Our co-founder, Lucy Cohen, has been talking to Soldo about what millennials are looking for from an accountant. Having written The Millennial Renaissance, Lucy is pretty clued up about the ins and outs of this generation. Looking at what matters to them most, what motivates them, and the ever-changing use of technology, Lucy shows how important it is for accountancy firms to be aware of the millennial generation.

You can read the full interview on the Soldo website, but here are a few of Lucy’s key points:

• In this day and age, millennials aren’t just young people! The oldest are almost 30 years old, so it’s important to try and avoid generally categorising them as young and inexperienced.
• Virtual communication is on the rise, and millennials are leading the way. It’s all about saving time and working fast, so you need to be on board with having virtual meetings and teleconferences to keep things moving quickly and efficiently.
• Millennials are blurring the boundaries between work and home life, meaning that the generic 9-5 hours aren’t as predominant as they used to be. It’s becoming normal to check emails in the evening, and people are working various patterns in order to enhance their work-life balance.
• Although it’s clear that this generation are embracing technology in the way they work and live, they’re also able to spot when technology is not the answer! Millennials appreciate human guidance, knowledge and experience more than you probably think.

To bring the interview to a close, Lucy emphasises the importance of questioning traditional processes within accounting:

“Don’t do things just because it’s how things have always been done. Question everything and look to align with the needs of emerging generations. It can be a challenge for more traditional businesses, but it’s hugely exciting and a great opportunity, too.”