Employers look to keep workers of different ages motivated

By Andrew Cannarsa
Examiner Staff Writer 9/5/08

Employees of all ages say “challenging, stimulating and varied work” keeps them motivated, satisfied and productive in the workplace, according to a recent worker survey. Examiner File BALTIMORE – The generational gap between employees is growing in the workplace, and employers are trying to keep everyone in the office motivated.

“It’s the connection between retention and engagement,” said Diane Thielfoldt, co-founder of The Learning Cafe, a consultant firm with offices in Seattle and Los Angeles. “If we want to retain the next generation, they better be engaged.”

A recent survey by The Learning Cafe revealed the leading workplace motivators and “demotivators” for four different generations of workers: the millennials (ages 10 to 31), Generation X (ages 32 to 43), baby boomers (ages 44 to 62) and the silent generation (63 and older).

The survey showed all employees, regardless of their age, were motivated most by challenging and stimulating work. Career growth and development and an enjoyable work environment were other prevalent answers among the groups.

“We’ve known a job is about more than a paycheck for a long time,” Thielfoldt said.

The generational differences arose when employees were asked for factors that cause them to feel unhappy or ineffective at work.
The millennials’ most common response was boredom or lack of challenging work.

“This generation is moving at such a fast pace, with technological and communication advances,” Thielfoldt said. “It isn’t surprising that if the workplace doesn’t offer something equally stimulating, they would be bored.”

Generation X’s biggest “demotivator” was the inability to learn, grow and develop in the workplace, which has led to a lot of job movement in the 32-to-43 age group. “They’ve figured out how to go and do something different.”

Baby boomers said they were most unhappy with a lack of appreciation, respect or recognition.

“Not being recognized is a complaint almost every employee has,” Thielfoldt said. “About 70 percent of all employees say they do not receive recognition at work.”

During an uncertain economy and with health care costs rising, workers are placing more and more emphasis on wages and benefits, said Joe Gonzales, vice president of staffing firm Robert Half’s Baltimore region.

“Money definitely goes into the overall job satisfaction,” Gonzales said.

According to census data, there are 75 million millennials, 41 million members of Generation X, 76 million baby boomers and 52 million members of the silent generation in America.

Not all of the members of each generation are working.

Though baby boomers make up 53 percent and millennials make up 23 percent of the U.S. work force, the percentage of millennials is expected to increase to more than 30 percent by 2012, Thielfoldt said.

What baby boomers say
What keeps them motivated at work: