As part of efforts to address the issues affecting millennials in today’s workplace, the Head of Human Resource at Greensprings School, Lagos, Mrs. Cynthia Odunaiya recently engaged employees with a programme tagged ‘Disruption: The New Normal’.
The initiative was executed as a panel session/bonding timeout with millennials; creating an atmosphere infused with fun and intellectual discussions. All the millennials across all four campuses of Greensprings School, including Anthos House were invited to deliberate on issues bothering on work-life balance and explore ways to make their work experience more exciting.
“Millennials are taking over the workforce; they are smart, exposed, energetic and technology-driven, but they are also difficult to retain as employees. Many of them last less than two years in new roles, as they are constantly looking for the next challenging and fulfilling opportunity. “Concerns regarding work-life balance, inclusiveness, flexibility and personal development are top of mind, and if not addressed, employers will continue to witness rapid exit of millennials from their organisations,” said the organiser.
“The aim was to listen to their experiences within the system without their line managers or principals present. Learn what will make them stay longer in the organisation, understand what will motivate and keep them engaged. We need to hear them, otherwise we will lose them,” Odunaiya said. She added: “When we did a statistics on the number of millennials in the system, we found out that millennials make up about 55 per cent to 60 per cent of both the teaching and administrative workforce. Millennials have a lot of energy, which is good, but the ability to ensure that the energy stays positive and channeled towards achieving corporate goals is what leads to excellence.”
The programme was said to have made instant impact, as talented millennials who had planned on exiting the system, stated that the programme changed their minds and made them feel more included. Some other members of staff said they were glad to be at work. The HR Department also responded instantly to feedback and made changes based on a survey conducted.
The Assistant Coordinator of Wider Curriculum at the Ikoyi Campus,
Mrs. Odutayo said: “This programme was apt to have for young people. It was great to be in a truly open and transparent environment where my opinion truly matters. What we learnt here is that we can’t all keep quiet. If we don’t learn to speak up as young people, then nothing will change.”
On her part, Mrs. Olaitan Koshimo said: “I feel like it was long overdue and we need to have more avenues like this outside of the typical work day and environment where people can actually talk openly and share ideas. It is also a good way for the management to get feedback.
With over one hundred millennials in attendance, who were able to openly express themselves without holding back, the event was considered a success.
