2019MILLENNIAL MANAGER SURVEY: A Direct Look at the Largest Generation in the U.S. Labor Force and its Fundamental Impact on the Modern Workplace

love the way you work

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Much has been discussed about millennials and their unique approach

to work. Whether it’s their steadfast commitment to networking and

mentorship, perpetual drive to achieve work/life balance, or relentless

prioritization of long-term career satisfaction, many argue that millennials

have contributed significantly to the modern workforce by demonstrating

more evolved, nuanced and effective approaches.

Conversely, millennials have also introduced what many find to be less

desirable qualities in the workplace. Known for their tendency to frequently

change jobs, strong need for personal feedback and encouragement,

and affinity for casual attire and quirky office perks, the generation has --

deservedly or not -- acquired a reputation for being entitled, demanding and

at times, self-involved.

Despite the varying viewpoints concerning millennials, and both the

positive and negative contributions the generation has made to the modern

workforce, little attention is paid to the millennial perspective. How do

millennials feel they’re impacting the workplace? What do their interactions

with coworkers and higher-ups really look like and, as digital-natives, what

business technologies are they actually relying on most? Furthermore, are

the stereotyped characteristics of this generation accurate?

To better understand our target audience, Akumina commissioned a

survey that sheds new light on real data from the millennial generation

on their workplace attitudes. Understanding millennials’ true effect on the

modern workplace has never been more critical, as the generation already

represents the largest segment in the labor force. Within the next two years,

50 percent of the U.S. workforce is expected to be made up of millennials,

and by 2030, the generation will account for 75 percent.1 If you need

another timely and important reason for taking into account millennials’

preferences and tendencies in the workplace, millennial employee turnover

is costing the U.S. economy a whopping $30.5 billion annually.2 1 Mitchell, Alastair. “The Rise of the Millennial Workforce.” WIRED. Last modified August 15, 2013.https://www.wired.com/insights/2013/08/the-rise-of-the-millennial-workforce/2 Adkins, Amy. “Millennials: The Job-Hopping Generation.” Gallup.com. Last modified May 12, 2016. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236474/millennials-job-hopping-generation.aspx.

INTRODUCTION

Within the next two years, 50% of the U.S. workforce is expected to be made up of millennials, and by 2030, the generation will account for 75%

Millennial employee turnover is costing the U.S. economy a whopping $30.5 billion annually

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To better understand millennials’ direct impact on business today, Akumina conducted a survey of 1,051 mid- to executive-level managers between the ages of 18 - 36 years old. As this group of millennials move up the ranks and become business leaders and decision makers themselves, they are beginning to play an important role in determining the direction of their organizations’ technology investments. Uncovering their sentiments around workplace philosophies, collaboration, applications, and technologies offers insight into what we can expect from the workplace of the future.

Respondents in this case were predominantly located in North America; however, they represent a range of company sizes and industries including those from the technology, education, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services sectors, among others.

Read on to learn which myths about the generation are accurate and which are false, including four key findings that outline the realities of millennial managers’ workplace loyalty and drive, desire for personal feedback and encouragement, technology preferences for optimizing workplace productivity, and prioritization of work/life balance.

METHODOLOGY

BY THE NUMBERS

1,051 mid- to executive-level managersAges 18-36

ORGANIZATION SIZEINDUSTRY

0 - 500 employees

24% technology

9% education

3% insurance

501 - 1,000 employees

23% other

8% financial

1% agriculture

1,001 - 5,000 employees

11% healthcare

6% construction

> 5,001 employees

10% manufacturing

5% hospitality

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Nearly every day it seems there’s a new thought piece on “How to keep

millennials engaged at work.” In fact, a quick Google search for articles on

the topic of, “How to manage millennial workplace loyalty” populates more

than 35,000 results. Millennial workplace loyalty has long been debated

by the media and deliberated by employers, leading many to believe the

generation is flippant towards work and downright non-committal towards

careers. However, our findings indicate that many of the critiques levelled

at this generation have actually helped millennials better succeed in the

workplace. Plus, they’re not nearly as cavalier and impatient as the media

would have us believe.

For example, 75 percent of our millennial manager survey respondents

reported that job hopping – a traditionally frowned upon habit – helped

advance their career. While the data supports the stereotype that this group

moves jobs frequently (40 percent of respondents have had four or more

jobs), it also provides insight into why this is the case. This group has shown

little tolerance for positions that don’t positively affect their career trajectory.

In fact, only 10 percent of the millennial managers that spoke to us felt they

were underemployed, indicating that this job hopping has been an effective

strategy for advancement.

Millennial managers understand the importance of growing into a role,

though whether or not the amount of time they expect to wait for that

advancement is up for debate. Sixty-four percent believe that it’s reasonable

to work in a role for 12-24 months to qualify for a promotion. Though this

may seem like a condensed timeframe to some, this expectation could

have been established due to the general tendency to advance more quickly

at early, entry-level career stages. It would be interesting to see how those

expectations shift as millennials move up the ranks of seniority.

