The Future of Work: Work Life Balance

A job is more than just a job

The group we spoke to told us that they want closer relationships with their managers, so they feel comfortable expressing opinions and highlighting issues. They told us they don’t see their job as just a job, but rather as an important part of their lives. And because of that they believe that finding employers that reflect their values and personal identities is one of their top priorities and main tasks.

Purpose

Aligned values

Millennials want to work with organisations that reflect what they believe and who share their passion. Tomorrow’s workforce wants to make more of a difference to society. They want to make bigger contributions, to do their best work, and to be a part of something noble and purposeful.

Participants of the Workshop believe that their employers are able to help employees become more attuned to ethics, be more creative, develop talent more effectively and nurture emotional intelligence. Perhaps the most important characteristic to understand is that tomorrow’s workforce wants to work for companies that reflect their personal values.

More than 50% of the people we spoke to said that finding an employer who matched their values was a higher priority than financial reward, while 90% said they wanted to do something positive with their skills. 75% of the group felt that businesses are focused on their own agendas rather than improving society. Worse still, in a study by Deloitte in 2018, they found that only 29% believed that their current firms make full use of their skills.

Colleagues collaborating in a hybrid meeting

Work is not just about money, it's about passion

Millennials don’t just want to work for money, they want jobs with purpose and meaning. While a reasonable financial package is important to attract and retain this generation, it doesn’t appear to be the motivating force it was for previous generations. The workforce of the future wants to work for a purpose. They want to take pride and joy in their work and the organisation they work for, with motivation that comes from within and is more likely to lead to employee engagement.

This generation cares about causes larger than just themselves. Static job satisfaction will not be enough for them, they want to grow and develop. They expect companies to invest in their continuing job growth and personal development well beyond just sending them to seminars and conferences. They want to be challenged with new opportunities, they expect to be involved early on in complex projects and they want to be given a chance to make more of a contribution.

Group of young work colleagues in an informal meeting

Why a 'bottom up' approach is important

Because mentoring and equality are important to them, Millennials want coaches rather than bosses. They want to work for a manager who will be their coach, guide, and mentor. They want a manager who will care about them, both as a person and an employee.

This generation has the lowest corporate loyalty currently in the workforce, which makes them the most likely to switch jobs. So the more traditional view of a "command-and-control" style boss is clearly at odds with their view of what they expect from their manager. The boss for the workforce of the future is someone they can talk to, ask questions of, seek advice from, and who will give counsel. They want to feel free to ask questions, accept feedback, report mistakes, disagree, propose new ideas and be heard – a ‘bottom up’ approach is important.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, or would like to find out how Sharp can help your business be a successful workplace of the future, then get in touch.

Download our findings

The Future of Work Report: Latest Findings

2021

The Future of Work Report: Infographic

2021

The Future of Work Report: Initial Findings

2019