In last month’s YES! Your Human Resources Solution blog, we talked about how to teach soft skills to millennial workers, who seem to need this instruction more than their older or international counterparts. But that’s not to say millennial employees are all bad! In fact, baby boomers could stand to learn these three valuable lessons from their millennial coworkers:

1. Collaboration. If you rolled your eyes whenever your college professor assigned a group project, you are probably not a millennial. Millennials love to work together, and prefer an office culture and layout that allows them to collaborate. This is great news for a company whose human resources become more than the sum of its parts. By breaking down the barriers (and walls and doors) to collaboration, companies enjoy higher productivity and innovation.
2. Passion. Gone is the willingness to devote a lifetime to a boring, dead-end job; millennials use their careers as an outlet to pursue their passions. And millennials are happier, more productive workers because they are investing time into something that matters to them—something they believe in. It’s even better when they can balance their personal and work interests, such as being able to leave work early to attend their child’s piano recital. (Most baby boomers would never dream of this!)
3. Openness. Millennials approach work with an openness unfamiliar to their baby boomer counterparts. They believe their opinions and contributions can make a difference, so they’re not afraid to pursue relationships at all levels of the organization—even those in the top tier! Unlike baby boomers, who often keep quiet because of their rank in the office, there is little fear of status in the millennials’ collaborative environment, because millennials believe every person at every level can offer valuable input.

It’s a short list, but it’s a powerful one baby boomers can use to increase their happiness and productivity on the job, and to help their companies be better for it!