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Gallup: Millennial employees a 'flight risk'; 50 percent plan to leave current employer

By Amy R. Connolly

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Millennial employees are a "flight risk" from their current employer, according to a new Gallup poll, and only 50 percent plan to stay in their current jobs a year from now because they are continually eyeing new and better opportunities.

They are choosy about the jobs they accept, the poll also found, acting as "consumers of workplaces" because they want to be interested in their work and have ample opportunities for advancement.

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"Of chief importance in understanding millennial job seekers is their behavior as consumers of workplace," the Gallup poll found."That is, millennials do a lot of homework on prospective employers, gathering information to form opinions on an organization's brand and what it would be like to work there."

For millennials, technology, including cell phones, are part of the fabric of everyday life. Gallup found 81 percent of millennials look at an organization's website if they're interested in employment. At least 91 percent of millennials own smartphones in 2013, compared with 83 percent of those in the older generations.

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Pollsters found millennials differ from the older generation in many ways:

- Millennials are almost 40 percent more likely to say they sent or read email messages "a lot" within the past day.

- Millennials are 2.5 times more likely to say they posted or read messages on Facebook, Instagram or another social media site "a lot" within the past day.

- They are 11 times more likely to say they used Twitter, including posting or reading tweets, "a lot" within the past day.

- They are more than 2.5 times more likely to say they sent or read text messages "a lot" within the past day.

Millennials depend largely on technology and advice from family and friends when evaluating a new workplace.

"Similar to when they're shopping around for a product such as an insurance policy, millennials desire input from family and friends. Roughly 75 percent of millennials indicate that they seek suggestions from family or friends and obtain referrals from current employees of an organization," the poll found.

Gallup said companies hoping to attract millennials to the workplace must fully understand how the 18- to 34-year-old set thinks and brand themselves accordingly to attract the top talent.

"Unfortunately, while most companies spend a great deal of time, money and effort developing their customer messaging to promote their products, many don't invest the necessary strategic effort in crafting their organizational brand," pollsters J. Brandon Rigoni and Bailey Nelson said. "Everything a company communicates -- from commercials and billboards to websites -- reflects the company's brand, culture and the type of employee experience it offers."

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Pollsters said companies need to investigate "brand strategies" to attract the best new employees, especially considering millennials make up 38 percent of the U.S. workforce today and an estimated 75 percent in 2025.

"It's also critical that leaders discover what millennials want in an employer, such as opportunities to learn and grow and great managers," Gallup said. "Then, companies should carefully develop and strategically promote their brand and culture so that it's easy for job prospects to choose them over the competition."

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