Generational Differences in the Workplace: Myth or Reality?

Roxane L Gervais; Prudence M Millear

Introduction: The existence of up to five generations within the work environment, i.e. the Silent Generation/Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Generation X/Gen Xers, Generation Y/Millennials and Generation Z/iGeneration, has raised queries on the differences, if any, that exist between these groups. There are hypotheses that they differ in work values, expectations and entitlements. However, the research to date does not provide definitive evidence on how these groups perceive and respond to work-related outcomes. This present study seeks to add to the evidence by exploring attitudes of the Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y on various work-related outcomes, i.e., work-life conflict, job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and turnover intentions. Previous discussions on differences between these groups have postulated that these are areas on which the groups could differ. Method: The study used a cross-sectional design, which included collecting the data using an online survey. The participants completed measures of work-life conflict, job satisfaction, organisational commitment, turnover intentions, busyness, positive and negative affect (PANAS, satisfaction with life, self-efficacy, psychological job demands, co-worker social support, job autonomy, and demographic information. Analysis: The data were subjected to various analyses. These included psychometric testing to assess the robustness of the variables, correlation analyses and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). These analyses provided insight into the nature of the relationships and the interdependence of the factors in the present study. Results: The participants (N = 462) were between 17 and 76 years old (M = 31.23; SD = 14.27) and consisted of more women than men (M = 1.79; SD = 0.41). The MANCOVA consisted of the four dependent variables of work-life conflict, job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and turnover intentions; age recorded into three groups of Traditionals/Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y, which was entered as a fixed factor; busyness, social support, PANAS, satisfaction with life, self-efficacy, psychological job demands, co-worker social support, and job autonomy were entered as covariates. The overall model was not significant indicating that the fixed factor of age, as categorised into the three groups, did not affect the dependent variables. However, the univariate tests showed that age did affect organisational commitment, with the group of Traditionals/Baby Boomers more likely to be committed to their organisations. The factors that affected on or more of the dependent variables were busyness, satisfaction with life, self-efficacy, demands, social support and autonomy. Discussion: Diversity in the workforce is a reality, whether this is in respect of age, gender, disability or ethnicity, and which supports the need for an inclusive work environment. This present research provides insight into the perceptions of three generations of workers. It showed that the three generations did not differ in their ratings of work-related outcomes and as such these differences might not be relevant on which to focus extensively. The work characteristics that affected this sample were those that have been shown previously to impact, such as having too much to do and not enough control to manage the work day. These issues will be discussed.

Generational Differences in the Workplace: Myth or Reality?

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