5 Ways to Make Your Office Millennial Friendly Your company can no longer afford to ignore what this demographic wants.

By Ray Gillenwater Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shutterstock

Every year millennials -- those born sometime between the early 1980s and 2000s -- account for a larger percentage of the workforce. What's more, as they climb the career ladder, they're taking on roles with more responsibility and importance.

Millennials, in other words, are taking over. Has your company accepted this fact? If not, it's time to start thinking about how to attract the most talented among them. (As a millennial who manages millennials, I'm in a position to know what they want.)

Here's are five things they're looking for at work.

1. A real employee/employer relationship

Some call millennials entitled, I say they're not afraid of questioning authority. Talented millennials won't tolerate a one-sided work relationship. Companies that foster an attitude of "you should be honored to work here" are mired in the past. The modern knowledge worker wants to feel valued, respected and appreciated, despite his or hierarchical position.

2. An efficient, productive environment

To create a millennial-friendly workplace, companies need to invest time and resources to create employee onboarding systems that kick ass, allowing new workers to hit the ground running. Millennials like to move fast. It's a good policy to make sure that offices are readily available, workplace technology is up to date (hint: millennial workers don't want to use customer relationship management software that was created when they were in elementary school) and the office layout is designed to encourage engagement and productivity.

Related: Why Millennials in the Workplace 'Don't Care,' and 4 Things You Can Do

3. Competitive compensation

Millennials are well-versed in modern job-searching and job-comparison tools. They pay close attention to a company's reputation on sites such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn, and are adept at measuring how one company's compensation and benefits stacks up against those of its competitors. But millennials care about more than just money. To attract the best people, it's a good idea to publicly advertise the great employee experience your company offers along with the competitive pay.

4. Company culture

Many human-resource departments talk about company culture. Unfortunately these conversations typically have very little real-world meaning. Modern companies that are truly millennial friendly have an actual culture in place backed up by a set of core values, and make hiring and promotion decisions based on how well people reflect these values. At its best, a company's culture helps create a special environment that fosters productivity, innovation and goodwill.

5. A flat(er) hierarchy

Many modern companies are flattening out. While hierarchies still have real value, depending on the organizational type, millennials can't stomach getting "big-leagued" by higher-ups. Simple stuff here, folks: yelling or belittling someone just because they are younger or in a more junior position should be a terminable offense. Millennials are (now) adults and should be treated accordingly.

In the words of Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten: "Don't ask me about the next big thing, ask the twentysomethings on my team."

Related: For True Employee Engagement, Follow These 6 Steps

Ray Gillenwater

Co-Founder and CEO of SpeakUp and The Strength Co.

Ray Gillenwater is the co-founder and CEO of SpeakUp and the co-founder of The Strength Co.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Uber's CEO Says Drivers Have About 10 Years Left Before They Will Be Replaced

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the jobs of human drivers are safe for the next decade, but after that, another type of driver will take over.

Business News

'Everyone Can Profit From It': What Is DeepSeek? China's 'Cheap' to Make AI Chatbot Climbs to the Top of Apple, Google U.S. App Stores

DeepSeek researchers claim it was developed for less than $6 million, a contrast to the $100 million it takes U.S. tech startups to create AI.

Business News

'I Love Doing Product Reviews': Bill Gates Stepped Down from Microsoft in 2020, But Admits He Still Spends 15% of His Time Working at the Company

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gates also said he is still close with Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella.

Branding

How to Build a Strong Brand Identity for Your Early-Stage Startup

Branding might not be your first priority, but neglecting it can hurt your startup. A strong brand identity early on sets the stage for marketing success.

Business News

Elon Musk's DOGE Is Hiring People Eager to 'Work Long Hours' to Eliminate 'Waste, Fraud and Abuse' in the Government. Here's How to Apply.

The Department of Government Efficiency is hiring U.S. citizens to help cut spending and headcounts in the federal government.