Millennials are Coming, Engage them with Digital Signage
Are you looking for fresh blood to join your workforce but can’t seem to attract millennials? Perhaps it’s time to refresh the image of your company with digital signs.
Several industries struggle to entice millennials, especially manufacturing. In part, it’s due to the incorrect assumption that some workplaces are just stuck in the past.
This article explores how to attract this well-educated and tech-savvy generation to your workplace. Spoiler alert: success lies in the tools you use to engage them.
Read on for tips on how to incorporate digital signage into your workplace.
What Millennials want
Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) are internet natives, with the eldest hitting 40 in 2021. The majority have grown up in a world surrounded by laptops, digital media players, real-time rolling news, playlists, and online schedules.
And although social media didn’t really penetrate everyday life until the 2000s, millennials have grown up in a world dominated by hashtags and instant communication through Facebook and Twitter (and later, Instagram).
Millennials expect a workplace that embraces the tech they’ve grown to trust. They want fairness, equality, and excellent communication.
Indeed, your digital sign can be a powerful tool in affirming your company’s culture.
Millennials in the workplace
Some millennials have been in the workplace for over 20 years, but some managers even now struggle to understand their very modern aspirations and needs.
Essentially, millennials want equity, flexibility, transparency, and purpose in their working lives. They want their achievements recognized and are prepared to work hard for promotion.
On top of that, millennials are widely considered the most educated generation, with 19% college graduates and 44% waiting to graduate.
There are over 80 million millennials in the US, with 40 million active within the US workforce. And as Baby Boomers retire and Gen Xers move into senior roles, there’s a real need for millennial talent to reinvigorate industries.
Let’s explore how you can engage this talented demographic.
Technology catches the eye
When it comes to career choice, Millennials are naturally drawn to companies that focus on digital employee engagement. Digital signage content is super-versatile, offering wide visibility in working surroundings.
Digital signs can offer real-time data analytics and reminders to help this focused group achieve their goals.
Catch the eye with short video clips and progress metrics that feed the gamer generation’s natural competitiveness.
Loading up bulletin boards with paper or sending out printed newsletters and memos won’t get you the response you need from millennials. You’re on the clock with this generation: the longer it takes for them to digest your messages, the lower the retention.
With millennials, concise and visual communication works best. Make important announcements through your digital signs to engage with everyone personally.
Digital signage on campus
Campus digital signage effectively reached millennials while they were students, so it’s natural to bring the same communication tools to your business.
This group came to rely on digital signage to help them:
- Find their way around campus – digital signs are perfect wayfinding tools. Instantly updateable by time of day or special events, digital signs are much more versatile than traditional printed signage.
- Keep safe on campus – digital signs offer clear, concise safety information in emergencies.
- Discover which clubs to join – digital signs are a brilliant platform for advertisements and engaging imagery that catches the eye.
- Orient themselves at special events – digital signs in the lobby help direct people to the correct room, helping visitors understand the campus layout.
- Remember essential deadlines for enrollment and assignments.
Campus digital signage content has the freedom to be quirky, using memes and social media feeds. You can extend this concept to your office’s digital signage – it’s the modern-day equivalent of slapping a Dilbert comic on the back of your printed newsletter.
Don’t be afraid to include a few funny memes on your displays. Employees laughing with you will be ready to engage and follow along with goals.
Boost efficiencies with engaging digital signage
One mistake with this group is to fall back on the excuse “well, we’ve always done it this way.” It kills motivation dead.
One characteristic that defines the millennial generation is the desire to make a difference – for their voices to be heard and to make an impact in their workplace.
Gamify the workplace, using your digital signs to deliver real-time work metrics.
Offer incentives for employees who hit their targets and improve their productivity. Offer public recognition for a job well done using your digital signage software to create bespoke messages of congratulations.
Deliver targeted messages when and where it’s most relevant, and you’ll see productivity improve – not just from millennials; from everyone.
Capturing Employee Opinions
If there’s one thing that millennials really want, it’s to be heard. Use your digital signage to address feedback.
Demonstrate how you listen to employee requests, announcing policy changes in line with employee surveys.
Your digital signs can:
- Invite and welcome employee feedback
- Offer a space to share ideas
- Create a two-way conversation that’s more powerful than email
Most employees find email communication cumbersome – it’s so easy to lose an essential message in an endless email thread.
Your digital signs offer clarity, conciseness, and instant communication for the whole business.
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