Lacking innovation and creativity in your business? Then employ a millennial

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Creativity and innovation are the greatest benefit millennials bring to a company, according to data compiled from 100 North American shared services organisations

Sian Harrington

Millennial talent benefits

Millennials shine when it comes to contributing fresh ideas, change and digital know-how to organisations but need better business understanding, a longer-term view and people management skills to advance further.

A survey of 100 North American shared services organisations for the 22nd North American Shared Services & Outsourcing Week (SSOW) finds that IT and finance functions have the largest ratio of millennial talent and millennials make up less than 40% of the workforce in 44% of companies.

The top strategy to engage millennials varies with company size. Those with annual revenues of more than $10 billion prefer to engage millennials with projects that allow creative expression. The most popular strategy for organisations with annual revenue between $2 billion and $10 billion is the use of forums for multi-generational collaboration using social networks. Across all companies, providing opportunities for continual skills upgrading is the top strategy for engaging millennials, followed by offering flexibility and mobility.

Millennials have energy and passion and are team players, according to the research by SSON Analytics. However, to advance further in their career they need to focus on three areas: communication, attitude/mentality and experience. Respondents pick up on issues such as “lack the ability to influence the older workforce and self-evaluation”, easily bored which makes management struggle to give them something exciting to do at work” and “need to learn how to communicate better. Creative ideas are not worth anything if you cannot conve them to others”.

Millennial Talent, Digital Disruption and Customer Experience is the theme of the 22nd SSOW, which runs from 19-22 March 2018 in Orlando.

Providing opportunities for continual skills upgrading is the top strategy for engaging millennials, followed by offering flexibility and mobility

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