Millennials are regarded as quite a handful to manage. They’re generally perceived as job hoppers who are less motivated and who enjoy their work less than older generations. According to the results from GoodHabitz’ 2020 Trend Report into the learning needs and behaviour of British employees, it’s an entirely different story. The learning needs and characteristics of millennials do not reflect these stereotypes. Instead, it is Generation X that are more likely to be dissatisfied and seeking new job opportunities.
Millennials are motivated and inspired at work
GoodHabitz’ research verifies that as far as employee satisfaction goes, millennials are far more contented than their older counterparts. Contrary to popular belief, British millennials do feel adequately challenged at work – even more so than older generations. A staggering 77% consider their work valuable and meaningful and no less than 74% actually enjoy their work. Compare this to Generation X workers in the 45 – 55 age group, where only 66% agree their work is meaningful and 64% enjoy their work.
Stephen Humphreys, Country Director for GoodHabitz UK says,
“Overall, British millennials feel more inspired, more challenged and more motivated at work than older generations. We expected them to have different learning needs and characteristics but were surprised to see that the results show something else entirely.” He adds, “The numbers don’t lie, British millennials are happier, more inspired and more motivated than people generally tend to think. They find soft skills very important and consider their job to be an opportunity to learn and grow.”
Millennials are loyal to their employers and quite happy to stay put
What does the GoodHabitz research show in terms of employee engagement and the employer/employee relationship? The future is certainly looking bright. Millennials are significantly more willing to go the extra mile for their company (75%) than employees between ages 45 and 55 (59%). A good 68% think they will still be working for their current employer in two years’ time and an impressive 86% think developing soft skills is important. Contrast this with Generation X, where 45% do not expect to be with the same employer.
“Armed with this knowledge, employers should be taking these wishes into consideration within their learning and development plans. It’s important to not just hold their attention, but to work towards challenging millennials even more. If they want a place to grow, that’s exactly what employers should be facilitating,” says Stephen Humphreys.
About the 2020 Trend Report
The GoodHabitz Trend Report 2020 was commissioned by GoodHabitz B.V. and conducted by Markteffect B.V. The results provide insight into the opinions about personal development among British employees. In addition to the United Kingdom, the same survey was also conducted in Belgium (844 respondents), Germany (854), the Netherlands (850), France (854) and Spain (856).
What are the 16 most important trends in Elearning? Download the GoodHabitz 2020 Trend Report: https://www.goodhabitz.com/en-gb/elearning-trend-report.html
Research details
- Respondents in the United Kingdom: 835 respondents from the working population of the United Kingdom, between 25 and 55 years old, who have completed secondary education. Results were weighted based on a representative distribution of the United Kingdom.
- Scope of research: data collection through online questionnaire.
- Reliability: based on the sample size, results are generalisable to the population with 95% confidence.