Work-Related Attitudes Vary Widely with Age

The generation gap is a concept that needs no introduction. Many researchers have looked deep into it, and there are literally hundreds of scientific papers dealing with its causes and effects. But recently, investigators determined that a similar series of differences exists in the case of work-related attitudes as well. While older employees tend to value the opportunity to work, and generally strive to improve their own skills, younger workers, just entering the job market, tend to place more emphasis on higher salaries and more time off, in spite of having no experience in their respective fields.

Young people at the start of their careers are usually referred to as GenMe, or Millennials. “Our results show that the desire for leisure and a better work-life balance starts long before young workers have families, so companies will have to consider new policies for younger people who want leisure time to travel or spend with friends. Of course, the generation itself may have to adapt their expectations if they want both higher salaries and more time off,” says San Diego State University professor Jean Twenge. She adds that the new discoveries could be of significant importance to managers who are focused on attracting and retaining young people in their companies.

“There have been lots of books and articles on how the generations differ, but up to this point there's been little data. Up to this point it's been mostly speculation,” she adds. Experts classified the workers divided in the new survey into three different groups. The first one is made up of baby boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964. Major influences on them are the JFK assassination, Martin Luther King, Watergate, and the Vietnam War. The second group is GenX, whose members were born between 1965 and 1981. Influences include the fall of the Soviet Union, the AIDS epidemic, as well as economic instability.

The third and final group was GenMe. Individuals in this group were born between 1982 and 1999, and they grew up influenced by the collapse of corporations such as Enron, TYCO, and Arthur Andersen. All of this happened due to unethical leadership. Data on all study participants was collected from the long-term study Monitoring the Future. This investigation has been surveying a specific group of people since 1976. “Given that GenMe values extrinsic rewards more than Boomers did, the combination of not wanting to work hard but still wanting more money and status verifies the sense of entitlement many have identified among GenMe,” the experts say. Details of the work appear in the March issue of the respected Journal of Management, LiveScience reports.