Capturing the Minds & Hearts of Millennials

by Mike Rickheim

Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition Engagement & Inclusion
Newell Rubbermaid

I don’t need another signal to tell me life is passing swiftly. Crow’s feet serve as reminders I’m not the “young guy” in the office anymore, and the greatest confirmation comes from workplace chatter about the new generation of “young guys and girls”—Generation Y, the Millennials.

I’m a Gen Xer–not so long ago the young guy and now the generation that showed me the ropes come to me for guidance in understanding the new workplace. They’ve read the articles and may even wonder aloud about the wisdom of directing so much attention to the newcomers, those Millennials stereotyped as “overgrown, impatient children whose outlandish demands are outnumbered only by their tattoos and piercings.” They want it all? Why should we have to change for them?

“For leaders of inclusion, diversity, and employee engagement, our newest colleagues offer challenges as to how we think about and define diversity”

Millennials, at 80 million strong, make up the largest generation since the Baby Boomers. They are demanding consumers with unmatched purchasing power. To unlock the growth potential of any organization, an understanding and appreciation of Millennials–as consumers and employees–is imperative. If you’ve heard the Millennials are coming, you’ve heard wrong. They’re here and will make up more than one-third of the adult population before 2015, so successfully integrating them into the workforce, which in some cases means rethinking workplace practices, is a necessity, not a choice. At Newell Rubbermaid, we’ve increased our Millennial population by 70 percent in just the past 24 months, and they now make up 31 percent of our employee population.

For leaders of inclusion, diversity, and employee engagement, our newest colleagues offer challenges as to how we think about and define diversity. The global irrelevance of the traditional, corporate definition of diversity and the coming of age of the most ethnically diverse and educated generation in history requires us to think about a truer, broader definition of the term. Millennials are not distinguished by gender or skin color; they are diverse in their attitudes, thoughts, perspectives and styles.

As the former young guy wrestles with crow’s feet and a little gray hair, the new young guy and girl wants it all. That may initially leave managers from generations who had different expectations and timelines for success questioning whether time spent understanding Millennials makes sense. Yet it is clear the competitive advantage gained by capturing the hearts and minds of Millennial consumers and employees will change the game for the organizations that get it right.

This article has been sponsored by:
Chevron