Productivity and results in work are perhaps one of the most critical requirements and goals of any working enterprise, whether a company or a job in the field. For employers to have a result, they have a responsibility to choose their employees correctly and efficiently. Most of all, when applying for a job, an employee must have experience and education. In turn, both the younger and older generations have these qualities. It raises the question of whether the employee’s age should be considered. In addition, the goals and desires of each employee may differ. For example, a younger person’s goal may be to build a career, while an older person’s goals are much more modest. Most would like to spend the rest of their lives interacting with people and working instead of sitting at home. Hence there is some misunderstanding and, perhaps, even a problem. How do differences between generations of employees affect their motivation?
Each generation at work has certain opinions about each other, formed due to stereotypes or observations during careers. If the younger generation thinks that the older ones no longer have the motivation to work, the older generation also believes that the young have no purpose and desire to work (Weeks et al., 2019). This phenomenon is explained by the fact that, according to the young, older people can no longer set goals for themselves and think about the future. In contrast, the older generation believes that young people have not yet learned enough about life and are more frivolous. Different generations have differences in views and goals of different generations. Consequently, the management needs to make decisions regarding increasing the motivation of all employees in their work. Job managers need to focus on the specific goals of each generation and not consider their employees as one whole group. (Heins et al., 2018). At the same time, separating and discriminating between the adult and the younger generation is not necessary.
The younger and older generation is equally important for employers if their abilities are considered. The efficiency of work depends on the young (Warr, 2020). The younger generation can work with several tasks at the same time, quickly succumbs to the influence of the environment, and impulsively makes decisions quickly and in a short time. If they have problems, they turn to their friends and acquaintances. In a word, the younger generation adapts quickly and is always on the lookout. In turn, the older generation is more thoughtful, does everything thoughtfully, and works correctly in any situation (Safrankova, 2019). However, unlike young people, older people already lack impulsivity and energy. It means that the older generation can quickly lose their motivation to work. However, older people have a more sober view of the situation. They can give an assessment based on their experiences gained in the past. They can anticipate the outcome of some cases in advance and give helpful advice to the younger generation. The employer can motivate each generation, taking into account their interests and desires.
The issue of employee motivation, where more than one generation is involved, may be a little problematic for the older generation. It is because the older generation is often discriminated against regarding their age. For example, the younger generation is valued more in the service sectors, and older people may have more stereotypical attitudes (Schmutz, 2022). It can lead to a decrease in motivation in work, which will complicate work results. For this reason, employers should introduce specific methods of work for each generation and recognize that each generation contributes in its way and, consequently, the overall motivation of employees will increase markedly.
References
Safrankova, J. M. (2019). Differences in Approaches to Employment of Contemporary Generations on the Labour Market (on Example of Economics and Managerial Study Programmers). Vedecké Práce Materiálovotechnologickej Fakulty Slovenskej Technickej Univerzity v Bratislave so Sídlom v Trnave, 27(s1), 64-69.
Schmutz, S. (2022). Age and Gender Discrimination in the Workplace, Web.
Heyns, M. M., & Kerr, M. D. (2018). Generational differences in workplace motivation.SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(1), 1-10, Web.
Warr, P. (2020). Age and job performance. In Work and aging: A European perspective (pp. 309-325). CRC Press.
Weeks, K. P., & Schaffert, C. (2019). Generational differences in definitions of meaningful work: A mixed methods study.Journal of Business Ethics, 156(4), 1045-1061, Web.