Now that millennials are here to stay, here are a few tips and tricks for getting the most out of your younger workforce, from a voice with the inside scoop.
Listen, listen and listen. It takes time to get to know new employees and figure out their strengths and weakness into a cohesive picture of who they are as complex individuals. There is a myth going around that some millennials will act entitled, but in truth, they graduated and became adults in the worst economy since the 1930s. Millennials know this, too.
We have a voice and an opinion, and many of us have a vision for the future. By listening and avoiding stereotypes, millennials will quickly step forward to help their employers as mutual respect grows. This is important with any employee-employer relationship.
Teach us your ways, we’ll teach you ours. We are young and we are raring to go. But sometimes we are also deficient in good work habits. Nevertheless, millennials have spent more time in higher education and out of the work force than any other generation. In fact, millennials are the most highly educated of any generation and the first to be digital natives.
Sure, it’s great to have a degree and book knowledge — I get that. But does that psychology degree really teach you about client intake, proper filing, or customer service? While millennials may purport to know little about face-to-face client relationships or how a paper filing system works, they sure as heck know how social media and the Internet work, which means that millennials have something unique to offer our digital immigrant colleagues. Want to increase your Facebook presence or start a new marketing campaign? Look no further than your new millennial associate.
Apply us. With around 59 percent of millennials having gone to college and graduated or in the process of finishing a degree, we are smart and ambitious. Imagine being able to wrangle that for your firm! When we have the basics, challenge us. Give us a hard project or task and we will not only feel appreciated but valued. There’s a reason millennials are in your office working so hard; it has nothing to do with a self-aggrandizing image and everything to do with what millennials believe to their very core: the world is ready for change.
Treat us as an opportunity and let our strengths blossom. You win, we win, and the future of law wins.
Keep in Touch
To learn more about office management, legal technology, or other services offered by the WSBA, check out our LOMAP page for more great information, or send your questions to lomap@wsba.org.
Aaron Burt. Aaron graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Political Science and Philosophy in 2011 and is currently enrolled in the University of Washington’s graduate business certificate program. Aaron started working for WSBA’s LOMAP in the fall of 2013 as Assistant Practice Management Advisor. In describing what he loves about his work, Aaron says, “I’m the kind of person whose passion is to help you achieve more than you could ever realize.” Aaron hopes to bring this tech and business savvy support to attorneys all across the state, and help them achieve the unbelievable.
