Managing Beyond the Paycheck

Patti Gilchrist, PMP, is a Senior Technical Manager with more than 20 years of IT experience. Visit her website at www.freepmstudy.com

  Career Development  

What would you do differently if you were managing volunteer resources who were not working for a paycheck but were giving their time simply because they wanted to? That is, working for the intrinsic value that your organization or cause offers?

At this point, if you are not currently managing volunteers, you may stop to ask yourself, what could this possibly have to do with me? Astonishingly, there are similarities between volunteers and millennials in terms of what they are seeking in regards to career satisfaction and how these individuals prefer to be managed.

Given the number of millennials in the workforce today, and even more predicted to enter the workforce over the next 12 years, this will become even more imperative that project leaders understand how to manage this new breed of resources. According to Forbes, there are “80 million millennials in the U.S. today.” And “with roughly 10,000 young people turning 21 every day, it’s predicted that by 2025, three out of every four workers will be millennials."

So as you can see, millennials aren’t going away any time soon. Companies will need to hire and rely on these resources. Yet statistics show that millennials are leaving companies at a staggering rate. According to CareerBuilder, 60% of millennials are quitting their jobs. And those who remain are most likely detached …

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