With graduation right around the corner, more and more millennials will be entering the workforce. As the largest generation, millennials are considered to be realistic, confident and social in the workplace. While each generation differs from the next, millennials continue to be thought of as the “unknown factor.”

So, to begin to prepare for an influx of millennials in the workplace, it would be beneficial to employ an internship program. This implementation will allow more traditional companies to slowly shift their focus to welcome a generation of future leaders in the business.

Because of their social and confident personalities, millennials are more willing to ask for work and be confident in the outcome. By establishing an internship program, it is important to vet the new employees as workers whom you are able to be confident in. Mold these future employees’ work styles in a way that fits best with the company’s mission and values.

Should they have a work style that fits well with the long terms goals of the company and they have moved out of the internship phase, begin to establish practices in the office that can assist with their best work.

Have a purpose for the work they do daily. Not only will this help millennials identify with the task they are assigned, but it will allow them to take personal advantage of their creativity to have the best result.

And should these young workers do well, companies should establish a positive recognition program. This practice will impact overall engagement and increase workplace morale. Focus on improving millennials personally and professionally to improve your business.

Millennials are sometimes perceived as a difficult generation to adjust to in the workplace; however, if you take advantage of the strengths that they possess and begin to plan steps to integrate the incoming workforce into the company, your business will benefit in the long run.

With the 45th president now in office, many changes are expected, but how will those changes affect the workplace? How will new Executive legislation impact the way business is run overall?

If you are in the business of major international trade agreements, there is a possibility that new legislation is likely to make an impact. New provisions could be set in place to incentivize location of facilities to the homeland. Therefore, evaluate international business practices and have an understanding of what may come in future years.

Tax reform also remains to be a topic of speculative change as the new president comes into office. While immediate change is not anticipated due to Congress’ involvement, a vocal want by the new President for a sweep of tax reforms, that may benefit corporations, is likely to be on the first year’s agenda. Any tax reform would change the way business is run and should stay at the forefront of manager’s minds.

Finally, one of the most publicized topics during the campaign trail regarding immigration reform will affect businesses that rely heavily on Immigrant Americans. Considering a portion of American workers rely on Executive Actions like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for legal status, the implication of managers for those workers could be detrimental to the business and therefore, should prepare for change.

Just like any shift in office, change is inevitable. It is best to keep an eye on what will be affecting the business you work in and set a plan to combat any detrimental hits or take advantage of financial incentives that could influence the business.

The culture of the workplace has become a critical aspect in the interest of new job seekers.

If you work in the right environment, opportunity and success usually accompanies and therefore, companies must transition themselves into a position that will cater to the new and upcoming workplace shift without losing their values and the productivity as a company.

But, how can employers do this?

Think of the work setting as a household. Have main gathering areas such as conference rooms or lounge spaces where employees can meet or bounce ideas off of one another. Inversely, make spaces available that offer an escape for employees that may need to focus or prefer time by themselves. Finally, utilize the outdoors. Allow employees to enjoy fresh air either with coworkers or by themselves.

Not only will these areas allow employees to pick and choose the environment they feel most comfortable in, but it will also allow for increased peer-to-peer connection and stronger work/project outcomes.

Aside from the obvious setting, it is also important to bring inspiration and enlightenment to the office. Don’t flood the room with work supplies but rather decorate with vibrant colors and paintings. Employees are more apt to be more productive in a bright and colorful area compared to areas that stick to neutral color pallets.

But don’t just act on this new recruiting tool – live it. Start from the top down and create a positive and safe environment. Greet coworkers in the hallway and genuinely welcome guests. People respond positively to genuine impressions so therefore, recruits will be more prone to entertaining the possibility of a job should they feel a strong connection with the people that they will be working with and for.

No matter the type of environment you have created or plan to create in the workplace, it is important to design a community that will be conducive and align well with the overall mission and vision of the business. Opportunity lies with uniquely creating your workspace in a way that will attract outstanding employees while showing off the success of the company.

Welcome to the year 2017! As with any New Year, new trends begin to develop, which may lead the way to an entirely new workplace era. And with the ever-changing and ever-growing technology within the workplace along with the appearance of a whole new generational workforce, 2017 is shaping up to be an exciting year that is sure to bring an entirely different view of the workplace that many are accustomed to.

Millennials are the largest generational sector of the workforce, which has begun to push managers to alter their way of leadership to fit an entirely different generation that they have not become accustomed to working with on a full-time basis.

One change that may be more prevalent with the new the calendar year is the appearance of more casual dress in a professional workplace setting. Professional dress will not be as highly regarded as it was in the past, while the traditional workplace setting (i.e. desk, computer, chair) will become less “traditional.” Many companies will begin to adopt natural workplace settings and will transition into a relaxed and “zen” environment, which will start to take the front seat as the year’s pass.

As with anything, change may lead to some generational conflicts especially regarding decision-making and the methods by which projects are completed. However, the outcome of the projects will be stronger and more beneficial to the company because of a push that will be brought on by managers for employee cohesion. Ultimately, this will result in a heightened regard for data visualization and finalized group presentations.

Managers and employees alike will continue to emphasize their use of technology. And since technology will continue to gain traction in the workplace, it is important that managers implement a system that will allow technology to improve their company rather than hinder it.

So while we can’t predict the outcome of 2017 or what the year will eventually shape into, we foresee that the 2017 workplace will move much faster and be much more exciting than in previous years.