Millennials, defined as the group of people born between 1982 and 2004 and the past two decades seem to have everyone (including themselves) wondering what it is they want out of life, love, education, the government and work.
Though it is out of our scope to get into a discussion about broader millennial needs, we have delved into what millennials want when it comes to workplace benefits!
Which employee benefits are important to them? Do they find the advantages of group health plans attractive? Do they look into the best employee benefit packages or take what they can get? Here’s what we found out!
Health Benefits and Support
Yes. Health and staying healthy are a massive part of millennial ideology. It’s only natural that they would be attracted by adequate health benefits and organizationally supported coverage of their expenses.
This is not just restricted to physical health but emotional/mental health as well. Millennials appreciate care, and health benefits are one way of showing it!
Flexibility
Gone are the days where the early bird is the only one to catch the worm.
We’ve now got the slow and steady bird, the off-hours bird and the last-minute crunch bird that are equally effective at worm catching, so to speak.
What we’re trying to say is a group that thrives on individuality quite certainly appreciates theirs being valued. It’s not about working long hours or starting the 6am shift, but about working smart. Millennials appreciate the flexibility to work under conditions that suit them best. This could be flexibility in timings, outfit or even work space!
More Time Off
Even for a non-millennial, two weeks off in a year along with token Sundays and the occasional public holiday sounds like slave driving.
We live in a time where it has been proven time and time again that overworking leads to burnout and that a life outside work is important. No one knows this as well as millennials. If you value your young employees, make sure they’re well rested because if they aren’t, they’re likely to move out in search of greener pastures.
Career Growth
Be this in the form of professional development, promotions, out of country posting or being given time and space to learn and master new things, career growth and growth in general is huge for millennials.
They aren’t a generally complacent lot and at the stage in life most of them are at today they are both hungry to do more and to be more.
Conclusion
The conclusions above are made keeping in mind the opinions of millennials in general, though there are always those who don’t fit the norm. There are also other factors that filter in like fair pay and a compassionate work environment.
Forbes did an interesting article on what millennials might look for in a workplace however if you are really looking for support in redoing your HR Policies and benefits, professional assistance is always a good idea!
JS Benefits Group is an HR Consulting Firm in Pennsylvania, serving organizations and companies and working with more than 30 of the best carriers across the Mid-Atlantic.
