What motivates Baby Boomers?
Baby Boomers can be motivated by several non-financial rewards. For example, they often speak about the ability to control their work. In many cases, they want to tailor their schedule. Secondly, they strive for new experiences. In other words, they want to work on the tasks that help them expand their outlooks. Moreover, they look for challenging tasks that can assist them in acquiring or developing new skills. This opportunity is vital for professional growth. They also want to work in businesses that take part in charitable and volunteering activities. Finally, they emphasize the significance of teamwork, which is also important for professional fulfillment and self-esteem.
What motivates Gen Y?
According to the findings of researchers, the representatives of Generation Y display similar attitudes. Thus, one can argue that different age groups may have the same priorities. Overall, one can speak about the internal needs of a person, such as professional fulfillment and growth. Researchers argue that by meeting these needs, business administrators can better motivate workers (Nelson & Quick, 2012, p.163). In turn, financial incentives are not always sufficient for these people. This is one of the details that should be considered by managers.
What motivates Gen X? Why?
In turn, people who are called Generation X, have a different set of priorities. They attach more importance to financial compensation (Nelson & Quick, 2012, p. 141). Certainly, they recognize the significance of altruism and flexibility. Nevertheless, the amount of compensation is the main criteria that they focus on when they think about their professional career. Therefore, in this case, external motivation is more effective (Harris, 1998, p. 76). In other words, these people tend to concentrate on the tangible benefits that a company can offer to them. This information should not be overlooked by business administrators.
How is Gen X different?
These differences can be explained by the economic needs of Generation X. For example, many of these people have to repay their mortgages. Moreover, they must ensure that their children can get access to education. Similarly, many of them can be adversely affected by a financial crisis. So, economic concern affects their attitudes towards work and employment. It is also possible to refer to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which can be a useful tool for analyzing people’s behavior (Nelson & Quick, 2012, p. 167). According to this model, a person is not likely to think about creativity and self-esteem if his/her safety needs are not fully satisfied. In turn, representatives of Generation X concentrate more on their safety concerns, such as economic self-sufficiency.
Are there any differences with different ethnic groups across generations?
There are some ethnic differences that manifest themselves in workplace behavior. In particular, one can speak about communication style. For example, Asian employees prefer communication via e-mail. In contrast, African Americans lay stress on personal contact. Secondly, the representatives of some ethnic groups attach more importance to altruistic activities in organizations.
What are companies doing to increase employee satisfaction with the different generations?
Modern companies use this information about generational differences in order to increase employees’ engagement. In many cases, they give more workplace flexibility to employees. To some degree, this strategy is adopted by Google. This organization gives more autonomy to its workers. For example, one can mention their ability to change their schedule. Secondly, employees like the idea that Google tries to benefit the global community. Similar approaches are adopted by other businesses operating in the IT industry.
Reference List
Harris, P. (1998). New Work Culture: HRD Transformational Management Strategies. New York, NY: Human Resource Development.
Nelson, D., & Quick, J. (2012). Organizational Behavior: Science, The Real World and You. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.