According to the HR Council of Canada's Report "The 'New Collar' Workforce", Millennials make up over 30% of the population, and will make up a predominant portion of the labour force within the next decade. Evidently, your human resources department should begin to adopt strategies that are geared towards engaging millennials.

So how is this possible? Follow the tips below to engage millennials and keep them as valuable members of your organization:

Create connections

Millennials are group-oriented and collaborative in their day to day activities, actively seeking opportunities to network and build meaningful relationships with other professionals. Organizing extra-curricular activities, team building workshops, and mentorship programs in all departments can really help fulfill their desire to be included and collaborate with their colleagues.

Further reading: The Importance of Employee Engagement in the 21st Century

Set clearly defined expectations

Millennials are characteristically very ambitious. In fact, statistics show that they've attended school in greater numbers, and for longer lengths of time than previous generations. They are a group of the labour force that is looking for opportunities to nurture and showcase their skills in a meaningful way. As an employer, it's important to realize the potential for increased revenue due to a lower salary expectation and higher drive to increase sales. To tap into this potential, you need to provide an environment where employees can use their knowledge base and skills to meet performance expectations which are clearly defined from the start.

Use interactive training methods

Career development is an important component when developing a strategy aimed at retaining & engaging your employees. When it comes to engaging millennials, interactive training methods that are more hands on, visual, and technology based, are the preferred methods of learning. This includes strategies like lunch & learns, webinars, and interactive workshops. Additionally, millennials crave ongoing learning. To accommodate this we recommend setting up internal mentorship programs that encourage engagement between junior and senior employees. These types of programs benefit the entire organization as they allow for the transfer of knowledge and skills, improve company culture and encourage better communication among the various ranks.

Further reading: Building From Within: Professional Training and Development

Flexible working conditions

In a Deloitte survey on Human Capital trends released in 2013, over 90% of millennials say that flexibility is a top priority in the workplace. You can demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in various ways some include; providing employees with a range of start and finish times to choose from, offering job share opportunities and allowing employees to work from home from time to time.

Recognition and incentives

When you are doing a good job it's nice to hear that you are on track and appreciated no matter what your age or time with a company. That said, millennials in particular thrive in workplaces that provide regular feedback and recognition. According to TPD's VP of HR, organizations need to develop recognition programs and incentives to reward employees for demonstrating the company's core values and exceptional teamwork performance. They don't need to be big ticket rewards, either - employees are often delighted with a range of rewards that can be provided at little or no cost, such as a certificate or small voucher.

Whatever techniques you choose to employ, remember that a well-planned approach is essential for the success of your engagement activities. Download TPD's comprehensive Human Resources Cycle E-Book to ensure success when building your talent bank!