There’s a new wave coming. A wave disrupting the corporate environment as many know it. A wave changing how businesses operate, where they operate, and who operates them. A wave that may define your career opportunities in the near future. What is this wave? It’s the millennials of course. We’ve heard about how millennials are this and millennials are that, and while I have to agree with some points, I also have to disagree with some of them. But I’m not here to bash the millennial generation or to identify every characteristic of them either. With such a unique experience working in many different roles throughout my professional career, I have witnessed a change of the guard in the corporate world as well as at your every-day job. The change of guard is due to the change in the tides and this new workforce wave, as mentioned above.

Below are my 3 biggest observations of this new workforce wave that is changing corporations, large businesses, and small companies alike:

1. Remote Work

The millennial generation is one that is constantly on the go, seeking fulfillment and instant gratification in many aspects of their life. This trait has spurred a trend of millennials seeking more and more remote work opportunities as well as independent contracting jobs. Many companies and corporations have had to change their policies to accommodate “work from home” days or even full remote work positions. Is this because millennials want to watch TV while they send emails, because they don’t work as well in groups or desk environments, or because they prefer the comfort of their own home? While I believe that there is not one direct cause to this phenomena, I do think that remote work opportunities and work-from-home days provide millennials with a sense of comfort and a sense of more time; two things they greatly value. Recent research has indicated that in many instances, employees who are given two work-from-home days are more productive and score higher on employee satisfaction surveys. I can personally say that when I don’t have to spend an hour in the car per day commuting to work, I am certainly more productive. Just think for a second, some people spend 2+ hours commuting to work each DAY. That’s 10 hours a week! As an employer, what could you get out of your employees if they had 10 extra work hours? As an employee, what if you didn’t have to spend that time getting ready for work and commuting? I’ve seen the results clearly: greater employee satisfaction and great work output.

2. Independent Contracting

The hustle lifestyle and mentality that permeates the millennial generation is one sustained not only by remote working positions. Millennials are tapping into several newer resources like Upwork, Fiverr, and more to create independent contracting opportunities for themselves. It has never been easier to find a graphic designer, web designer, SEO expert, software developer, and just about every technical job you can think of nowadays. While millennials and younger generations have taken advantage of these lead resources, older generations and professional experts have recently begun to utilize these resources as well to generate additional income. This is making the independent contracting realm more and more competitive and should spur additional remote working jobs as this pool of workers grows in each industry. From personal experience, I can recommend trying out an independent contractor who has a good grasp of your project objectives and deliverables vs. one that has the most reviews. Oftentimes, you will find that the younger the generation the contractor belongs to, the cheaper their rates will be without sacrificing any work output.

3. Position Advancement

Millennials are hungry, impatient, and think that they are instantly experts in many cases. What does this translate into in the corporate or professional world? Unrealistic expectations and haste for promotions and career advancement. Dependent on the size and scale of your company, this will affect you in one way or the other. Whether you’re a fast food joint, a fortune 500 company, or a marketing agency, be warned… there is a new wave coming. To combat losing key assets on one of your teams, you should voice employee expectations and role requirements clearly to your employees. This will contribute to better quarterly reviews, if your business practices this, and it will help dilute the unrealistic expectations your employees may initially conceive. Secondly, creating milestones, additional certification programs, and opportunities for your younger employees to grow in their current roles will delay their promotion anticipation. By combining both of these strategies, you can begin to create an environment that suits your millennial workers more without affecting current employee roles. Speaking of your work environment, this is now one of the most important factors to potential millennial employee prospects. Millennials want to work in a place that is friendly, hip, new, clean, modern… you get the picture. By augmenting and modernizing your company’s workspace, you could find that your employee engagement and happiness improves from previous metrics or feedback. Just a nugget I felt was too good to leave out!

As this new wave comes, learn to adapt to it and embrace it. If you do so correctly, you could tap into one of the biggest and most technically skilled workforces of all time.