Millennials are not motivated by avocado toast

The key to keeping millennials on your staff? No, it’s not avocado toast. According to a new study, fast technology, good office vibes, and flexible working hours are crucial to career happiness for millennials.

The new research commissioned by Jive Communications surveyed 2,000 millennials and explored their biggest working and workplace requirements, including why they’ve left jobs in the past.

According to the results, the biggest reason millennials leave their jobs is because they don’t like the atmosphere of the office.

In addition, 37 percent of millennials said having a job with flexible hours is “essential,” and a quarter of those polled have been unhappy — and even quit a job — because they could not work flexibly. The ability to work remotely was another huge factor for millennials, with 32 percent of those surveyed saying they’d be put off by a particular job if the company did not allow or enable effective remote working.

Even more important than flexibility and working remotely, 64 percent of millennials polled said they would leave a job if it was difficult to take sick or personal days.

The study, commissioned by Jive Communications, also found that 56 percent of millennials would quit their job if they didn’t like the office atmosphere and culture.

In-office technology also proved to be a very important factor in determining a millennial’s happiness on the job.

Of course, this isn’t surprising coming from a generation born and raised with fast and easy technology. When millennials look for a place to work, over 70 percent say they strongly prefer fast in-office technology. Without it, a company can experience serious turnover. In fact, 20 percent of the millennials polled say they would go as far as leaving a job that doesn’t meet their technology standards. In other words, great technology is a deal-breaker.

John Pope, CEO of Jive Communications said: “The idea of what work should be has changed. Team members care about more than just a paycheck. They like a welcoming, understanding office atmosphere, and they want to work for a company that believes in them.

It’s hard to get work done in a bad or inefficient environment, which is why prioritizing a fun and positive office culture with effective working solutions is a must for companies in retaining and developing millennial staff.” Pope said.

Millennials are also more likely to change jobs multiple times during their career. Over half (53 percent) said they’ve had three or more jobs since starting their career.

Only 15 percent of millennials polled said they’ve only had one job since the beginning of their career.

The study revealed that millennials tend to believe that the average length of time they should stay at a job before looking for another is only 20 months.

Over a quarter (26 percent) of those polled said they start looking for new jobs before they’ve even worked at a job for a year.

The poll also showed a shift in millennials embracing remote work. Forty-four percent feel more productive working from home, while just 24 percent feel less productive.

Despite not feeling pressured to do so, 38 percent said they regularly take calls and check their work email at home, showing that they value getting their work done rather than just working a nine-to-five workday.

The poll showed that three out of five millennials feel that flexible remote working is important in their next role.

Over half (57 percent) said they strongly prefer having the ability to work from home, and less than a quarter of those polled said they’d rather work in an office than from home.

And who needs friends in the office? Apparently not millennials. Almost 80 percent polled said not being friends with their coworkers wouldn’t send them running to the job market.

Pope added that Jive is committed to creating a top-notch company to work for, and that trust is key. He said, “We trust our employees with unlimited PTO, a fun and fast-paced atmosphere, and remote opportunities when appropriate.“