Employee Engagement Similar Across Generations

January 7, 2009

Generational issues are becoming a focus of business discussions regarding employee engagement. Overall priorities and attitudes toward work are often seen as entrenched, divisive issues between various age groups. But variance across generations might not be as vast as is often imagined, and assuming huge age-related differences could cause employers to misallocate training assets.

Variations in employee engagement between different generations are actually small, according to Sirota Survey Intelligence. Sirota studied cross-generational data from more than 300,000 entry-level to executive employees, with the results reported in T&D magazine, published by the American Society of Training and Development.

"Our research has shown that people of all ages and experiences generally want the same things from work," says Sirota President Doug Klein. "Fundamental fairness, connection to the mission and the work, the tools and conditions that lead to success, productive healthy relationships with co-workers, and solid leadership are building blocks for all employees."

The study found that traditionalists (age 63 and older) had the highest employee engagement rating at 84%. The other groups, however, weren't far behind—Generation Y (age 27 and younger) scored 80%, Generation X (age 28 to 42) scored 78%, and baby boomers (age 43 to 62) were close behind at 77%.

The "employee engagement index" was tabulated from employees' overall satisfaction with their jobs, whether they'd recommend their organizations as places to work, and their willingness to expend extra effort for their jobs.

Another notable finding was that levels of employee engagement also varied according to the employee's amount of tenure with the company. Again, the traditionalists had the most stable and highest employee engagement ratings regardless of time spent with the company. For two to five years of tenure, the traditionalists had an 85% employee engagement rating. Generation X scored 76%, and both Generation Y and the baby boomers were at 75%. Notably, the latter three groups showed a pattern of a steep decline in morale after the first six months to a year of employment.

"The reason for that fall-off is unmet expectations," Klein says. "Companies might have talked partnership, but it's really paternalism." Employee expectations can be dashed when an employer initially promises mutual influence, but really practices traditional forms of decision making.

While traditionalists might be taken for granted with their experience and adaptability, Klein suggests that employers leverage their experience. "Creating multigenerational teams will enhance the coping skills of the young," he notes. "They'll have informal mentoring opportunities that don't have the trappings of a boss-subordinate relationship."

Although the fundamental differences between generations are relatively small, "CEOs should establish a vision and culture they believe will lead to success," adds Klein. "HR should then transform those elements into the tactical pieces that select new employees who believe in such things, and hold leaders accountable," he explains. "It's a culture for all, not a culture for some."

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