How Millennials Will Shape the Modern Workplace

Millennials will become the dominant portion of the workforce in a few years

SPONSOREDUpdated 11:11AM • 10/02/18

The great generational shift is underway. Over the course of the next 10 years, Millennials - those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s - will come to dominate the workforce. By 2025, approximately 75 percent of the U.S. workforce will consist of this generation, according to Forbes.

The perception of Millennials is that they stay away from the corporate world. But this generation is going against that idea and reshaping the way we look at the modern workplace. It may be premature to say that Millennials are changing the world, but they are bringing a fresh point of view to the office.

One industry that Millennials are gravitating to is franchising. Franchising comes with systems in place to help achieve success, but some franchisors are open to the new ideas Millennials are bringing to the table. Best in Class CEO and Chairman Hao Lam, said his business employs a number of millennials and he remains completely open to them offering new ideas while learning about franchising.

“I can say for Best in Class that people feed off our Millennial workforce’s positive attitude and desire to make a difference with the company,” Lam said. “ But they are not against learning new things or trying different things in order to drive our business forward. The idea of adapting to proven models while injecting some new life into them is one of the reasons why Millennials succeed in franchising.”

In order to have a successful franchise, workers need to be accessible around the clock. A franchisee may need to answer emails after business hours or assist a customer on the weekend. The public perception of Millennials is that once it's 5 p.m., work is done for the day. But Fast Company said Millennials are embracing a work life blend, rather than a work-life balance.

“Gone will be systems that lock employees out of their personal lives while they’re at work, and in will come more flexible work-life arrangements that allow employees to work from home or work flex hours so they can spend more time with family or engaging in their personal activities,” Fast Company reported.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, millennials now number more than 83 million and will become the majority of the modern workforce. The generation brings a lot of ideas to the table and franchisors should start to pay attention to this demographic. Their fresh ideas and attitudes will help inject new life into the industry and how the workplace feels.