A survey conducted for the Barnum Financial Group in Shelton, an office of MetLife and part of the MetLife Premier Client Group, found distinct attributes among 75 companies nationally listed as the best for which to work, including a far greater tendency ”“ 2.5 times ”“ to offer medical coverage from day one on the job.
Allowing employees to enroll in health care coverage their first day of work was part of the business model for what Barnum termed “a whopping 27 percent of the ”˜Best Places to Work for Millennials.”™” The survey found that for those companies outside the “best places to work” designation, the percent that offered such coverage was 10.
Also on the list: allowing paid time off for community service. Eighty-one percent of the best places to work for millennials offer paid time off for volunteer work, according to the survey. This compares with 53 percent of companies that offered paid time off to volunteer that did not make the list.
Of the 75 companies that made the list, many were auto dealers and professional services firms. Regional companies included Toyota of Bedford in Bedford, N.Y., and Atlas General Insurance Services, with a White Plains office. None of them were based in Fairfield County.
Barnum Managing Partner Paul Blanco said, “Creating a culture that welcomes, mentors and motivates millennials has been a critical component of success for our firm. In our experience, many in this generation have an entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation and positive change.”
The survey was conducted by the Texas-based Center for Generational Kinetics and arrives in time for this year”™s 1.8 million college graduates seeking to launch their careers.
“The list, which comes on the heels of news that millennials are now the largest workforce in America, also offers new insights into what it takes to recruit and retain top millennial performers,” Barnum said in a statement.
The survey, conducted by the Texas-based Center for Generational Kinetics, tapped data from the national Best Companies Group. Data from more than 4,000 companies and from 500,000 worker surveys were used to determine the top 75.
Besides immediate medical coverage and pay for volunteering, the survey found offering flextime was a plus factor for 73 percent of the best places to work. Only 46 percent of those not on the list offered it. Paid parental leave, lactation stations for nursing mothers and flextime specifically for doctors visits and school events also contributed to a “best place” designation.”
The data also revealed that “feeling valued,” “making progress at work”and “liking the type of work they do” impact the emotional connection/engagement millennials have with their employers.
“Knowing what motivates millennials to want to stay at a job has never been more important,” said Jason Dorsey of The Center for Generational Kinetics. “A key segment of the millennial generation is proving to be highly valuable to employers and defying any negative stereotypes that may exist about their generation.”
