English for R&Dcourse

English for R&Dcourse

Millennials at Work

Before you read: key words
1
Matching · tap a word, then its pair (or drag)
Drag each word to its meaning. You will meet all of them in the text.
productivity
interpersonal
ethics
workload
turnover
retention
strive
excessive
1.
the rate at which employees leave a company and are replaced
2.
keeping employees in a company so that they do not leave
3.
to try very hard to achieve something
4.
more than is necessary or reasonable
5.
how much work a person or company produces in a given time
6.
relating to relationships and communication between people
7.
moral principles that guide how people behave
8.
the amount of work that a person has to do
Millennials in the workplace
Reading · a company report
Read the report. The highlighted words are the key words from the task above.

Background

Millennials (those born between the early 1980s and the early 1990s) make up a huge part of our workforce but they seem to lack loyalty to the companies and the leaders they work for. Multinational companies are noticing larger turnover rates of millennials as employee retention rates fall. This report looks at the findings of two large-scale surveys on the mindset of the millennial generation and explores how organisations can strive to address these needs, increase employee engagement and encourage retention.

Research

In a global survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), more than 40,000 millennial (born between 1983 and 1993) and non-millennial responses were collected on the topics of workplace culture, communication and working styles, pay structure, career development, work–life balance, etc.

In a separate global survey conducted by Deloitte, more than 10,000 millennials participated in a study about their perceptions of the threats and opportunities in the complex world of work.

Key findings

  • Millennials are as committed to their work as their more senior colleagues.
  • Millennials value interesting work and a good work–life balance. They do not believe that excessive work demands are worth sacrifices in their personal lives.
  • Millennials want flexibility in their working hours and are willing to give up pay increases and promotions for a flexible working schedule. They believe that success should be measured by productivity and not by the number of hours they are seen in an office.
  • Millennials want to feel supported and appreciated by their company and their superiors.
  • Millennials want more opportunities to develop their skills. These include technological skills, teamwork and interpersonal skills.
  • Millennials believe that businesses and business leaders should contribute to the improvement of society and they are more likely to be loyal to a company with strong ethics.

Recommendations

Organisations and managers wanting to retain millennials should consider:

  • monitoring their workload and satisfaction levels with their work–life balance
  • creating a flexible work culture where employees have more control over their working hours and their work location
  • providing meaningful work and interesting opportunities
  • offering help and support in continuing professional development
  • changing the organisation's goals from being mainly about profit-making to motives that address social concerns and solve wider societal problems.
Check your understanding
2
Quiz · choose one option per question
Are the sentences true or false, according to the report?
1.Millennials are less committed to their work than their older colleagues.
2.Many millennials would give up a pay rise in return for flexible working hours.
3.Millennials think success should be measured by how long people stay in the office.
4.Millennials want chances to improve their technical and people skills.
5.Millennials tend to be more loyal to companies that behave ethically.
6.The report advises companies to focus mainly on making a profit.
3
Sorting · click a word, then click the group
Sort the ideas from the report. Click an idea, then click its group.
What millennials want
Drop here
What organisations should do
Drop here
Your words
4
Writing · write your response
Write 7 words or phrases from the text that you would like to learn. Put each one on a new line.
  • Choose words that are new to you, or that you would like to start using.
  • You can pick words from the report, not only the highlighted ones.
0 words0 characters(Target: 7–60 words)
Discussion
Discussion · discuss with your group
Discuss these questions with your group.
  1. Do the millennial attitudes in the report match people you know? Which ones?
  2. Would you give up a pay rise for more flexible working hours? Why or why not?
  3. How important is it for a company to have strong ethics?
  4. What do you think the role of a manager should be?
Speaking
5
Speaking · record your answer
Describe a workplace where you would really like to work.
You should say:
  • what kind of company or organisation it is
  • what the working culture and hours are like
  • what kind of manager you would have
and explain why this workplace would suit you.Take 1 minute to prepare your ideas first — you can make a few short notes. Then select the 2-minute option below and speak for up to 2 minutes without stopping.
USEFUL PHRASES
work–life balance / flexible working hours
employee retention / staff turnover
I'd be willing to give up... in return for...
a company with strong ethics
Choose how long you'd like to speak (about 2 min is a good length).
6
Speaking · record your answer
Some people say that success at work should be measured by productivity, not by the hours you spend in the office. Do you agree?
USEFUL PHRASES
In my opinion... / From my point of view...
on the one hand... on the other hand...
it depends on the kind of job
Choose how long you'd like to speak (about 1 min is a good length).