A Millennial Perspective on Workplace Community

As an auditor, I have the opportunity to experience a number of work environments. From one week to the next, I’ll go from a real estate investment company to a manufacturing warehouse to a shipping and distribution facility. As a millennial, what I often find interesting as I travel from company to company are the visible differences in corporate culture, especially between those with a higher millennial population and those that employ mostly baby-boomers.

The biggest difference I see is that of community.

At many workplaces with a majority of non-millennial staff, I notice that work is something that seems separate from employees’ lives. Employees come to work, do what they have to do, and then leave – for the most part keeping to themselves. There does not seem to be as much focus on team building or fostering a sense of community among coworkers.

Millennial workplaces, on the other hand, often feel more dynamic and community-oriented. I notice that employees seem to know a lot more about each other. Something as simple as a formal lunch break, which might often be skipped at a non-millennial workplace, becomes an opportunity to forge stronger workplace relationships. Millennial employees seem more interested in finding meaning in their work through working relationships.

There are many articles (including some on this very blog) on specific ways employers can attract and retain millennials; however, in my mind, there is one thing that businesses can do for millennials that trumps everything else: foster a workplace community.

Building a workplace community goes beyond creating a pleasant work environment. Communities work together to improve the lives of those in that community and the world around them. If you are able to successfully align your company’s culture and cause with this ideal, then you will be well on your way to having a happy millennial workforce. As an employee of Kaufman Rossin, I am grateful for the emphasis that is placed on community-building, both within the firm and in our local communities, and I know that many of my millennial co-workers are, too.

If you want to learn more about how your firm can attract and retain millennial employees, you can join us on Friday, June 20^th, for a free breakfast seminar. “Kaufman Rossin Presents: Millennials in the Workplace” will bring together a panel of successful young leaders in a variety of fields for a discussion on how workplaces can better integrate the millennial workforce. Learn how this generation thinks about work, what motivates us, and how we can all work across generations to succeed together.