Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine June 2018

News Magazine June 2018

FEATURE STORY

given the necessary encouragement and real world input. Second, Flexibility! Millennials like flexibility. “Some feel most productive in the early morning hours while other prefer to work during the evening.” This really requires the right company with the right work load to accommodate that Millennial proclivity. How ya’ gonna work with that? Here’s a couple of ideas that will require the right work flow and may not be possible in most companies. 1. It is inconvenient for homeowners to take off work for you to be at their home in the 8 – 5 normal schedule. Yet, if you have service contracts, you are asking a homeowner to accommodate your schedule rather than theirs at least twice a year. Let’s say you have a person that doesn’t do mornings very well, consider giving them a 10 to 7 p.m. schedule. Sounds crazy but it is a thought. If this survey is right, it might be an option. 2. Lots of Millennials are single parents. They really need to get their kids to school and pick them up in the afternoon. That creates a 9-3 schedule. This could be great for service contracts where the homeowner doesn’t mind the inconvenience of a day call. Think about it. Where else can a single parent get a schedule like this? If you can provide one, they will be loyal. Along with their child’s school schedule, they may need to be off frequently to stay home with a sick child. Service contracts can be rescheduled with little inconvenience even in the case of

commercial accounts. Since you need help and these single parents need a job, it might be a convergence of opportunity for both of you. Third, Opportunities for Professional Development No one wants to be stuck in a dead in job—or the perception of a dead in job. Regretfully, that is pretty much the way we run our businesses--come to work, work hard, finish up on Friday, and repeat it again next week. That sounds too much like factory work. It isn’t just about money and that is certainly part of it; but, usually money is linked to a progression in ability and value. Millennials value professional development. Professional development can be a webinar or workshop, attending a conference, completing a course. In a survey of Millennials women, “38% said that opportunities for career growth would be the MOST important thing they’d consider when mulling over a job offer.” The desire for Professional Development is much like the curiosity discussed in #1. People / Millennials don’t want to get stuck. They want to learn. Of course, it is motivated by curiosity but also by the opportunity to move up and earn more pay. The combination of curiosity and professional development will develop a better trained individual who can provide better service to your customer which turns into more profit for you. Everyone wins. All employees should be able to see a path to success, given the opportunity to work toward that path--learn toward that