Press release

75% of Millennials Believe Job-Hopping Helped Advance their Careers, Akumina Survey Finds

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According to a new research report, 75% of millennials believe that
frequently changing jobs – a trait that has been broadly frowned upon by
employers – helped advance their careers. The finding is part of the 2019
Millennial Manager Workplace Survey released today by Akumina,
the employee experience platform (EXP) powering personalized digital
employee experiences. The company polled more than 1,000 mid- to
executive-level managers between the ages of 18-36 years old to gain
insights into the realities of millennial managers’ career journeys,
workplace needs, and technology preferences.

Millennial workplace loyalty has long been a hot topic of debate,
leading many to believe the generation is flippant towards work and
virtually unmanageable. While the data supports the stereotype that
millennials move jobs frequently (40% of respondents have had four or
more jobs since graduating high school or college), the report provides
a more pragmatic view into the group’s job hopping. The research shows
that millennials’ strategy is paying dividends as only 10% of
respondents felt they were underemployed.

“Millennials are both the largest demographic in the workforce and the
most misunderstood,” said David Maffei, president of Akumina. “Our data
shows many of the negative stereotypes associated with this group either
lack context or are outright wrong. Businesses need to avoid operating
under outdated notions and instead align their workplaces to the
psychological and technological needs of millennials who are taking on
senior roles and driving business success.”

Key themes and select results from the survey include:

  • Millennials aren’t afraid to use tech to optimize productivity –
    Rather than being overwhelmed by new tools or questioning the validity
    of emerging technologies, millennial managers – both men and women
    equally – are embracing technology and using it to be more productive.

    • Survey respondents said they believe that the workplace problem
      technology is best able to solve is productivity (collaboration
      and communication came in second and third).
    • Email is the preferred productivity tool used at work and is
      almost five times more popular than its closest competitor.
    • Slack is polarizing as it’s ranked as both the second-best
      productivity tool by millennial managers and the second least
      preferred productivity tool.
    • Video conferencing is the least preferred productivity tool used
      at work.
    • 62% don’t believe their workplace uses too many tech tools. This
      is a striking contrast to other workplace reports that position
      technology as a productivity inhibitor.
  • Millennial managers are willing to pay their dues – Survey
    respondents demonstrated a clear understanding of growing into a role.

    • 54% of respondents said they understand the importance of paying
      their dues and waiting their turn for a promotion.
    • 42% said they had “a lot to learn” and value the opportunities
      their job is affording them.
    • 64% of respondents believe that it’s reasonable to work in a role
      for 12-24 months to move up in their organization.
  • Millennials’ high-touch needs are reflected in their management
    style     – Millennials have made their desire for personal feedback
    and deep connections with their managers a core component to their
    management style.

    • 92% of respondents said that it was “very important” or
      “important” that their accomplishments were recognized by senior
      staff and colleagues.
    • 47% of millennial managers prefer to train their employees
      individually to provide personalized career advancement guidance.
    • 33% of respondents said they shared feedback with their employees
      on a daily basis while 41% prefer weekly.
    • Millennial managers consider office hours with the company CEO the
      top workplace perk – beating ping pong tables and other office
      games.

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About Akumina
Akumina is the employee experience platform
that empowers global enterprises to quickly create personalized digital
experiences that help every employee in every role work smarter, not
harder. By offering a customizable, brandable and multilingual platform
that seamlessly integrates with leading enterprise cloud applications,
Akumina delivers a contextual, collaborative and engaging workplace
experience to every user on any device. Akumina’s customers include Big
Lots, GlaxoSmithKline, MetLife, the Boston Red Sox and the United States
Department of Defense. To learn more visit www.akumina.com
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