Dive Brief:
- Today's multi-generational workforce brings varying views on workplace issues, according to a report from Heartbeat, Working Better Together.
- When it comes to engagement and faith in a company's business strategy, boomers scored highest in a recent survey, according to the report. Boomers and Gen X also are the most likely to take inspiration from their company's mission and purpose. To boost meaning for millennials, Heartbeat said employers need to create opportunities for workers to use their unique skills and see that their efforts have large-scale impact.
- Millennials also are more dissatisfied with pay than their senior colleagues. In fact, the gap between compensation satisfaction was the highest disparity uncovered by the survey. Crushing student loan debt could be a contributing factor, Heartbeat said, but it's also important to remember that workers may value clarity about pay fairness more than a certain dollar amount.
Dive Insight:
In a separate survey, most workers said they value a multigenerational workforce, finding that the variety of perspectives helps with innovation and problem solving. The challenge for employers, however, is personalization.
Communication among peers and from management can be difficult when each group has its own preferred method of connecting. Finding ways to promote engagement across generations can be difficult as well. The things that motivate boomers, some of whom may be ready to wind down their careers, can be starkly different from those that motive employees just entering the workforce and want growth and development.
Such research suggests that of all the generations, millennials may be the most challenging to engage — Heartbeat's findings echo that suggestion. When it comes to inspiration, HR pros and managers can help workers find their purpose through development plans. If employees' goals are aligned with an organization’s mission or even corporate social responsibility efforts, loyalty and engagement can improve.