Generation Gap Pervades Perceptions at the Office
The job search giant Indeed surveyed 1,000 employees to learn how they view themselves compared to colleagues from four different generations. Here’s what they found.
Over one third of Gen Z workers describe themselves as hardworking. Millennials agree, but Boomers and Gen X use the label responsible instead. Overall, Gen Z are viewed as lazy or selfish.
Millennials rate themselves as hardworking, and Gen Z and Gen X respondents agree. Boomers call millennials responsible and cooperative.
Gen Xers consider themselves responsible and boomers agree, adding that Gen X colleagues are also cooperative and dedicated. Boomers do not share this positive view of their younger coworkers, however.
About one third of baby boomers define themselves as responsible, cooperative, and dedicated employees. Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X also define boomers as responsible, with millennials agreeing boomers are dedicated.
One factor all generations agreed upon was the necessity of having work-life boundaries.
Gupta, S. (2022, November 1.) From gen Z to baby boomers, here’s how employees describe their coworkers from different generations. Fast Company. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com
Desire to Do Good Affects Salary
College grads are willing to work for lower salaries if they believe their jobs are useful to society, according to research conducted by professors Letian Zhang at Harvard and Nathan Wilmers of MIT.
The research revealed that even ambitious grads are eager to accept positions that promise a “higher purpose” despite the reality that such jobs often come with lower pay. The research revealed that salary reduction reduces the increase paid for the college degree by about five percent. This decrease, Wilmers writes, has the “unintended consequence of potentially lowering wage inequality in labor markets.”
According to the Wilmers, the college premium has been a major contributor to income inequality over the last 40 years. Because some college graduates’ desire to do good and accept lower paying jobs to do so, the wage inequality lessens, is an “interesting side effect,” Wilmers says.
Layne, R. (2023, January 31.) It’s not all about pay: College grads want jobs that “change the world.“ Harvard Business School Working Knowledge. Retrieved from https://www.hbswk.hbs.edu
Need for Remote Workers Dips
The number of job postings for remote workers is declining because fewer employers feel the need to lure workers with the promise of working from home. This signifies a shift for employers, who can make demands they could not make a year ago.
The desire for remote positions remains strong for some workers, especially those who have found they are more productive and less anxious when working from home. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research corroborated this trend, finding that employees who saved time on commuting were indeed more productive at home.
Still, fewer employees are working from home than would want to. A recent Gallup poll revealed that one-third of all workers prefer full-time remote work. Nevertheless, many large employers including Disney and Starbucks are requiring part-time remote workers to come to the office anywhere from two to four days a week.
Smith, R. (2023, January 24.) The job market for remote workers is shrinking. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com
