Developing the young millennial for the hybrid workforce

Studies show that younger employees are experiencing career development difficulties in the office due to a lack of connections and culture. As 35% of the workforce is made up of people born between 1977 and 1994, it’s vital that companies know how to engage the millennial generation. Email, Zoom, and Slack cannot substitute for the social relationships that are formed when employees are physically present together. Organizations can foster this during the onboarding process to increase employee morale, improve DEI, and better develop the young millennial for a hybrid environment, but development as a company should always be important year-round.

Gallup data reveals that after years of discussion and investment in “company culture,” little has changed. Re-emphasizing company culture should be top of mind for organizations. While 73% of millennials reported that they feel that hybrid work environments are helping their career growth, research suggests otherwise. Experts say that young millennials could be missing out on “the largest career-learning cycle” and the creation of important networking bonds that would help drive their blossoming careers. That’s why the onboarding process is so crucial.

Employee onboarding is the initial interaction between a new employee and your organization following the interview. It is important for their long-term value to your company. In fact, employees are 82% more likely to stay with a company for up to three years after experiencing a well-organized onboarding process. There is no perfect way to make the onboarding process for new employees inclusive, but how you do it will depend on your company’s culture, values, and goals. However, every onboarding process must take into consideration what is happening in the outside world. Meaning the process needs to honor the multiple dimensions of identity and intersectionality while viewing your new employee holistically (culture, background, interests, etc.).

Additionally, hybrid work environments also require that young employees be provided with increased guidance to be truly successful. Fresh to the workforce, their lack of experience means they have smaller networks. Before the change, it was easier and more accessible for new employees to connect with coworkers to find mentors, make meaningful connections, and build a strong network. Now, working partially remotely, these individuals’ opportunity to organically network and connect with colleagues outside of their teams has significantly diminished.

Increased collaboration and bonding across all levels and teams is vital to improving company culture. For example, during the latest Poll Everywhere retreat, the executive leadership team made it a point to meet and speak with a new person each day. Companies should prioritize the key relationships and experiences that bond teams while also providing the best tools and resources for a hybrid work environment. This includes tools and training, as well as sources of truth for employees to refer to, such as handbooks and weekly check-ins.

In a hybrid work environment, employees frequently struggle to communicate with colleagues throughout the day. Intentional overcommunication builds a culture of effective communication. Consistent and efficient dialogue between colleagues is essential for success and inclusion.

Lastly, office retreats can tie it all together as a highlight of company culture. Spotlighting in-person retreats and team get-togethers during the onboarding process can encourage excitement and demonstrate the company’s dedication to employees’ connection and growth as a team. The focus of Poll Everywhere’s latest retreat in October was on cross-team collaboration, team bonding, creativity and connection. Retreats should focus on spending time as a team and providing that welcoming environment that younger employees desire. A Poll Everywhere retreat favorite was their enneagram activity, where cross-department groups were assigned a shared enneagram number and given a blank white t-shirt to design based on the number. Designating time for unique activities can spur the best, and sometimes unexpected, collaboration.

Office culture is always a work in progress and is ever-changing. Our north star at Poll Everywhere is enabling hybrid work and inclusive conversations by allowing presenters, meeting hosts, educators, and more to engage audiences across hybrid workspaces through live online polling, surveys, Q&As and more. Learn more tips from our Employee Onboarding Handbook to continue to foster growth that young millennials will appreciate: Employee onboarding that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion