A Field Guide to Recruiting MillennialsHow to find, hire, and retain the next generation of utility technicians

A ClickSoftware Business Paper

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A Field Guide to Recruiting MillennialsToday’s workforce is unique in that it is a combination of several generations including baby boomers, Generation X, and millennials. Baby boomers represent one of the larger cohorts, but as they near retirement age, the leave a void in the workplace that must be filled by a new class of workers. In fact, 30% of utilties workers are within a few years of retirement eligibility. While the retirement of baby boomers is impacting many different industries and business functions, the impact of retiring field service technicians is particularly acute at utility firms.

As a result, utilities need to focus on the next generation, the millennials, who have surpassed baby boomers as the nation’s largest living generation, according to population estimates, numbering around 75 million in 2016. Utilities need to understand the differences between the generations in order to successfully fill the expanding number of open positions in the field.

Generational DifferencesBefore you undergo a strategic review to begin the process of trying to recruit and retain millennials, it is important to understand the differences between this group and baby boomers. The following diagram from Gallup, provides a good comparison between the two generations.

My Paycheck

Past

My Satisfaction

My Boss

My Annual Review

My Weaknesses

My Job

My Purpose

Future

My Development

My Coach

My Ongoing Conversations

My Strengths

My Life

The Change in Leadership

Given the differences, here are a few ways to effectively attract the next generation of field service technicians.

30%

30% of utilities workers are within a few years of retirement eligibility

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Dust off That Mission StatementMission statements can be a “boilerplate” exercise that is done once, promoted and then only brought out at the annual meeting. However, a key to engaging millennials is promoting and engaging them as it relates to your mission statement in order for them to understand how they fit into the larger picture. For instance, Gallup reports that “rallying millennials around a mission and purpose dramatically increases their employee engagement: 67% of millennials are engaged at work when they strongly agree that the mission or purpose of their company makes them feel their job is important.” In contrast, just 14% of millennials are engaged when they strongly disagree with this statement.

In addition to the importance of your mission statement, millennials also believe that the workplace provides them the opportunity to be most impactful in their lives. Deloitte reports that millennials feel they have more influence on their peers, customers, and suppliers than on leaders or “big issues,” and they can exert their influence through smaller and more locally focused actions. Deloitte also reports that 76% now regard business as a force for positive social impact.

Given the importance of your overall mission to this generation of workers and the desire of millennials to make an impact, here are a few suggestions to get them involved and engaged: Millennials want their careers to carry deeper meaning than just a

paycheck. Helping people is one of the many job benefits for fieldtechnicians as they get to help solve problems for consumers everyday. Highlight the importance of customer interactions and how big arole this plays in the future success of the company when recruitingmillennials. Consider a cause or a project that aligns with your team or

organization’s core competencies and let employees contribute to larger philanthropic efforts. Develop a mission statement just for your service team. Given the

importance of the field service team in delivering a great experience,gather input to develop your own mission statement to driveengagement.

The Role of TechnologyBaby boomers and millennials have very different communication styles and work habits. Baby boomers show skepticism towards new workplace technology, whereas millennials are comfortable using technology in almost every part of their lives. A survey of 1,000 millennials conducted by Microsoft showed that 93% cited modern and up-to-date technology as one of the most important aspects of a workplace. This is a positive result, as technology is becoming extremely important in the field. With millennials comfort with technology, utility organizations will not have to worry as much about changing behaviors and processes and can instead focus on implementing new tools.

67%

14%

67% of millennials are engaged at work when they strongly agree that the mission. Just 14% of millennials are engaged when

they strongly disagree.

76%

76% now regard business as a force for positive social impact

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Field service already utilizes technology like mobile devices, AI, IoT and machine learning. Given the impact of technology on field service, it is a perfect place for millennials to work given their comfort with new technology, the ability to quickly adopt new tools and their desire to utilize technology to do the job. In fact, the arrival of millennials might be the catalyst to drive even more change and allow much talked about technologies like virtual reality or wearables to become more fully integrated and adopted in the field.

To attract and engage millennials, it is vital that organizations upgrade their IT infrastructure to meet the demands of the new millennial workforce. Here are a few areas that can be addressed: Move to the Cloud: Millennials grew up with cloud based

collaboration tools and project-management systems. As a result, they will look for utility organizations that have adopted the latesttechnology rather than learn complex, proprietary systems. Thesame is true with field service technologies. Millennials will want thelatest information available on any device and will not tolerate inferiortechnologies and interfaces. Cloud infrastructure enables organizationsto have access to the most updated software as well as the ability toeasily deliver information to a mobile field based network. An addedbenefit is the impact on the customer experience as the technicianswill now have the correct parts, arrive on time and have the mostcurrent information to fix problems the first time. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Millennials expect to be able to

use their own smartphones at work, and most organizations now havepolicies in place to support this requirement. However, the adoptionof other devices such as wearables like smart watches and fitnessbands will become as ubiquitous as phones and might also need to beintegrated into the IT infrastructure. The cloud is much more flexibleand makes it easier to integrate other devices as needed, allowing your team to adapt to technology down the road without having to rip and replace old infrastructure. Support the Gig Economy: Millennials highly covet work/life balance.

As a result, they are used to taking jobs where they can control theirschedule, like contract work. Increasingly, field service organizationsleverage contractors to manage variable demand, widen service areacoverage, reduce labor costs, or increase availability. To be successfulmanaging an outside workforce it is important that you have the righttools in place like contractor management software. Capture That Knowledge: Field service organizations at utility firms

have a vast reservoir of knowledge within their baby boomerworkforce. It would be highly detrimental to the success of theorganization if that talent just left without capturing all of theirinstitutional knowledge in a repository for training the next generationof techs. Aberdeen Group reported that 34% of organizations reportedthat the challenges associated with an aging workforce was a primarydriver for implementing a knowledge management solution.

34% of organizations reportedthat the challenges associated with an aging workforce was a primary driver for implementing a knowledge management solution.— Aberdeen Group

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Find a PartnerMillennials are a very mobile generation, and that is not just referring to the use of their phones. A Gallup survey revealed that 21% of millennials report changing jobs within the last year, which is more than three times the number of non-millennials. Millennials also show less willingness to stay in their current jobs with just half of millennials, as compared to 60% of non-millennials, strongly agree that they plan to be working at their company one year from now. Given the job-hopping nature of millennials and the cost to hire and train a new employee, it is important that the field service group work with HR to implement a comprehensive strategy to attract and retain the best and the brightest. Here are a few areas managers should focus on: Recruiting: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the U.S.

population over 55 is primarily white, whereas the population under 35is nearly 50% minorities. To succeed in recruiting a new generation ofworkers, utilities leaders must embrace diversity. Key to this process isunderstanding cultural differences, cues, and workplace motivations. Feedback: Most organizations still utilize an annual review process.

However, millennials crave consistent and frequent feedback. Most organizations are not accustomed to having these frequent conversationsas shown by Gallup where they reported that 19% of millennials say they receive routine feedback with only 17% saying the feedback they do receive is meaningful. Implementing a more frequent feedback loop, even an informal one, can help retain millennials and increase engagement. Development: While millennial employees are strong technically,

they can lack soft skills, like communication and problem solving. Astudy conducted by Development Dimensions International foundthat for every $1,100 invested in soft skills training, employers earnedan average return of $4,000. An investment in soft skills training is aworthwhile investment for any organization but can be particularlyimportant in delivering a great customer experience. Retention: Given millennials propensity to job hop, keeping them can

be a challenge. As a result, firms are starting to get creative to retainthem, including loan repayment plans for college debt. In a 2015survey, 49% of respondents indicated they would prefer student loanpayment contributions over a 401K at this point in time. Help with loanrepayment is a new trend, but one that is catching on.

HR and field service management should work closely to help fill open roles. Field service managers should make sure HR understands your unique requirements so they can target the correct candidates with job descriptions that resonate with millennials.

The retirement of baby boomers is one of many challenges that field service teams at utility firms must contend with over the coming years. In order to succeed, field service leaders need to assess current and future technology investments, assess organizational processes to ensure that they correctly support your team and provide input into company culture to ensure there is a good fit with future generations. Through strategic changes and input into these different areas, field service leaders can make sure you are on fleek and winning the race to attract the best talent for your field service team.

$1,100 $4,000

49% of respondents indicated they would prefer student loan payment contributions

over a 401K at this point in time

49%

For every $1,100 invested in soft skills training, employers earned an average

return of $4,000

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Key Takeaways Today’s workforce is generationally diverse, including Baby Boomers,

Generation X, and Millennials—adding complexity to managing groups with different preferences and priorities Utilities are expecting a worker shortage in the next few years as Baby

Boomers retire from field work—taking their expertise with them; the timeis now to recruit millennials and ensure a proactive knowledge transfer Millennials more than any other generation desire a sense of purpose

and possibilities from their work and will consider quality of life andbenefits rather than just the size of their paycheck, it’s an opportunityto engage them in your organization’s mission, tapping into theirenthusiasm and dedication Technology doesn’t scare millennials, in fact, using smart, bleeding-edge

technologies can become a great tool for recruitment Millennial employees thrive on feedback and are eager to learn, but they

don’t expect to keep one job for a lifetime and can be tough to retain;partner with your HR team and managers within the organization toprovide development, training, and benefits that will keep a millennialworkforce motivated

Additional Resources Article: How to Engage Millennial Employees Article: Managing a Blended Workforce in the Gig Economy Article: Preparing for a Field Service Talent Shortage

About ClickSoftwareClickSoftware is a leading provider of field service management software. ClickSoftware enables customers with intelligent, automated decision making delivered in real time. The cloud-based Click Field Service Edge platform is a cutting-edge solution for optimizing the scheduling and management of a mobile workforce and mission-critical service operations.

For more information, please visit www.clicksoftware.com and follow us on Twitter

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