Younger employees always seemed to me to have unrealistic expectations for the workplace. One person years younger than me exclaimed with dismay when I told her I couldn’t just stop doing my work and go home whenever I felt tired. Another younger employee said she thought it was sufficient that she put in six months on the job.
I noticed an expectation for accommodation to maintain maximum comfort and impatience with a job that turns out to be a disappointment. I was taught to stay at least one year in a new job. The younger employee I spoke with felt no such obligation.
Who’s the Most Satisfied with Work?
Checkr recently released a survey of employees, from all the generations in the workplace, showing how they differ and what is common to all in their feelings about the future of work.
Here are some of the highlights from this report:
- 44 percent of all workers said they were happy at work in 2024. Gen Zers (35 percent) and Millennials (42 percent) reported lower levels of happiness when compared to Gen Xers (50 percent) and Baby Boomers (50 percent).
- 33 percent of all workers said compensation was the biggest driver of workplace unhappiness in 2024, followed closely by workplace demands/hours (22 percent) and workplace culture issues (17 percent).
- 46 percent of all workers said they expect to be happier at work in 2025. Millennials (52 percent) and Gen Zers (48 percent) had the highest hopes for happiness at work this year.
- 32 percent of all workers said they fear that artificial intelligence (AI) usage at work could result in lower pay for people in their positions. Gen Zers (39 percent) are the most concerned generation.
- 47 percent of all workers said they have serious concerns about job security if work completed by AI is comparable to human-led work in 2025. Millennials (54 percent) showed the most concern across all generations.
- Only 16 percent of all workers said they believe their manager could be replaced by AI tools without any issues.
- Only 46 percent of all workers said they were compensated fairly in 2024 for the value they brought to their company. Gen Zers (43 percent) felt the most underpaid in 2024 when compared to all generations.
- 51 percent of Gen Zers and 47 percent of Millennials said they will find a new job if they aren’t given a raise in 2025, while only 20 percent of Baby Boomers shared the same feelings.
- 60 percent of all workers said that compensation is the clear-cut, #1 motivating factor when accepting a new job offer in 2025. Millennials (68 percent) felt strongest about this decision-making factor.
It looks like my hunch that younger employees may be harder to please is correct, with Millennials and Gene Zers reporting lower levels of workplace happiness than Generation Xers or Baby Boomers.
Do You Need to Do a Better Job Setting Expectations?
To increase workplace satisfaction among younger employees, expectations for what the job will require should be set before they accept the position and then on their first day.
“Mandy, we’re so glad you’re here! I think you’re going to be a great addition to our team. I wanted to give you a heads-up that, as I mentioned during the interview process, there may be some long days when we’re on deadline. I’ll try to give you advance notice, so your plans are not interfered with. And when you do have to put in extra time, I will make sure you are able to leave earlier on other days. How does that sound?”
Show Younger Employees a Long-Range Career Plan
It also could be helpful to show younger employees the light at the end of the tunnel during performance reviews. Instead of long, hard workdays without meaning, an employee can take heart that their manager has outlined a plan for them. They can have a plan outlined especially for them to show what the potential career growth will be and when it could realistically happen.
Having specific plans for career development in place may prevent an impatient young employee from jumping to a new job in one year or less.
Consider Affinity Groups
Since there appears to be generation-based perception differences about work, having workplace affinity groups, or clubs, for the different generations could be helpful.
These groups would be purely social, with meetings held off-site at a coffee shop, bar, or restaurant near the office on a day of the week when most employees are in-person. It is likely that the participants in these groups will find relief sharing frustrations and asking each other questions.
Make Use of Younger Employees’ Dissatisfaction
There also could be a forum created to harness the unrest of the younger employees in your organization. You could make the youngest members of your organization participants in a group that meets regularly to point out areas of needed improvement in how employees are managed.
If you have a population of people who are known to be less satisfied than others, you can make it work for the betterment of your organization.
Do you keep tabs on the differing perceptions between the generations in your workplace? If so, how do you use that information to create a better company?