THE TRUTH ABOUT MILLENNIAL LOYALTY, DRIVE AND WORK ETHIC

75%of our millennial manager survey respondents reported that job hopping – a traditionally frowned upon habit – helped advance their career

Only 10%of the millennial managers that spoke to us felt they were underemployed, indicating that this job hopping has been an effective strategy for advancement

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THE TRUTH ABOUT MILLENNIAL LOYALTY, DRIVE AND WORK ETHIC

54%understand the importance of paying their dues and waiting their turn for a promotion

45%said they are comfortable in their current role

Regardless, when it comes to workplace promotions, 54 percent understand

the importance of paying their dues and waiting their turn for a promotion

and 45 percent said they are comfortable in their current role. What’s more,

42 percent said they had “a lot to learn” and value the opportunities their

job is affording them and almost three-fourths of respondents (70 percent)

said they respect their managers and welcome their critical feedback and

mentorship.

Regarding the much-disputed drive and work ethic of millennials, our

research shows these many negative attributes to be largely myths.

Consider the following proof points:

• Just 12 percent stick to the standard average of working 40 hours/week.

• 31 percent work “as many hours as it takes to get the job done.”

• 41 percent work 40-50 hours/week, with just 16 percent focusing on

their tasks instead of hours.

BY THE NUMBERS

work as many hours as it takes to get the job done

31%

work 40-50 hours a week

41%

work 40 hours a week

12%

focus on their tasks instead of hours

16%

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One of the most common stereotypes about millennials is that they have a

strong need for feedback and seek out constant encouragement from their

managers. According to our findings, that’s a fair assessment. Speaking

to their personal preferences, millennials consider office hours with the

company CEO the No.1 perk based on our research (compared to ping pong

tables and other office games being voted the least important perk) and

92 percent of our survey respondents said that it was “very important” or

“important” that their accomplishments are recognized by senior staff and

colleagues.

Interestingly, though, there appears to be additional factors at play:

According to our research, millennials’ craving for encouragement isn’t

entirely self-directed. We also found that millennials are leveraging their

affinity for personal feedback to shape the way they onboard, train, and work

alongside their junior staff:

• 47 percent of millennial managers prefer to train their employees

individually.

• 33 percent of millennial managers prefer to share feedback with their

employees on a daily basis, while 41 percent prefer weekly.

• Only 9 percent of millennial managers preferred to train junior staff with

“self-directed independent training” over more personal options.

According to our findings, millennials’ communication preference for

both receiving and providing personal feedback is simple, one-on-one

conversations. Among all millennial managers surveyed, face-to-face is the

second-most preferred communications method after email, with males

slightly preferring face-to-face communications over email (33 percent to

31 percent, respectively). Video conferencing, which has quickly become a

ubiquitous component of modern business, is notably viewed as the least

productive communication tool.

Millennials consider office hours with the company CEO the #1 perk based on our research

Ping pong tables and other office games were voted the least important perk

HOW MILLENNIALS VIEW CRITICISM AND LEVERAGE FEEDBACK

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While millennials aren’t often considered a hard-working generation, studies

have shown that they are more likely to see themselves as “work martyrs”

than older workers, and less likely to use all their vacation time.3 With

this mindset and as digital natives, it’s easy to see why millennials would

embrace workplace technologies to help them do their jobs in ways that

previous generations haven’t. Rather than being overwhelmed by new tools

or questioning the validity of emerging technologies, millennial managers –

both men and women equally – are embracing technology wholeheartedly

and using it to be more productive.

In fact, respondents in our survey said they believe that the workplace

problem technology is best able to solve is productivity (collaboration and

communication came in second and third). 88 percent of the millennial

managers we surveyed agree with the statement, “The technology my

company uses makes it easy for me to collaborate with my teammates,” 89

percent feel positive about the productivity software their business uses,

and 62 percent don’t believe their workplace uses too many tech tools. This

is a striking contrast to other workplace productivity reports that position

technology as a productivity inhibitor.

Rather than being overwhelmed by new tools or questioning the validity of emerging technologies, millennial managers – both men and women equally – are embracing technology wholeheartedly and using it to be more productive

3 Adkins, Amy. “Millennials: The Job-Hopping Generation.” Gallup.com. Last modified May 12, 2016. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236474/millennials-job-hopping-generation.aspx.

MILLENNIALS AREN’T AFRAID TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO OPTIMIZE WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY

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MILLENNIALS AREN’T AFRAID TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO OPTIMIZE WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY

Technology clearly plays a vital role in ensuring continual workplace

productivity for millennial managers, especially given the fact that business

today is increasingly conducted globally, without regard to a worker’s

specific location or device. Of the survey respondents who regularly work

with people in foreign countries (46 percent), more than half (51 percent)

reported that the language barrier has negatively affected their productivity.

