5 important tips to recruit and retain millennials

(BPT) - As millennials continue to expand their share of the workforce in this country, they're using their influence to change the workplace to their advantage.

The generation of workers ages 22 to 37 is an important segment for employers as baby boomers retire in huge numbers to create what's slated to become a 15-year labor shortage. To stay competitive, employers are increasingly stepping up to appeal to young, tech-savvy workers by digitizing their most important employee communications and interactions - including their benefits administration.

'Being an innovative company where millennials want to work means employers need to digitize not only for their customers, but for their employees,' says Wendy Carberg, customer experience and digital lead at Guardian. 'Companies seeking to engage and enhance the employee experience are using pulse surveys and feedback tools, check-ins, employee-curated learning platforms and many other tools that help us get a total understanding of what makes employees happy and productive.'

If you're an employer wishing to recruit and retain younger workers moving forward, you may wish to move forward with the following millennial-friendly digital tactics.

1. Teleworking opportunities. As employers and employees increasingly recognize the advantages of at-home work, about half of all U.S. workers now hold jobs that offer at least part-time telework. Proponents say such opportunities decrease employee stress levels while boosting productivity and reducing employer overhead.

2. Integrate digital benefits. A recent study by Guardian Life Insurance Company of America found millennials prefer a more intuitive, personalized and engaging benefits experience from their companies. The study finds employers are beginning to improve the end-to-end user experience, with 75 percent now focused on improving effectiveness of self-service platforms compared to 61 percent in 2014. Eighty-one percent of employers surveyed are satisfied with the highly digital benefits administration platforms they've used; 67 percent say such platforms work well for enrolling workers and 58 percent particularly praise their record-keeping ability.

3. Social media for recruiting and screening. If you're not using tools such as Facebook and Twitter as supplementary tools for finding and vetting candidates, you're missing out on the ability to spread and/or gather information that transcends the limitations of resumes and cover letters. Ninety percent of Americans 19 to 30 are now on social media, and many expect their employers to be equally on board.

4. Professional development. Millennials place great importance on being given opportunities to learn and grow on the job, and employers can make that happen through company-funded webinars, podcasts, online college classes and other curricula. Many such courses are tax-deductible, and such investments also pay off for employers as their workers gain news skills and abilities.

5. Multiple communication and storage tools. Savvy employers set up their communications systems to allow for interactions and collaboration anywhere, any time via a choice of channels. That kind of flexibility often calls for cloud-based storage platforms and content management systems.

Keeping up with the latest digital tools is important for any company wishing to find quality millennial workers in today's competitive environment. To learn more about how integrating digital employee benefits can help create a more satisfied workforce, contact Guardian.