By Kyra-lin Hom

When the economy was on the downswing, employers couldn't stop talking about how unqualified were their millennial applicants. It was all of this (arguably legitimate) hemming and hawing about a dearth in writing and practical skills, an excess of emotional sensitivity, and a distinct lack of respect for the internal structures of the workplace.

Nowadays, with the American economy bouncing back, employers are whistling a different tune, desperately trying to puzzle out the mystery of millenial employee retention. The average job stay for a millenial in the workplace is just three years. And with us millenials being the largest generation yet (yes, there are more of us than baby boomers), employers are wracking their brains for how to turn this competitive poaching and high turnover trend around.

As a millenial, reading the advice-for-employer blogs on the subject is an exercise in oddity. They run the gamut from helpful to downright oily and patronizing. But it's always older employers talking about millenials. Besides the quoting of mass survey statistics, there is little attempt to open the discussion to the very millenials they are trying to understand.

So that's what I did. Being a millennial myself, I started asking around and gathered an assortment of opinions from millenials about why we so frequently job hop and what would make us stay. There were, of course, anecdotal specifics. We each had our own workplace pet peeves. For some, having food provided was the golden ticket. For others it was later start times or looser dress codes. But when amalgamated, these distinct details don't have nearly the impact as just three crucial factors: work environment, job flexibility and open channels of communication. Allow me to explain.

To comprehend how millennials work – and how we enjoy to work – employers must untangle the concepts of conformity and diligence. Somewhere along the lines, it's been decided that if we aren't willing to work under a certain set of perameters, we must be lazy, hedonistic and unwilling to work in general. This could not be further from the truth.

Employers should look at college study environments, especially during finals' week. Back when I was in undergrad, we would camp out for days – maybe running home for a shower. A group of us would stake out our spot, mark our territory with food and laptops, books and music (often with headphones). And you'd never see us donning anything fancier than jeans. I preferred pj's, as they were all the better for periodic napping. My longest stretch of nonstop work like this was 64 hours. Might as well be comfortable as possible, right?

So back to those three, interconnected factors: work environment, job flexibility and open vertical and horizontal communication. What they're really about is fostering a workplace that is fun, relaxed and collaborative. Where millenials are comfortable both expressing themselves and their ideas, where we can take ownership of our work, and where we feel like human beings.

I understand that based on the previous corporate model, this seems like self-centered entitlement, but why? Can you honestly say you believe a rigid, top-down, factory-based structure is better than one that acknowledges the human needs of its employees? I know I can't.

If the bottom line really is overall productivity, trust us millennials to work our way.