You Can’t Spell ‘Employee EngAGEment’ Without ‘Age’

If I had a dollar for every time a boss has said something like “Young people these days…” to me, I’d have enough money so that I wouldn’t have to listen to people like that say things like that. This recent press release speaks of (yet another) survey from (yet another) best places to work award. It does however denote some interesting findings on age and engagement.

Personally, I subscribe to an old-fashioned belief that people are people and, whilst it might make life easier and decisions simpler, to lump people into convenient categories and assign labels and generalisations, it doesn’t make it true. Some white people can jump and plenty of young people have a great work ethic. Both my kids are awesome (despite me) when they choose to be and they consistently choose to be at work. But that’s because their workplaces provide a structure and an environment with clear expectations, constant feedback and supports in place to keep them engaged, motivated and productive. They took part-time jobs for the money but what they do at work is far more influenced by their direct bosses and their colleagues than by their pay packets.

“According to Aon Hewitt’s latest Best Employers study into employee engagement, despite all the hype to the contrary, age does not in itself affect engagement and employees of all ages in fact want many of the same things.

“Career development opportunities and delivery on employment promises were both cited as of major importance. It seems that when it comes down to these broad areas, the generations have a lot in common in what they want from an employer…”

Give someone, young or old, a sense of progress, a feeling of being part of something, a degree of influence over how they do what they do. (That and a paycheque.)