The Top 3 Things Millennials Look For in a Job in 2022

Stressed and burned out, many have left their jobs in the past year. Employers wonder why their employees are willing to quit so quickly and what they can do to keep them from leaving.

We’ve decided to interview millennial friends and colleagues in different job positions and industries to tell us what is essential for them besides fair pay. There are 3 things that all of the interviewers agreed are of significant importance in a workplace, and they’re not afraid to quit if an employer doesn’t meet their needs.

  1. Healthy Environment

Everyone will agree that there is no ideal workplace, but working in a healthy, non-toxic environment where there isn’t constant pressure, criticism and manipulation are significant factors. One of the big red flags for the millennials is when the HR recruiter (or people in charge) says, “We are Family” – in most cases, these companies have toxic environments.

Companies should work on creating a positive and stimulating environment where there is healthy communication between manager-employee and colleagues. In such a friendly and exciting environment, people could share ideas much more easily and combat any problems encountered.

  1. Opportunity to Grow

Millennials value opportunities for growth more than any generation that has come before them. They are willing to take a job that starts on a lower level and with a lower payment, knowing that they could quickly grow and improve in this position. The motivation that comes from that possibility is a huge driving force. When employees feel like you care about their long-term growth, they’re more likely to stay with your organisation and tap into the opportunities you offer.

  1. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance

After two years of working from home, millennials are not ready to return to in-office 9-to-5. Remote and flexible working hours are some of the most significant factors when deciding to keep a job or move to another one. 

With the proven records of productivity improvements when working from home, flexibility at work isn’t just a nice add-on to a benefits package anymore or a positive aspect of workplace culture. In fact, flexibility and a work-life balance are essential for the success of both employees and companies. It’s happier workers who actually do the best work.

Final Thoughts

Millennials are trying to move forward in their careers and lives in a way they feel is most beneficial to their future. As an employer, you should work on creating a collaborative and healthy company culture that shows employees are appreciated and respected.

Allow employees to speak their minds, ensure you’re doing your part to help promote timely, constructive, and positive communication across the entire team and encourage employees to set boundaries and take their vacation time. And of course, pay your employees’ competitive compensation, evaluate and adjust salaries regularly. 

Six Ways to Show the Human Side of your Brand on Social Media

The clue’s in the name – social media marketing should first and foremost be ‘social.’ 

People want to feel a connection to others with authentic content that feels inspiring, informative and crucially, human. In essence, they want to engage with other people, not brands. 

The key to seeing success on social media, therefore, is to put humans (your customers and your employees) at the heart of your marketing strategy. 

A purpose-driven business has a head start when it comes to creating more human-centric content. Your commitment to a bigger goal is a powerful USP that can supercharge your efforts and ensure you stand out from the crowd on social. 

Presenting the human side of your brand will simply amplify your mission whilst building trust and emotional connections with your audience. 

Sound good? Read on for our six top tips for developing a strategy focused on humanising your brand. 

Use Video 

We know you’ve heard it a million times – video marketing is the most important element of any social media strategy. That’s because it’s supremely powerful, and if you’re on a mission to humanise your business, then video is everything.

One of the most powerful ways to utilise video is by giving your followers behind-the-scenes content that paints a picture of your business and your people; a video walk-through, a personal introduction or a behind-the-scenes tour is a great way to do this. 

Remember, these don’t need to be slick, highly produced videos, most phone cameras can capture brilliant footage nowadays, and a more informal approach to production (so long as it’s not too scrappy) will help with your efforts to make your social presence more human. 

And who should be featured in these videos, you ask? Well, that leads us nicely to our next point… 

Shine the spotlight on your employees

What better way to show the human side of your company than to put some focus on the people behind your brand?

Think about it, would you be more likely to engage with a logo or a face on your own social media feed? 

Social media allows you to bring your employees’ voices to life and gives your customers the chance to put a face to a name. This is a powerful asset – most customers will react best when they are able to know who they’re speaking with. 

Showing the faces of your team allows customers to connect with your brand on a deeper level, giving them a good idea of whether or not your brand’s values line up with their own. 

Content could include photos at team events or get-togethers, or behind-the-scenes tours led by an employee. This is a great way to get your staff to contribute to your content – encourage them to get involved; their personality will shine through if they can bring their own ideas to the table, and it will help them feel more valued and engaged with your company as well.

Research shows that consumers are increasingly preferring to do business with actual humans than faceless companies, so now is the time to let your employees shine online!

Sell less (yes, really)

One of the most important things to remember when humanising your brand is to take your foot off the ‘sell, sell, sell’ pedal and ease into a more gentle gear that prioritises great content over winning business. 

It may be tempting to shout from the rooftops about how great your service is, but your content should not be a glorified sales pitch to your followers. Instead, focus on the foundations of your brand – trust, integrity, reliability – selling the values at the heart of your business should be what captivates your follower’s interest.

Keep it chatty

One of the most crucial ways you can humanise your brand is through the language you use. 

Using industry slang, formal sentences, and third person tense are all big no-no’s. Social media is about creating dialogue and building those all-important personal relationships, so keep things light and breezy, and don’t be afraid to write as you speak. 

Some good advice is to act like you’re talking to your neighbour, be informal (but polite) and crucially – be human. Remember, you are not a robot! 

Use follower content

We know it’s all well and good for us to spout on about what kind of content will humanise your brand, but creating that content can take a lot of time. 

We get it. 

So, here’s an idea for the time-strapped – share your follower’s content. You can’t get a better endorsement than an enthusiastic Twitter post from a happy customer or an Instagram story from your biggest client. It also works wonders for making you seem human by centring on real-life human experiences.

Embrace storytelling

Want to show the human side of your business? Then tell your story. 

Storytelling is such a buzzword right now, and brands are getting smarter about how it can work for them on social media. It’s also a fantastic way to humanise your social feeds and build emotional connections with your followers.

How did your company start? Perhaps your founder was in a dead-end job and needed more purpose in their life; perhaps it’s a family business that has been passed down through the generations. Every business is made up of humans, and therefore every business has a human story. 

Your job is to tell it. 

The Human Touch 

Approaching the job of humanising your online brand may seem daunting, but so long as you keep a people-centric focus, you’ll likely find the job of creating content becomes much easier. 

Just remember to keep humans front and centre, be it your customers, your employees or other advocates. 

You’ll find that creating relatable and consistent human-focused messaging will not only grow your business but will also boost engagement as well.

Good luck, and remember that human touch!