Those managers born between 1981 and 1996 favor a different way of communicating with employees than Gen X and Boomer managers.  According to a Korn Ferry survey of 1,500 professionals in February of 2018, more than half (55 percent) of respondents reported that the most common communication method that millennial managers use with subordinates is online messaging, followed by email (28 percent) in person (14 percent) and over the phone (3 percent).  

Employees with millennial managers also report that they would like their managers to engage in more face-to-face communications (29 percent), as well as to keep their bosses fully informed (27 percent) and live up to the company culture (19 percent).

 “The way bosses communicate with their staff has a huge impact on organizational culture,” said Samantha Wallace, Korn Ferry Futurestep North American Market Leader, Technology. “Millennials grew up using screens as their primary form of interaction, and while online messaging and email are effective, efficient tools, face-to-face communication is needed to create an inclusive culture.”

While there are always areas for growth, survey respondents also identified areas in which millennial managers do best.  These areas include encouraging workplace flexibility (65 percent), distantly followed by face-to-face communication (12 percent).

“Members of the millennial generation are really coming into their own in the workplace,” said Wallace. “They may not approach management the same way as bosses from different generations, but instead of fighting change, adapting to the dynamic culture millennials bring will help companies succeed.”