IT Infrastructure: A Requirement for the Digital Native Employee

Have you ever spent a day working with IT on a software issue, or spent valuable meeting time trying to share files with remote employees or project your screen? Once you have, you know all too well that IT infrastructure can indeed be seen as a benefit one that plays a large, but often unattributed, role in employee satisfaction and productivity.
Workplace technology is an important consideration when choosing an employer for nearly 60% of young workers surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2011. A recent article by Wired.com noted that employees are expecting the same level of technology in their workplace as they do outside of work. Embracing new IT infrastructure and capabilities can serve as an untapped Millennials recruitment strategy, especially if this organizational priority is communicated during the recruitment process.

Work/Life Balance: It's What's Expected

Another way to attract Millennials is by emphasizing the company's philosophy on work/life balance. It is well established that Millennials want to work for organizations that offer work/life balance, but what this means in practice can differ widely from one employer to another. How does your corporate philosophy on work/life balance inform workload, scheduling, or location of employees? While it's unlikely that all organizations can promise work/life balance to all employees, all the time, Millennials appreciate transparency. When you clearly communicate the realities of your corporate culture, as well as steps the company's taking to help employees achieve work/life balance, you'll likely find that many young workers happily commit and join your team. For example: during the interview process, a recruiter can explain that the company often needs employees to work long hours, but realizes the strain this puts on home life and so makes a range of benefits available to employees to help alleviate this strain such as on-site child care or additional vacation time.

Workforce Development: Your Path to a Successful Workforce

Finally, your existing training and career opportunities are also a potential selling point to Millennials. Companies with programs and opportunities for growth attract Gen Y workers.  A clear idea of what they can achieve is also likely to prevent young employees from leaving after just a year a two. And even if advancement is not possible within a few years at your particular company, the opportunity to gain additional education and certifications while working is important to highlight while recruiting millennials (and other workers, too). By offering tuition assistance and reimbursement, you are also potentially supporting existing or future business objectives.