From October 2015 TMA News Bulletin:
The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte recently released a study showing that nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will likely need to be filled in the United States over the next decade. However, with the working age population shrinking and Baby Boomers planning to retire, the pool of young talent needed to fill those jobs is sparse. Simply put, it is a supply and demand issue that has created a “war” for millennial talent among the industry.
So, how do Baby Boomer owners and Gen X managers meet the future by appealling to Millennials and creating a corporate culture that welcomes their generation?
Inc.com’s Evan Burns provides some ideas in “7 Millennial Traits That Baby Boomers Need to Learn.”
Be mindful, Burns suggests, that to Millennials …
1. Passion matters. Millennials find happiness searching for passion and meaning. Present a big picture of how the work they’re doing will impact the future and the world beyond.
2. Risk-taking is exciting. Millennials have seen their predecessors chasing “stability,” and they’re not impressed. Outline projects as frontier-breaking and daring.
3. Work and life should align. Millennials’ parents tried to balance work and life. It didn’t work. Instead, Millennials work to align their life passion with their career interests. Find their passions and encourage them to develop them while advancing their careers.
4. Work is more appealing when presented as projects. Millennials thrive when working creatively on projects, rather than working for the sake of working. Provide a clear objective over an understood timeframe, and when they achieve it, it’s a notch in their belt that opens up future opportunities.
5. New perspectives change focus in a flash. Millennials are energized when they use newly-learned skills. Encourage them to come up with ways to implement new skills on their jobs.
6. Spontaneity rules. Millennials remember the saying: “No risk, no reward.” Afraid of missing out on what they could have done, Millennials should be encouraged to be creative with new ideas and technology.
7. The World is to be traveled. With the Internet and instant access to maps, languages, cultures and experiences, Millennials love to travel. Encourage them to bring ideas from abroad to improve best practices back home.
Putting on the Millennial generation’s shades while gazing at the workplace and contemplating its future will be productive and energizing – and could create a before-unimagined generation of creative and innovative manufacturers.
First published in TMA’s October 2015 News Bulletin. By Fran Eaton.
