You probably work with one, work for one, or maybe even are one. Millennials are the largest and most influential generation in decades—and they are changing how we work, where we live and even how we commute.
Millennials now comprise 1 in 3 members of the workforce. By 2020, they will be 50% of the global workforce. Here are three things you need to know about millennials when it comes to transportation, the workplace, and how to keep them engaged.
1. Millennials are digital natives
For these people, born between 1982 and 2003, there was never a time before computers, cell phones and the internet. They are the first generation to have grown up fluent in technology. What that means in the workplace is that the line between work and home is increasingly blurred. A recent survey by the global consulting agency PwC found that 46% of millennials thought that their managers did not always understand the way they use technology in their work.
2. Millennials work differently
The same study found that 65% of millennials felt that “rigid hierarchies and outdated management styles failed to get the most out of younger recruits.” Employees could be rewarded by results rather than the number of hours or where they work, while offices will become meeting spaces rather than a fixed location for the working day. In fact, 47% would be willing to relocate closer to work in order to reduce their commute.
3. Millennials prefer "walkable" communities
Most millennials, even those with children, prefer to live in walkable communities where transportation is not dependent on cars. Compared to older generations, millennials consistently report greater attraction to less driving-intense lifestyles such as urban living, residence in “walkable” communities, and openness to non-driving modes of transport.
To sum up: the commuter of the future is a millennial working on their mobile device while taking public transit from their walkable mixed-use urban development to their job at a company with flexible hours.
For more insight into millennials, transportation and the workplace of the future, click the button below to download our report, The New Commuter: Multimodal Millennials.
