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As the workforce landscape changes, we are seeing a shift in how our millennial and Gen Z team members approach their professional development. It isn’t about mandatory classroom training or point-and-click, check-the-box eLearning anymore. The learning styles of our younger workforce have changed, and it is paramount that we as learning professionals make necessary adjustments to keep our changing staff demographics engaged. 

How do we do this? Studies show that 32% of the current workforce is made up of millennials and 19% of Gen Z. With over half of the current workforce under the age of 40, it is necessary for learning and development leaders and professionals to tap into the things that make learning easier and effective for this group. Microlearning, mobile learning, and credentialing are all ways to not only make learning rewarding, but attractive and engaging to this group as well. Here are five ways to engage your millennial and Gen Z team members in learning.

Utilize Mobile and Microlearning

Millennials and Gen Z are pioneers in the mobile technology world. They grew up with handheld, portable computers that played music, displayed videos, and even allowed them to surf the web right from the palm of their hands. Creating microlearning, or small, bite-sized lessons that run less than five minutes is a great way to capture their attention and provide them with a knowledge transfer on a specific topic or application. Providing these learning activities on a smartphone or tablet is an easy way to have millennials and Gen Z access training from anywhere. A recent study showed that 82% of millennials own a smart device and are connected to it throughout the day. Providing mobile learning experiences allows companies to share necessary learning in all means possible.

Make It Social

Social Media has evolved, and your younger workforce team members were the first to embrace it. Creating opportunities to allow millennials and Gen Z to share what they’ve learned is a great way to keep them engaged. Sites like LinkedIn and Twitter allow team members to share their accomplishments – and their insights – on learning.

Mentorship 

Creating learning opportunities is one of the draws younger team members seek when searching for employment opportunities. Creating a formal or informal mentorship program provides opportunities for new team members to shadow and learn on the job with tenured teammates. Mentorship isn’t just for newer staff to learn, however. Reverse mentoring is becoming more prevalent in the workplace and allows opportunities for younger team members to teach more seasoned team members something new. For example, you could have a younger team member take someone under their wing to learn how to effectively use social media for a project that may benefit from being on several platforms.

Reward With Credentials

Providing certificates and additional credentials is a great way to keep your millennial and Gen Z team members engaged. Completion of programs or certifications in tools and applications gives these team members something tangible to add to their professional development profile and provides a resume booster, too. As millennials and Gen Z seek advancement, they can leverage these credentials as a way to show that they have obtained a skill or knowledge in a particular area. These simple rewards go far to create a learning environment that is conducive to success for all employees.

Allow Flexibility

One of the things we see with millennials and Gen Z is that they love flexibility in how they approach work. From hybrid working to flexible schedules, this segment of the workforce believes in a solid work-life balance. Taking a flexible approach to learning is a great way to keep these team members well-engaged. You can provide flexible training options, like hybrid learning or team projects, to encourage employee development. Creating learning tracks is a smart way to make learning flexible, too. A learning track provides a team member with a set group of material to learn in their own time. By allowing flexibility with the approach to learning, you are creating a learning culture that is not just providing opportunities, but making learning a priority.

According to a study done by Deloitte, by 2025, 70% of the workforce will be comprised of millennials and Gen Z. Creating an engaging learning culture will provide a path to leadership for these team members to keep learning a priority. Embracing these changes now will guide your younger workforce in maintaining life-long learning in the workplace. 

Considering younger employees' values can make these workers feel understood at work. This emotional connection can help with engagement and ensure employees have a sense of connection with the company.

Community

Gen Z is the most diverse generation to date. As a result, many young workers are looking for a sense of community with their coworkers. In fact, around 9 in 10 Gen Z employees want to work with people whose values align with their own.

As an employer, you can create a space for community by encouraging collaboration and conversation among your employees. Interactive training programs create a chance for your team to connect with one another and relate based on values. You can also use events outside of work to build social relationships among your employees.

Health, Wellness, and Work-Life Balance

Health and wellness are big priorities for millennial and Gen Z employees. In 2021, a survey found that 79% of employees believed that company wellbeing programs supported productivity in the workplace. Offering health and wellness benefits is an excellent way to keep millennial and Gen Z employees dedicated to their employers. These benefits might include counseling services, strong health insurance packages, and gym memberships.

Employers also have the opportunity to highlight the importance of health and wellness through training sessions where topics like mental health and self-care can be discussed with employees. Work-life balance is often a part of the wellness conversation, and this can be another great topic to teach your team about. Connecting with younger employees to meet these values can lead to longer-term engagement with the job. 

Learning and Development

An important aspect of engagement for young employees is learning and development. Lack of engagement may relate to repetitive work for many young workers. Training opportunities give these employees a chance to learn something new and add varying responsibilities to their day-to-day workflow. Building learning opportunities into your business structure can give Gen Z and millennial employees the chance to explore subjects in their field and boost engagement over the course of employment.

At Intellezy, we view eLearning as the perfect opportunity to connect with your team. Our wide range of training videos supports employee engagement for all generations. From energizing your workday and mastering mindfulness to developing technical skills for systems like Excel 365, there's always something new to learn.

Explore our employee training courses today to find ways to engage your team.

Intellezy provides the resources your company needs to boost engagement for millennial and Gen Z employees. Chat with our team to learn more today.