Millennials frequently find themselves bored at work; they begin to fill in their creative needs by creating options through parallel careerpathing. They may be working for your organization, but on the side, many of them are doing small start-up projects. Maybe it’s ad hoc temporary work, maybe it’s pro-bono volunteering, or even a class in a new field, but they are planning another possible career. Often, it’s something in the software area or something in the creative area where they have an outlet just in case they’re ready some day to step out on their own. They aren’t just living one dimension—they’re living two or three—and always keeping their options open. This open-option lifestyle does not seem to them like a breach of contract with their current employers. They understand that if their employers decide they are not needed, the Millennials will be cut from the workforce. So Millennials keeps their options open and a backup plan in play.

Becoming a fully-functioning revenue-producing team member can easily take three, twelve, or even eighteen months from a new hire’s start date. But for many Millennials, twelve to eighteen months is about the length of time it takes for them before they will look for a new opportunity or challenge. You can either be open to exploring with them what their futures might look like at your company, or (gulp), if you’re not ready to help them find a next step up the corporate ladder or in a direction they want to go with the company, someone from your competition probably is talking to them.