Hi! My name is Luka and I had the honor to be president of the millennial jury at the first edition of the Employee Engagement Awards. I’d like to share my point of view on this: employee engagement through the eyes of a millennial.
What an experience. It sounds a bit cliché but being part of the Employee Engagement Awards was a golden opportunity for a fresh graduate and entrepreneur like me. When Inge Van Belle asked me to be president of the millennial jury, I was over the moon. It was a first for me to be in a jury, let alone president of a jury on a tv format that’s broadcasted on Kanaal Z.
The jury at the Employee Engagement Awards are split up in two. The experts led by president Conny Vandendriessche and ofcourse the millennial jury. We as millennials had the chance to question the participants during their pitch and give out a Millennial Award afterwards.
What’s the most important?
First of all, me and my fellow jury members and I grew up in a digital world and it is precisely this world that continues to develop every day. That’s why a number of things were very important to us:
1.Digital DNA
Obviously, the use of platforms. For example, a platform on which you can work together with your colleagues, a platform to communicate, to seek guidance, to work more efficiently, … Millennials use different platforms on a daily basis, just to get through the day. For example, a platform to chat with friends, to listen to some music, reading the news and so on. Being online is part of our DNA. So why not react to this and use platforms at work? We deal with this smoothly and in this way, you show the world that your company is innovative but also that you are committed to your future young employees.
2.Support
Some people say “Millennials are high maintenance”. This was the first time to hear such a thing, “youthly enthusiasm” but with a slightly bad undertone. We, millennials, have a need for immediate feedback and support. Sometimes we just like to work at a faster pace and it’s the company’s job to do something useful with this advantage because you can get so much more results out of this. There’s also a huge need of managers who guide these new employees and give them feedback on a regular basis. It’s not only about giving out targets, but also helping to achieve them.
3.Keep on learning
The speed of change is phenomenal. People who entered the labor market two generations ago could apply for a particular job and perform it for 40 years without any problem. The generation before us already had to do some trainings in order to be able to continue to grow or to execute their jobs better. If you look at our generation, further training and lifelong learning are essential. I started my marketing studies when the GDPR legislation had not yet been fully implemented. This means Marketing students who graduate in the upcoming years will again have more extensive knowledge.
Future vision
After an intense and long discussion between the members of the jury, we decided that, among all the strong cases, Accent Jobs was the worthiest winner. Accent just ticked all our boxes. The approachability of the CEO during the breakfast sessions, the possibility of internal training and the working groups where you can have some input on decisions that apply to all employees were some examples of decisive factors The engagement and support Accent gives, made us think it’s the most stable environment for a young starter who wants to be in an organization with a high ’employee engagement level’ but also an where they can work on their personal growth.
Unique experience
Since the adult jury consists of all experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and managers who have already proven themselves, it was interesting to compare their view with ours. For me personally, this was a very interesting and educational experience for which I’d like to thank Inge, Yves and the Herculean Alliance team once again!
Ciao and maybe until next year!
P.S: You can find the final results of the Employee Engagement Awards here.