5 Millennial (Generation Y) trends which increase collaboration in the workplace

Millennials have proven to be extremely driven employees, impatient in achieving results as soon as possible. They don’t believe in managers, but in mentors. They are not loyal to companies, but to people. Who better than them to teach us about collaboration?

 

Here are five ways Millennials can help you increase collaboration within your team:

1) Name collaboration champions
New to the business environment, Millennials are genuinely excited about their work. They have been raised in a digital era and they are always eager to find new ways of working. Millennials are experts in researching new trends and methodologies so let them run monthly brainstorming sessions, webinars, or just informal meetings so they can share innovative ideas on collaboration with the rest of the team.

2) Follow them: go mobile
They grew up with social media and they know of thousands of apps that can help your team work more effectively, so follow the google generation and get creative and innovative in the way you work. GroupZap, Sunrise Calendar and Pingpong are some examples of collaboration apps Generation Y are using nowadays.

3) There is always room for education
Known for being continuous learners, Millennials can spend hours on google researching for a topic they are interested in. Thanks to this, they are the first ones to adopt new processes, new tools and think of new ideas to improve businesses. Want to encourage this attitude within your team? Support development programmes and check websites like 360 training, Coursera or Lynda to make sure your employees are up to speed with the latest professional trends.

4) It’s all about networking
As stated before, Millennials believe in people not in companies: they want to feel proud of their company the same way they were proud of the university they attended or the football team they play for. Networking is key for a Millennial, as it is for fostering effective teamwork. Create different initiatives to make your team connect with each other: Sushi Friday, Pay Day beers…you choose.

5) Your office: the place to be
We are not saying your office needs to look like Google, but it would definitely help to have some areas where employees can exchange ideas freely and feel comfortable to brainstorm. Buy removable vinyls for team meetings, use colour Post-Its and remember: take pictures of it later on so everyone can see what other team members have come up with.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing are key for any company to prevail in their industry, and Millennials are great at it. It’s time to learn from them! Put these small practices into place and you will see the positive impact it has in the way your team interact with each other.

PS: yes, you got it right: I’m a Millennial! 

Paloma Redondo

Marketing Manager