Make no mistake. Despite rumors that millennials like to take shortcuts and are rather lazy, the opposite is, in fact, the case – millennials will work hard – very, very hard. The only asterisk to this statement deals with the work environment they prefer compared to their counterparts in Generation X and the now-retiring Baby Boomers.
Here are five ways that the engineering and architecture firms can accommodate these working preferences of millennials and get younger professionals excited about their roles in project management:
Virtual Teamwork
Millennials don’t see the point in fighting traffic, traveling to the same location day-after-day to sit in a cubicle for eight hours or more. With web apps like ArchiOffice, they can keep up-to-date with the projects and tasks assigned to them while working from their favorite coffee shop or on the couch in their living room.
While it may always be necessary to spend a certain amount of time in a common office working alongside project team members, ArchiOffice makes it possible to manage a project completely online and allows employees to work a significant number of hours from a location of their choosing.
Paperless Timesheets
Millennials hate timesheets. I mean they really, really hate timesheets. If you don’t want your younger workers procrastinating when it comes to recording their time, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to check this task off their to-do list.
Not only can time be entered while away from the office using the web-based ArchiOffice, but employees can also enter their time using its native mobile apps on iOS and Android devices. Millennials no longer have an excuse not to enter their time, on time.
Immediate Feedback
Millennials are very ambitious and want to absorb as much information as possible and as quickly as possible. They won’t be satisfied with getting feedback only once or twice a year during formal evaluations. So how is a project manager supposed to carve out time to provide feedback to employees in the middle of a project while also orchestrating team tasks and activities, serving as liaison with clients and juggling tight deadlines?
If you truly don’t have time to provide immediate feedback, then get it on the calendar. Acknowledge to your younger workers that within the next few weeks, you’ll sit down and go over their performance on their latest project with them.
Recognize a Job Well Done
We’re not talking about participation trophies, where everybody gets a ribbon. But when an employee excels at a task or an assignment, give them a pat on the back. Or send an e-mail that simply says “Nice job.”
Creative Input
Millennials love to solve problems – and can be very creative in coming up with solutions. From discovering new tricks when working with your software to ideas on how to improve customer service, millennials are just waiting for an invitation to offer their recommendations on how to make your firm a better place to work. You are just a brainstorming session away from generating the most amazing idea out here, which can turn tables for your company!
ArchiOffice is a time tracking, billing and project management software made for architects and their project management needs. For more information, please visit our website.
