By Melissa J. Anderson

Recently the Boston College Center for Work & Family released an executive news brief [PDF] on the topic of Millennials in the workplace. Written by Lauren Stiller Rikleen, Esq., the brief pointed out three key traits to remember about Gen Y individuals, when it comes to their future ability to lead companies.

First of all, Millennials are more than comfortable with using the latest technology in the workplace. Second, they desire a high level of flexibility to balance their professional and personal lives. And third, they desire meaning in their work – they want to be sure they are doing something that inspires them personally.

Add this to the fact that there aren’t nearly enough Gen X-ers to take over for the crop of baby-boomers who will be leaving the professional environment in the next decade or so, and it means companies must be sure they are playing to Gen Y’s strengths and providing opportunities to develop them into leaders – and soon.

By Melissa J. Anderson

In a recent Fortune article, Katherine Reynolds Lewis says that many of the negative stereotypes about millennial workers could be alleviated if younger employees and more senior ones could just learn to communicate with one another more effectively. She writes:

“When employers first identified this issue and began talking about dealing with different generations in the workplace, managers could easily have felt that their young employees were too precious to upset with frank talk and had to be handled with kid gloves. But increasingly, companies are expecting both managers and Millennials to compromise on their communication styles and work habits, with a goal of meeting somewhere in the middle.”

In fact, clearing up a few communication issues could go a long way in helping engage and develop younger workers. As University of Califorina Santa Barbara researchers Karen K. Myers and Kamyab Sadaghiani explained in their recent study, “Millennials in the Workplace: A Communication Perspective on Millennials’ Organizational Relationships and Performance,” communication is a key factor to ensuring an effective team dynamic and maximizing performance. They wrote:

“In particular, communication that reveals shared values and reflects common commitments to organizational goals enables coworkers to forge and sustain productive relationships in organizations (Herriot 2002). Communication can also have direct and indirect effects on team and organizational performance (Greenbaum and Query 1999).”

Following are five practical tips that can help business leaders better communicate and work with Millennial employees, so that everyone produces at their highest capacity.