Perks to Attract & Retain X-ers, Millennials

What do the Best Companies to Work For do to make their employees happy?

First, they are interested in what make the employees happy.The business environment is changing and employee happiness in impacting the bottom line. With unemployment at record lows and the leadership pool shrinking as 80 Million Boomers prepare to retire with only 44 Million Gen X-ers coming behind to fill in the gap organizational leaders are beginning to feel the pressure.

Going quickly are the days of:

• You should be grateful to have a job
• Do you know how many people are in-line waiting to take your place?
Coming quickly, in fact they're here are the days and phrases:
• I want to like the place I work and feel good about what we do.
• I want to make a contribution with my work, not just get a paycheck.
• I left because I didn't feel appreciated.
• I looking for a new job because it just doesn't feel right
• It's not fun here.

I could go on and on, but let's just say that companies are realizing that when employees feel it's not a good fit, they can vote with their feet and leave.

Organizations need to know what appeals to each generation and work to create the environment and culture that support it or they will be dealing with these costly issues:

• High employee turnover
• Decrease productivity
• Low employee satisfaction

Each generation views their job/career and what it means very differently.

Traditionalists, came through their formative years with the Great Depression and WWII are grateful to have a job. They want to build something for the greater good. They want to leave a legacy.

Baby Boomers had many possibilities and opportunities put forth in their formative years in education for the middle class and civil rights for all. But they also had 80 Million peers who wanted their job so they became competitive and driven. They lived to work with 20 hour work days and bleeding company colors. They want to build stellar careers with the plaques, awards and stats to back it up.

X-ers saw many things fall apart and be exposed in their formative years. Their Boomer parents were laid off without warning in the 70's and 80's, divorce rates tripled, leaders were caught lying and institutions were exposed to be corrupt. The first generation of latch key kids, X-ers don't want to be defined by their job alone.

It's important to achieve and produce amazing results, but not at the cost of the family and your personal health. They are clear that "the cheese can be moved without warning" and their prepared for the next dot.bomb. They are building portable careers, just in case something cataclysmic happens they can pick-up their skill set and move.