
Managers who provide regular feedback to employees are actually feeding employee engagement.
by Bravetta Hassell
June 21, 2016
According to Gallup’s May 2016 report “How Millennials Want to Work and Live,” millennials want feedback at work – to a greater extent than previous generations – but they aren’t getting it – nor are they asking for it.
Millennials, accustomed to receiving regular feedback growing up at home, in school and during extracurricular activities, seek that type of connectedness at work, but Gallup reports only 19 percent of Gen Yers receive routine feedback from their managers. Then, only 17 percent of millennials report the feedback they do receive is meaningful. Gallup also found only 15 percent of millennials regularly ask for feedback. The results suggest there is distance both manager and employee and a need to close the communications gap.
According to Gallup, engagement is highest among employees who regularly meet with their manager. Learning leaders can help improve engagement for employees across generations by encouraging managers to take more initiative and increase the feedback they provide. Improving the lines of communication between managers and their employees could start with short, daily check-ins by phone, by email, or by stopping by the employee’s cubicle or office, for instance.
Bravetta Hassell is a Chief Learning Officer associate editor. Comment below or email editor@CLOmedia.com.