What millennials want in a workplace has already become the stuff of clichés. Beanbag chairs, beer on tap and a smorgasbord of free lunch options.
However, many of their requests don't seem all that shallow or unreasonable. They crave flexible hours, and plenty of feedback from their bosses. In fact, they want it all, and they want to feel creatively stimulated while they do it. It's a brave new world for today's 20-something workers.
Unfortunately, my industry – education – is falling far short of the ideal millennial workplace. I'd argue that today's schoolroom environment is the antithesis of the new, modern, flexible workplace environment that millennials want. And it's hurting us.
The stats are grim. Teacher prep programs have seen a huge drop in enrollment: over 35 percent in the past five years. At 8 percent, the attrition rate of teachers in the U.S. is far higher than in countries like Singapore or Finland, and the province of Ontario, where teachers are paid very well. Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the Learning Policy Institute, says that slashing that attrition rate in half would solve our country's teacher shortage problem...
This article originally appeared on US News and World Report. Read the full article here.