Thankfully, automated translation tools, seamless document sharing

and editing programs, internet-based calling, and customizable intranet

platforms like Akumina are all highly accessible technologies that can be

seamlessly leveraged to overcome any location and/or language-based

hurdles and drive company-wide productivity, engagement, and innovation.

Regarding the specific productivity-focused technologies most used

by millennial managers, the findings are slightly surprising, especially

considering the generation’s fearless enthusiasm for new and emerging

technologies:

• Email continues to reign supreme as the preferred productivity tool used

at work (almost 5X its closest competitor).

• Video conferencing is the least preferred productivity tool used at work.

• Slack is polarizing among respondents, as it’s ranked as both the

second-best productivity tool and the second least preferred productivity

tool.

51%reported that the language barrier has negatively affected their productivity

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WORK/LIFE BALANCE A KEY MOTIVATOR AMONG MILLENNIAL MANAGERS

Another popular stereotype about millennials is that they’re obsessed with

achieving greater work/life balance. At face value, this proves true. Based on

feedback from our respondents:

• 91 percent of millennial managers reported that work/life balance is

either “Extremely Critical” or “Important.”

• 70 percent feel sharing personal information (e.g. hobbies, fun facts,

meaningful experiences, etc.) is a great way to be a better manager and

build a stronger team.

As demonstrated by our findings outlined in section one, the majority of

millennial managers are working more than the classic 40-hour work week,

which initially may seem at odds with their continued prioritization of work/

life balance. However, it’s likely because technology has bridged the gap

between work and home life. Millennial managers aren’t overwhelmed when

they have to answer email during off-hours or during vacations. The group

has integrated their 24/7 work ethic and are finding themselves proactively

defining their work hours.

91%of millennial managers reported that work/life balance is either “Extremely Critical” or “Important”

70%feel sharing personal information (e.g. hobbies, fun facts, meaningful experiences, etc.)is a great way to be a better manager and build a stronger team

Technology has bridged the gap between work and home life. Millennial managers aren’t overwhelmed when they have to answer email during off-hours or during vacations. The group has integrated their 24/7 work ethic and are finding themselves proactively defining their work hours.

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WORK/LIFE BALANCE A KEY MOTIVATOR AMONG MILLENNIAL MANAGERS

57%of millennial managers think their cellphone helps maintain work/life balance, while just 20% say it has a “Negative Effect”

66%believe their company makes it easy for them to work from home

Millennial managers demand more accessibility and fluidity across both

their personal and work lives to ensure their 9-5 work experience matches

their 5-9 existence. Millennials are working toward this desired reality by

leaning on technologies like mobile phones and cloud-based platforms

to get work done at home or in transit, while also taking advantage of

workplace policies such as open vacation schedules and the ability to work

from home to minimize disruptions to their personal lives or, at the very

least, manage them as best they can.

Proving millennial managers’ preference for using technology to create

more accessibility and fluidity across both their personal and work lives, our

research found that:

• 57 percent of millennial managers think their cellphone helps maintain

work/life balance, while just 20 percent say it has a “Negative Effect.”

• 66 percent believe their company makes it easy for them to work from

home.

• 89 percent would prefer to work from home at least one day per week,

and 36 percent would like 3-plus work from home days.

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The collective chatter around millennials in the workplace has long been

ripe for myth-busting and, as demonstrated by our research, the stereotypes

about this generation don’t always add up when you hear the opinions of

millennials themselves.

As we’ve seen in this report:

• Millennials’ tendency to job hop and continually seek promotion

opportunities has actually helped advance their careers and their work

ethic rivals that of any other previous generation.

• Millennial managers are synthesizing their own affinity for frequent

encouragement to shape the way they help the next generation of

workers succeed.

• Millennials are leveraging technology to boost productivity, create a work

schedule that fits their lifestyle, and helps them avoid “technostress” or

burnout caused by workplace tools and platforms.

These findings paint the generation in a new light – one in which they

are competitive, compassionate and hard-working. As millennials move

into more senior positions, they will create a work environment that’s

collaborative and elevates the team as a whole while celebrating individual

accomplishments. As a group of digital natives, technology plays a vital role

in how millennials work to achieve this vision.

Now is the time to support millennials and the realities of their workplace

tendencies as they continue to dominate the modern business landscape.

Employee experience platforms like Akumina can help by empowering

millennials, as well as other generations, to work smarter and help make it

easier for employees to fit work within their busy lives. For more information

on how to deliver contextual, collaborative and engaging workplace

experiences no matter a user’s location, style of work, role or device, please

visit www.akumina.com.

CONCLUSION

Millennials’ tendency to job hop and continually seek promotion opportunities has actually helped advance their careers and their work ethic rivals that of any other previous generation.

Millennial managers are synthesizing their own affinity for frequent encouragement to shape the way they help the next generation of workers succeed.

Millennials are leveraging technology to boost productivity, create a work schedule that fits their lifestyle, and helps them avoid “technostress” or burnout caused by workplace tools and platforms.