Benchmarks & Trends, Company Culture, Employee Experience, High Trust Behaviour
Key Takeaways:
- Multigenerational workplace: Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers share similar expectations for workplace pride, community and trustworthy leadership.
- Employee retention: Millennials who experience a great workplace are 25 times more likely to plan a long-term future with their organization.
- Employee pride: Feeling proud to tell others where they work is one of the strongest influences on a positive workplace experience across generations.
- Ethical leadership: Honest and competent management strengthens trust and helps employees of every age feel more positive about their workplace.
- Workplace community: Friendly, caring, cooperative and welcoming cultures encourage employees to contribute additional effort.
- Employee productivity: Employees in great workplaces are more than three times as likely to report that colleagues give extra effort to complete the work.
Pride, community and ethical leadership brings Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers together.
A lot gets said about differences between generations in the workplace. And what a challenge it is to manage Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers simultaneously. But our research into what each of these generations is looking for in a workplace finds more similarities than differences, pointing to a simple strategy for creating a great place to work for all, regardless of age.
Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers all value pride, a sense of community and honest, competent leadership at their organizations, according to our survey of 230,000 employees at 620 organizations. And there are business benefits when companies create great cultures for employees of different ages, including improved productivity and talent retention. For example, Millennials who experience a great workplace are a whopping 25 times more likely to plan a long-term future at their companies than Millennials who do not feel they are at a great workplace.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What do different generations value most in a workplace?
Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers all value organizational pride, strong relationships with colleagues and honest, capable leadership.
How does workplace culture affect millennial retention?
A positive workplace experience has a strong influence on loyalty, with 90% of Millennials at great workplaces planning to stay long term.
How can employers engage employees across generations?
Build a caring and cooperative culture, support meaningful relationships and give employees reasons to feel proud of their work and organization.
Should employers create completely different cultures for each generation?
A shared high-trust culture can serve employees of every age, while individual programs and benefits can respond to different career stages and personal needs.
