This document discusses the desires and expectations of Millennial workers. It notes that Millennials will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025. Millennials value work-life balance, good relationships with colleagues and supervisors, learning opportunities, and a sense of purpose in their work more than high salaries. They expect modern technology and flexible work arrangements. Rigid processes and outdated corporate technology do not meet Millennials' needs and expectations. The document recommends that companies focus on culture, technology platforms, and agile processes to attract and retain Millennial talent.

1. What young
professionals want
Desires and expectations of the
Millennial generation
By Christoph Bauer
flickr / Lauren McKinnon

2. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Foreword
This presentation is meant to be thought-provoking.
You may not find all of the statements here applicable
to your work environment or experience.
If not indicated differently, all quoted statistics apply
to Millennials - due to the different interpretations of
the age bracket, results can be contradictory at times.

3. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Intro: Welcoming a new generation of business professionals
3

4. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Meet the author
4
Social Business
Technology
Change Management
Christoph Bauer
Communication scientist
gone consultant
Est. 1984
Fields of work
„Lot’s of Baby Boomers have similar high expectations
of their workplaces. But Millennials are those who
actually quit their jobs when things don’t work out.“
Introductory quote

5. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Work and the attitude towards it is fundamentally changing
flickr / Michael Herve
Drivers of
change
1. Social/ Mobile/ Analytics/ Cloud
2. Rise of the knowledge worker
3. Highly affluent society
„Talented people need organizations less than organizations need
talented people.“ Dan Pink

6. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Questions arise: What are we here for? What is „good work“?

7. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Let’s take a step back: What characterizes these „Millennials“?
75% of the
workforce in
20251
1 Projections of the Labor Force to 2050: A visual essay (2012)
2 Cisco Connected World Technology Report (2012)
3 Deloitte Millenial Survey (2014)
4 McCann Worldgroup Study (2011)

8. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Let’s take a step back: What characterizes these „Millennials“?
75% of the
workforce in
20251
1 Projections of the Labor Force to 2050: A visual essay (2012)
2 Cisco Connected World Technology Report (2012)
3 Deloitte Millenial Survey (2014)
4 McCann Worldgroup Study (2011)
69% don’t
believe regular
office
attendance is
necessary2

9. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Let’s take a step back: What characterizes these „Millennials“?
75% of the
workforce in
20251
1 Projections of the Labor Force to 2050: A visual essay (2012)
2 Cisco Connected World Technology Report (2012)
3 Deloitte Millenial Survey (2014)
4 McCann Worldgroup Study (2011)
78% of
job seekers
are
influenced
by how
innovative a
company is3
69% don’t
believe regular
office
attendance is
necessary2

10. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Let’s take a step back: What characterizes these „Millennials“?
75% of the
workforce in
20251
1 Projections of the Labor Force to 2050: A visual essay (2012)
2 Cisco Connected World Technology Report (2012)
3 Deloitte Millenial Survey (2014)
4 McCann Worldgroup Study (2011)
56% won’t
accept jobs
from
companies
that ban
Social Media278% of
job seekers
are
influenced
by how
innovative a
company is3
69% don’t
believe regular
office
attendance is
necessary2

11. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Let’s take a step back: What characterizes these „Millennials“?
75% of the
workforce in
20251
1 Projections of the Labor Force to 2050: A visual essay (2012)
2 Cisco Connected World Technology Report (2012)
3 Deloitte Millenial Survey (2014)
4 McCann Worldgroup Study (2011)
56% won’t
accept jobs
from
companies
that ban
Social Media278% of
job seekers
are
influenced
by how
innovative a
company is3
53% would
rather give up
their sense of
smell than
technology
69% don’t
believe regular
office
attendance is
necessary2

12. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Millennials, meet corporate reality
Problems
• Unhappy employees
• High churn rates
• Stagnating productivity
• Loss of innovative potential
Underlying roots
• Management and leadership
practices from 100 years ago
• IT as a cost factor, not as an enabler
• Over-standardization of everything
• Lack of lifelong education
Trouble awaits
here.

13. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
People
Helping employees find their
way in a rapidly changing
environment.
The cultural side of change
Platforms
Bridging the gap between
corporate technology and the
real world.
Supporting technologies
Processes
Fighting against disruption by
enabling people to rapidly
collaborate, fail and iterate.
Agility & flexibility
Let’s look at the challenges from three different angles

14. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
People
Helping employees find their
way in a rapidly changing
environment.
The cultural side of change
Let’s look at the challenges from three different angles

15. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
In a world with endless possibilities, purpose is key
People
flickr / Till Westermayer
6 out of 10
said „a sense of
purpose“ is part of
the reason they
work for their
current employer1
1 Deloitte Millennial Survey (2014)

16. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Would you like some soft factors with your paycheck?
People
flickr / John O’Nolan
Top 5
happiness
factors for
Millennials1
1 Boston Consulting Group: „Decoding Global Talent“ (2014)
1. Appreciation for your work
2. Good relationships with colleagues
3. Good work-life balance
4. Good relationships with superiors
5. Learning and career development
8. Attractive fixed salary
…

17. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Leadership must evolve to a trustful bi-directional relationship
People
flickr / Dennis Skley1 Deloitte Millennial Survey (2015)
True leadership means….1
Strategic thinking
Being inspirational
Strong interpersonal skills
Vision
Passion and enthusiasm
Driven by financial results
Follow autocratic approach
0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4
6 %
10 %
31 %
31 %
34 %
37 %
39 %
Most valued answers Least valued answers

18. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Transforming leadership by getting rid of it - an alternative?
People

19. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Excuse me, how sexy is your office?
People
AirBnB Headquarters in San Francisco

20. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Excuse me, how sexy is your office?
People
AirBnB Call Center in Portland

21. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Excuse me, how sexy is your office?
People
Fujitsu Office in Sydney

22. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Excuse me, how sexy is your office?
People
Google Office in Budapest

23. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Bauer says…
18
„Think deeply about how you design
work experience as a whole. Offer
different spaces for different minds
and moods.“

24. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Platforms free from grace result in a lack of motivation
Platforms
Bridging the gap between
corporate technology and the
real world.
Supporting technologies

25. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Corporate technology is an insult to Millennials
Platforms

26. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Corporate technology is an insult to Millennials
Platforms

27. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
„I’ve got better tools at home than this“
Platforms
use their own
applications
because
corporate apps
don’t meet
their needs1
50%
1 Trackvia „Rebels with a cause“ study (2014)
2 Ringcentral BYOD Survey (2014)
78%
say workplace
environment
impacts their
decision to
stay at a job2
flickr / Florian Richter

28. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Bauer says…
22
„Fix corporate IT equipment or help
people bring their own hardware
and tools. Increasing productivity
has never been easier.“

29. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Processes
Fighting against disruption
by enabling people to rapidly
collaborate, fail and iterate.
Agility & flexibility
Over-standardization leads to average products and services

30. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Rigid process landscapes or „Driving with the handbrake on“
Processes
say that
operational
structures and
procedures are
the biggest
barrier for
innovation1
61%
flickr / DWRose1 Deloitte Millennial Survey (2014)

31. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Flexible work arrangements beat higher salaries
Processes
say flexible
work hours &
freedom to
work from
anywhere
improves work/
life balance1
50%
1 Ringcentral BYOD Study (2014)
2 Mom Corps Study (2014)
37%
would accept a
pay cut to get
more flexibility
on the job2

32. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
New practices and perks for a new generation of workers
Processes
„Take what you need“ vacation
policy
Employees at financial advisory company
„Motley Fool“ can take as many days off as
they like (as long as they get their work
done).
Private concierge services
Employees at Johnson & Johnson enjoy
private concierge services so they can focus
on work. Other companies provide cleaning
services at home or child-care.
Recruiting with a twist
Every (!) new employee at Zappos has to
spend three to four weeks in the call
center. After that, you receive an offer of
$3.000 to leave the company. If you stay,
you are in.
Almost classics by now
Free massages, free fitness lessons and
studios, free food, paid sabbaticals,
company-owned hospitals, free time to
work on own ideas, extended holidays for
volunteering work, hardware for the home
office, etc…
flickr/ John O’Nolan

33. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
And even if they run away, you will still work with them
Processes
would consider
quitting their
existing jobs and
working for
themselves in
the future1
80% 40%
of the whole
workforce will be
made up of
freelance
employees in
20202
1 Elance-oDesk and Millennial Branding Study (2014)
2 (American workforce) Intuit Study (2013)

34. What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Bauer says…
28
„Show appreciation by trying out
new forms of compensation. Small
changes like fresh fruit every day
can have a huge impact.“

35. Thanks.
Now go out and
change something.
What young professionals want, @ChristophBauer
Like my stuff? Connect with me.
Hate my stuff? Discuss with me.