Employee Engagement: A Generational Myth? April 24, 2008 Edited by Jeremy Cohen
For all you've read about workers of different generations and how their attitudes toward work are at odds, the distinctions are actually quite minute. That surprise finding comes courtesy of a new study by Sirota Survey Intelligence.
"With the exception of employees age 63 and older, the differences between employees' levels of engagement in their jobs are fairly narrow," says Douglas Klein, president of Sirota. "Our research dispels the myths about younger employees being more disengaged from their jobs. It also refutes the contention that Generation X employees are the most cynical of age groups."
From 2006 to 2007, Sirota examined cross-generational attitudes of more than 300,000 workers in over 50 organizations. The study encompassed four generational groups: Generation Y (ages 27 and younger) Generation X (ages 28-42) Baby Boomers (ages 43-62 and Traditionalists (ages 63 and older). The research included employees' overall satisfaction with their jobs, pride in working for their employers, whether they would recommend their organizations as a place to work and their willingness to put forth extra effort. Their responses collectively comprised an "index of employee engagement."
Employees of the Traditionalist generation were the most engaged in their jobs overall (84%), followed by Generation Y (80%), Generation X (78%) and the Baby Boomers (77%).
Reflecting on these results, Klein notes that Traditionalists may be an overlooked resource for employers. "They consistently have higher employee engagement levels than other employees with comparable tenure," he explains. "With more people living healthy, active lifestyles, and so many Traditionalists uncertain whether they will have the financial resources to enable them to retire, they may want to stay in the workforce longer."
"Employers may want to consider part-time and/or flexible work arrangements to keep more of these loyal, enthusiastic workers onboard," Klein adds.
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