Recruiting, Retaining and Managing Millennials: Insights from Interviews

Recruiting, Retaining and Managing Millennials: Insights from Interviews

Juan Meng, Ph.D., University of GeorgiaBryan H. Reber, Ph.D., University of Georgia

Mickey Nall, APR, Fellow PRSA, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

PRSA 2015 International ConferenceAtlanta, Georgia

PRSA 2015 International Conference 2

Attract, manage, and develop the next generation of leaders in the field of public relations and communication.

Project Background

This project is funded by

Who are the millennials?

No definitive agreement on birth years;

Experts agree that those born between 1982 and 2004;

Nearly 90 million individuals entering the workforce;

40% of employed Americans by 2020.


Techno-

savvy

Connected…24/7

Self-confide

nt

Self-centere

dUnmotivat

ed

Disrespectful

Disloyal

Characteristics… (criticism maybe?)


Dete

rmin

ed

Team

-or

ient

edDi

vers

e

Glob

al-,

civi

c-, a

nd

com

mun

ity-

min

ded

Entr

epre

neu

rial

Achi

evem

ent-

focu

sed

Characteristics… (be optimistic!)


Results and Insights presented in this workshop reflect interviews with

36 millennials PR

professionals

39 PR executives who

hire and manage

millennials


How did we do it?

8

In-depth interviews conducted by two classes in the fall of 2014

ADPR 3510 PR Research

Phone, Skype, or face-to-face interview

Millennial PR professional

Questions focused on: Recruitment and

retention Engagement Leadership development Work-life balance

JRMC 7940 PR Foundations

Phone, Skype, or face-to-face interviews

PR executives who manage millennials

Questions focused on: Recruitment Engagement, motivation

and development Impact and retention

PRSA 2015 International Conference

10

BBDO Chick-Fil-A Children’s

Healthcare of Atlanta Cohn and Wolfe Dodge

Communications Edelman Fleishman-Hillard Golin Jackson Spalding

Participating organizations (partial list)

Ketchum NBC Universal Novelis Ogilvy Porter Novelli Southern Company The Coca-Cola

Company The Home Depot UPS Weber ShandwickPRSA 2015 International Conference


What the millennial professionals are saying…


Post job openings on LinkedIn Provide an honest job description Show them how the company fits into the

community Offer them a flexible work environment Let them ask questions Show you can promote them eventually Encourage a face-to-face environment Give them long-term opportunities Don’t overwork them too quickly

How millennials want to be recruited and retained?


“Millennials want to grow quickly and rapidly within a company. Promotion promises retention. They have high expectations in the workplace and want recognition, praise and congratulations for their hard work. Millennials are more interested in companies who are involved in meaningful work—ones who have social responsibility contributing to a greater good.”

Illustrative quote


Insight:Millennials need to and want to

be engaged and motivated while on the job. If they are bored or distracted, they may look for other job opportunities.

How millennials want to be engaged?


Receiving praise or acknowledgement for hard work

Working in a diversified office environment

Attending team outings before or after work hours

Having opinions and ideas heard and valued by management

Being paid well with the opportunity for a raise or promotion

Top Five Factors of Engagement


“Every day when I come in, I go over my duties with my supervisor so that I know what I am expected to accomplish that day. If my duties were not clearly stated, my day would not have any direction and I’d be bored trying to create work for myself.”

Illustrative quote


Guide themOffer safe opportunities to leadChallenge them Let them know it is okay to failAllow them to explore new

interestsPair them with veterans

How to turn fresh talent into the next great leaders?


“It is never too early for millennials to become leaders.”

Illustrative quote


“When you leave work, you should mentally leave work.”

Work is an important part of life, but it shouldn’t take over life. A lack of work-life balance leads to unhappiness and it is definitely less tolerated among millennials.

How is millennials’ expectation on work-life balance?


Choosing a hobby that regularly forces a person away from media or a cell phone for a few hours.

Creating a schedule for each day, and sticking to it. Doing this ensures that enough work gets completed during work hours, which allows employees the chance to concentrate on other sectors of their lives while at home.

Supporting co-workers in their lives and hobbies outside of work, builds office relations and a sense of community. If employees feel connected to their coworkers on a personal level, they are more likely to be happy with their job, and less likely to want to search for a new one.

Ways to achieve adequate work-life balance include:


“Even if work-life balance is the millennials’ responsibility, employers should value work-life balance and understand that millennials have a life outside of work. Millennials value this highly, and it can go a long way toward retention.”

Illustrative quote


What the executives are saying…


Approach

Aptitude

Attitude

Three A’s of Recruitment


Agencies look for people that are curious, creative and have a global mindset; meaning that they are culturally aware and open to new experiences.

Attitude is probably the most important.

Attitude


Millennials have to be incredibly smart. Public relations or communications requires a genuine global curiosity and an intellectual ability to quickly learn about multiple subjects.

Professionals have to use this acquired knowledge to come up with solutions on demand.

Aptitude


Employees must understand that they have to be professional. They have to present themselves in a way that is appropriate to the environment.

Approach


Contribute to an organization’s culture Provide reliable service to an organization

and its client Demonstrate impeccable work ethic Produce quality work Strive for excellence Receive constructive criticism and are not

defensive

Some qualities are desired from millennials:


Two-way communicationChallenging assignmentsOpportunities for growthTraining programsRecognition of accomplishmentsClear purpose of organizationSet goals to achieve


1.Listen2.Give opportunities3.Provide experiences4.communicate

4 steps to engage millennial employees


“As a leader, if I don’t have that road map [defined of millennial employees’ goals] then they could very well leave because they could find another agency or someone else that could help provide that.”

Illustrative quote


“Millennials’ energy and personality impact an agency positively. When millennials are excited about their job and their work, they can accomplish great things for themselves and the agency. It is important to keep millennials enticed to come to work everyday.”

Illustrative quote


“A strategy to retaining millennials is to provide opportunities to advance within the agency. More importantly, recognize when the employee is ready to grow. By keeping opportunities in line with recognition, employees are apt to remain.”

Illustrative quote


Real life stories in working with millennials from Mickey

Nall


Thank you!&

Questions?

Recruiting, Retaining and Managing Millennials: Insights from Interviews

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