennials like to occasionally work from home. Today’s technology makes telecommuting easy and efficient, while also enabling real-time communication, file sharing, and meeting facilitation with anyone at the office. A flexible schedule will help keep a Millennial satisfied with his or her job, and will create & enhance the feeling that management is understanding and caring. And this builds confidence in leadership, which is essential to higher A/E retention rates.

a clear understaning of the company’s vision, mission & CORE VALUES

Millennials need to hear and see that the company’s vision, mission and core values are stressed in all the company does. They want to work for a company with strong values. The Millennials want to make a difference and seek to become involved in community service through volunteering and outreach efforts.

A PATH FOR ADVANCEMENT

Millennials look for a path for advancement within their company. They are eager to learn as much as possible about their field, and they want to be fairly compensated. It is important to provide an understanding of the advancement process, especially during the hiring process. Millennials absolutely crave instant feedback for their work and thrive on encouragement. They prefer to have monthly sit-downs with individuals to check in on current projects and to let the employee know how they are performing. This is in stark contrast to the old traditional annual performance review.

FLEXaBility & SENSITIVity TO ACTIVITIES & LIFESTYLES

While Millennials are strongly focused on advancing their careers, they also want to enjoy themselves while at work. Recent studies show that work-life balance is one of THE most important factors in their job. Millennials want to know that their hard work and long hours are appreciated and rewarded in ways that are enjoyable and fit in with their active lifestyle. This appreciation could include company happy hours, holiday parties, fitness classes, company sports teams and cooking contests.

Millennials love talking about the exciting and fun aspects of their jobs and use social media to share these things with their online networks. This results in simultaneously building and expanding a company’s brand and positioning the firm as a great place to work. Millennials love to help develop a company culture and create a more engaging work environment.

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY & TOOLS

Millennials love technology and they know how to use it. They grew up with technology and they will choose A/E employers based upon the technology the firm has and uses. Firms that have not kept pace with buying and implementing new technology will be at a very distinct disadvantage in retaining and recruiting Millennials.

 

TRAINING FOR THE MULTI-GENERATIONAL WORKFORCE

It will be very important for the Millennials and for all generations in today’s work place to receive training and have an ongoing dialog about the different styles of communication, work ethics, core values, skill sets, work-life balance, etc. to foster an environment of open communication, respect, embracing change and a sense of value and belonging to the family of employees at the company.

An architectural/engineering firm that strives to and provides the above will be positioning itself to recruit and retain some of the most qualified young talent in the industry. Remember, it will not be too long before Millennials make up nearly the entire work force. We are living and working in a new era and it is absolutely critical that the A/E industry stays current with the changing technology and the changing work force.

 

A very strategic question to ask is “Has your company developed and implemented strategies so it is prepared for the Millennials?” If the answer is NO, then NOW is the time to take action. Your action or inaction will have a great impact in determining the success or failure of your company in the future.