Safety Training for Millennials

While the focus in recent years has been an aging workforce it has shifted and research shows that millennials are now the largest segment of the labor force.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2020, nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce will consist of millennials.  And the time to plan on how provide safety training for them is now. 

In recent years, many have felt that safety training millennials was going to be difficult because they were thought to be hard to engage and even harder to keep interested because of their need for instant gratification and short attention spans. But many safety professional have found that safety training for millennials can be very rewarding and that they can actually be very attentive and engaged if you take advantage of their use of technology. 

They were born using technology.  When many in safety management didn’t even like to use computers on the job or even cell phones, these millennials were playing video games as a part of growing up.  Their use and understanding of technology is light years ahead of where the safety world was when they were born between the 1980’s and 2000.

They are not only tech savvy; they are used to finding what they want and finding it immediately!  While some of us may be pondering where to go for dinner, they have their cells phones out and have a list of several choices.  When you give them access to training on their own terms, you can get their attention.  They are highly mobile and are comfortable in accessing and receiving information, including training, through the use of technology and mobile devices, and in fact they expect to. 

Take advantage of who they are.  If you want to disturb your safety training routine, millennials will be ok with it, actually like it.  Some would say that millennials are more risk tolerant than previous generations and far more entrepreneurial.  When you combine those attributes it will give them a sense of competence. 

Behavior based safety, properly executed, works very well with millennials.  You can teach them with instant messaging, observe them in action, and reward them instantly. 

According to a 2012 study commissioned by Time Inc. millennials switch media types 27 times every nonworking hour. And, just because they are at work does not mean they put down their phones or stop checking social media sites. So take advantage of it. Use safety training materials that are concise and available on demand. You might be surprised at the results.

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