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How to Attract Millennial Employees

Millennials, born between 1981-1996, now make up a significant portion of today’s workforce. They are often misunderstood yet they play a crucial role in shaping modern business. At Westray Recruitment Group our MultiGen research provides clear and practical insights into what attracts, engages and retains Millennial employees.

If your organisation wants to secure strong Millennial talent, here is what the data shows and how Westray can help.

Why Millennial Talent Matters

Millennials are stepping into leadership roles, managing teams and driving innovation. They are ambitious and values driven and they commit fully when they find the right employer.

Westray’s research found that Millennials prioritise the following workplace traits:

  • Strong company ethics
  • Competitive salary
  • Work flexibility
  • Clear leadership opportunities
  • A sense of purpose and belonging
  • Structured communication and development

Employers who understand and respond to these needs consistently attract higher quality candidates.

What Today’s Candidates Really Want

Workers across the modern job market have shifted expectations and Millennials are no exception. Their needs align with findings from our insight piece on what candidates really want

From this article it is clear that today’s candidates value transparency, progression support, meaningful work and strong communication. These themes match the specific motivators highlighted in our MultiGen Playbook.

By combining generational research with live behavioural trends Westray helps employers create environments that attract the right people and keep them engaged.

1. Lead With Your Values

Millennials want to work for employers who act with integrity. Company ethics ranked as one of their top priorities. They want to feel that their employer contributes positively to people and society.

How companies can attract them:

  • Share clear information about your ESG commitments
  • Communicate decisions openly
  • Support causes that align with your culture
  • Build a workplace grounded in fairness and accountability

2. Offer Genuine Flexibility

Millennials value work that fits around their lives. While many are happy with traditional hours they appreciate options such as hybrid working, flexible start and finish times and predictable shifts.

Flexibility was one of the strongest attractors in Westray’s research.

Flexibility they look for:

  • Hybrid or remote options
  • Flexible scheduling
  • Compressed hours
  • Reliable shift patterns

3. Build Clear Pathways to Progression

Millennials thrive when they are trusted to take ownership and grow into leadership roles. They value roles where they can contribute meaningfully and see a clear future for themselves.

How to appeal to their ambition:

  • Present progression opportunities early in the process
  • Provide leadership development and mentoring
  • Offer structured training plans
  • Recognise achievements in a meaningful way

4. Strengthen Your Communication Culture

Millennials want clarity in communication and regular structured discussions about performance and development. They prefer professional feedback delivered face to face.

Effective communication practices include:

  • Monthly or quarterly reviews
  • Clear expectations and role definitions
  • Transparent goal setting
  • Easy access to support and training

5. Prioritise Well-being and Burnout Prevention

Burnout is one of the main reasons Millennials consider leaving a role. Employers must create cultures that protect well-being and offer realistic workloads.

Supportive well-being strategies include:

  • Managing workload fairly
  • Providing mental health support
  • Reducing unnecessary pressure
  • Reinforcing work life balance through policy

6. Modernise Learning and Development

Millennials value flexible and meaningful learning experiences. Over half prefer online learning because of its convenience and they also place importance on mentoring and shadowing.

To attract them, offer:

  • Online learning platforms
  • Leadership development routes
  • Mentoring partnerships
  • Occasional in person training for high value skills

How to Attract Talent from Other Working Generations

Westray combines data from our MultiGen Playbook with broader insight into modern candidate behaviour, including the findings shared in;

What Today’s Candidates Really Want

This allows us to develop attraction strategies tailored to Millennial expectations.

Partnering with Westray means access to:

  • Insight driven attraction strategies
  • Recruitment campaigns aligned with your values
  • Millennial talent networks across multiple sectors
  • Guidance on retention engagement and workforce planning
  • A people first approach focused on long term success
  • We help businesses create workplaces where Millennials feel valued developed and inspired to stay.

Ready to Attract Your Next Generation of High Performers?

Let’s build your focussed recruitment strategy.

Email: Info@westray.co.uk
Phone: 0191 492 6622

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