The Making of a Successful Millennial Integration Strategy

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I’ve spent a lot of time writing about how to attract, retain, manage and motivate millennials in the last few years. Yet I still hear clients talk about being baffled and frustrated by this generation. With good reason. While millennials will make up half of the U.S. workforce by 2020, more than two-thirds of them will have a different job than they do today, according to a recent Deloitte survey of millennials.

So when I meet a client that has a successful “millennial strategy,” I take notice. At Galloway, a Denver-based architecture, engineering and planning firm, more than half the 130 employees are millennials. These younger workers have played a key role in contributing to the company’s growth (the firm had 30 staff members six years ago) and several millennials serve in management. I was so impressed by their forward-thinking and integrated culture that I scheduled a talk with Galloway president Dave Guetig and human resources manager Jan White.

To put it mildly, Galloway is hyper-focused on its culture. From cutting-edge benefit and community service programs, to review and career progression processes, to employee and family events, the company spends a great deal of time and effort trying to get it right. Guetig and White strongly believe that older generations must change their mindsets and embrace the energy, innovation and confidence millennials bring to the table.

Here’s a look at some of the key tactics Galloway has implemented to make the most of its millennial workforce:

Employee engagement: Galloway offers social events for its employees to connect and blow off steam, including Friday afternoon barbecues on its outdoor deck, Halloween potlucks, skiing trips and bowling outings. Families and spouses are a key part of the equation. “This population is also increasingly getting married and starting families, so we also try to engage families. Whenever we do an outside event we get spouses or families involved. We want their family feeling like they’re part of our family,” said Guetig.

Work-life balance: Galloway realized early on that millennials want to work a 40-hour week, so they have time for outside interests. Yet client deadlines often require extra hours on the job. As a result, the company instituted a flex-time policy, allowing people to take a day off to make up for additional hours worked during a crunch period, without tapping into personal or vacation time. Both White and Guetig noted there are “stars” who consistently put in extra time and effort, and they make a special point to reward those people, such as with career advancement opportunities.

Employee surveys: Galloway frequently surveys its employees to gain feedback on policies, procedures and programs. A recent survey revealed that the cutting-edge, Internet-based training provided to millennials wasn’t what they wanted. “Their idea of training is literally, ‘sit down with me and work through this with me,’ so we’ve had to modify our thoughts on training. They want to work side by side with someone with more experience,” Guetig said.

The surveys not only offer insight into what employees think about the company, but they also help shape policy. A previous survey showed that millennials wanted to give back to the community, which prompted the company to launch its Galloway Gives program. Everyone in the company is given four hours a year to give back to the community. The company partners with community organizations to provide volunteer opportunities and employees also come to management with ideas for giving either through financial contributions or staff time.

Hands-on collaborative management: Rather than reserving feedback for formal sit-down meetings, managers communicate daily with employees about performance. Annual reviews are spent discussing growth plans, and employees complete their own assessments about where they are and where they want to be. Career progression is important to millennials; Guetig and White initially thought they could satisfy that need by increasing the number of job titles within many job functions, but now are thinking differently about how to move younger workers up the ladder. “We’re finding that it’s not about a title,” said White. “It’s about increased responsibility and ownership of a project. They want recognition so they can move up.”

Leadership training for managers: Guetig and White say integrating millennials into the company is an evolving process and they constantly work to overcome challenges. “The people most stressed both timewise and workwise are managers who are having to manage millennials,” said Guetig. “We have awesome upper-level leadership and they are engaging these millennials, but we’ve also recognized that we are killing ourselves doing it. Let’s say it’s an extra 10 hours a week that you’re focused on mentoring millennials. You can’t take that away – so what else can you delegate?” In response, Galloway is looking at providing leadership training so managers don’t burn out.

The company also is focused on making the most of millennials’ confidence. Guetig says some of the company’s younger workers “don’t know what they don’t know. We are very generous in terms of the autonomy and responsibility we give them, and that’s part of the reason they thrive here.”

“But it’s not for everyone,” he said. “Sometimes they hang themselves, and some weed themselves out. But in general, we have way more successes than failures.”

Galloway has done a lot to ensure that its millennial workers flourish, and Guetig says millennials can do a lot to ensure their own success. He offers this advice: “Go do your best every day. Have personal pride in what you’re doing. Care about what you’re doing, because your managers and leaders see that. It’s not just about putting in time, it’s about engaged time.”