Get Social to Attract and Retain Millennial Talent

I’ve learned over the years that if I want to get my daughter’s attention, I should text her. While for my generation, a phone call is the go-to medium for an issue that is immediate and important, Millennials are all about digital channels. They rarely answer their phones and almost never listen to voicemail, but they respond quickly to texts and even social media posts.

Given the massive Millennial market, retailers in particular are increasingly focused on digital channels and social media to reach this attractive demographic. While that’s a positive first step, it’s only half of the equation. To understand, reach and serve Millennials, the industry must attract and retain Millennial talent.

And that translates to digital and social media capabilities that are not only externally facing, but also internal. In other words, HR needs Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions that can meet the demands of the Millennial workforce.

To read more on “Winning with HCM in Retail”, click here

It’s time to get social. In fact, it’s a generational practice that Millennials are bringing into the workplace and it’s having transformational effects. Millennials ushered in BYOD in record time, refusing to stay within the confines of corporate-mandated devices.

And they haven’t slowed in their pursuit of the most convenient ways to work. But, don’t see that as a negative. Enabling Millennials to work with the technologies they prefer typically increases productivity. If IT listens, Millennials will tell them which apps and tools are the easiest and best for getting the job done quicker. Built-in productivity boost.

But just as social media can be leveraged to boost productivity, it can also be a major drain if not managed correctly. Using a social app for scheduling, for example, can save time. Gamification apps can provide work incentives and help retain good employees. Chatting with friends on non-work related topics while on the job, on the other hand, is not a good practice to encourage. Especially if there are customers to be served, displays to be tidied or inventory to stock.

The key is to strike the balance. Social media is pervasive now so don’t even think of banning it in the workplace. Instead, embrace the positive effects to both attract and retain employees and also boost their productivity. And view abuse of social media as any other bad habit in the workplace, much like arriving late for work or neglecting duties. Deal with these issues on a one-to-one basis, unless it become a workplace epidemic.

The retail industry – and really all businesses – should think ahead too. How can ‘socializing’ your workforce bring new business benefits? Perhaps building deeper customer relationships and even communities that can boost loyalty? Or even empowering employees to launch local ‘events’ via social media. Perhaps the store just got a big shipment of that crazy robot everyone wants. What if employees announced a special demo and sale via social media to drive more traffic?

Truth be told, I’d rather talk on the phone to my daughter. I love to hear her voice, but when I need to reach her, I text. I’ve accepted the new paradigm. And I’ve learned from it. I can’t take her call during a meeting but I can see her text, which is handy. Retailers need to embrace social media – even lean into it and look for new ways to leverage it for competitive advantage. Given the fierce competition and slim margins in retail right now, social capabilities could become a business differentiator.