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Many managers erroneously
believe there are major differences between generations in what people want
from their jobs. New survey data just released by Sirota Survey Intelligence,
specialists in attitude research, further debunks this myth.
The data support Sirota’s
previous findings that differences one finds at work between older and younger
people are largely a result of tenure – not age. Even among younger and
older employees (e.g. those ages 25-34 and those 55 and older), both groups
show a sharp decline in their satisfaction from their first year of employment
– 69 percent in each case – to 54 percent and 53 percent, respectively,
among those with 2 to 5 years’ experience.
Sirota examined the overall
satisfaction expressed by 64,304 workers in employee attitude surveys the firm
conducted for their employers. The study focused on an important element of
satisfaction – equity, or being treated fairly with respect to the basic
conditions of employment.
"Company culture –
or how management treats employees, and management’s attitudes and behaviors
toward workers – determines how much of a downturn in enthusiasm there
will be," said Douglas Klein, president of Sirota Survey Intelligence.
"Older employees start
new jobs with the same hopefulness as younger workers. They have the same fundamental
needs as younger employees," Klein added. “Their level of enthusiasm
depends on how well their needs are met as they move through the various stages
of their employment life cycle,” he concluded.
“Just 14 percent
of organizations have enthusiastic work forces, where more than 75 percent of
employees are satisfied overall, and less than 10 percent are dissatisfied,”
said David Sirota, chairman emeritus of Sirota Survey Intelligence and co-author
of
“The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit By Giving Workers What
They Want,” (Wharton School Publishing).
There are a number of ways
management is unwittingly de-motivating their employees and diminishing their
enthusiasm, according to Sirota.
“Many companies treat
employees as disposable as paper clips. For example, at the first sign of business
difficulty, workers become expendable. Employees generally receive Emloyees
Losing Enthusiasm inadequate recognition and reward for their contributions
– about half report receiving little or no credit, and almost two-thirds
say management is much more likely to criticize them for poor performance than
praise them for good work.,” said Sirota.
“Too many companies
use a transactional approach to management, wherein employees are treated essentially
as commodities that have a ‘price’ and are owed nothing but that
price (that is, nothing beyond their paychecks),” Sirota added.
According to the study:
• All Ages of Workers: The satisfaction of employees of all ages with
their level of equity at work is 70 percent for workers with less than one year’s
experience vs. only 53 percent for employees with 2 to 5 years’ experience.
This general decline holds at all age groups shown below:
• Workers Under 25 Years Old: The satisfaction of employees under 25 years
old with their level of equity at work is 75 percent for workers with less than
one year’s experience vs. only 57 percent for employees with 2 to 5 years’
experience.
• Workers Ages 25 to 34: The satisfaction of employees ages 25 to 34 with
their level of equity at work is 69 percent for workers with less than one year’s
experience vs. only 54 percent for employees with 2 to 5 years’ experience.
• Workers Ages 35 to 44: The satisfaction of employees ages 35 to 44 with
their level of equity at work is 69 percent for workers with less than one year’s
experience vs. only 53 percent for employees with 2 to 5 years’ experience.
• Workers Ages 45 to 54: The satisfaction of employees ages 45 to 54 with
their level of equity at work is 67 percent for workers with less than one year’s
experience vs. only 53 percent for employees with 2 to 5 years’ experience.
• Workers Ages 55 and Older: The satisfaction of employees ages 55 and
older with their level of equity at work is 69 percent for workers with less
than one year’s experience vs. only 53 percent for employees with 2 to
5 years’ experience.
About Sirota Survey
Intelligence
Founded in 1972, Sirota Survey Intelligence (www.sirota.com) specializes in
attitude research. Headquartered in Purchase, NY, Sirota has conducted thousands
of attitude surveys around the world that have helped organizations build strong,
productive relationships with their employees, customers, communities, opinion
leaders, investors, suppliers, and other publics. The major results of their
surveys have been summarized in The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit
by Giving Workers What They Want (Wharton School Publishing www.enthusiasticemployee.com).
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