The best way to learn something about the different generations is to spend some time with them. I recently had an opportunity to spend some time in my child’s 2nd grade class, talking all about being a writer and editor—and there were some big things that surprised me.
I spoke for about five minutes or so and then the students asked me questions—a lot of questions. Little hands flew up into the air wanting to know things like how long it took me to write a book and when did I write the book in relation to having my child. The teacher posed an interesting question about what tech tools I needed to use for my job. Not a single person asked me how much money I made. They were mostly interested in what I did and how it was related to having a family.
This surprised me a bit. There is so much fodder among Gen Z online about pay that I just assumed the generation younger than them—Gen Alpha—would also ask questions about it. However, here is what I surmised. The students in this classroom just assumed I made enough money to take care of myself and my family, therefore they didn’t need to ask that question.
If we take this and apply it to the workforce today, we can draw some interesting conclusions. For one, if we pay them enough to take care of themselves and their families, then they can put all their energies to other endeavors like writing the book, building the structure, or producing the product. They can focus on their job. The same can be said if the support is put in place to care for their family alongside doing the job. It is about creating this work-life balance and inspiring creativity and ingenuity in the career that spurs people forward.
This is similar to some of the results we found in our research report Who Is the Worker of Tomorrow? Remember, the best way to learn something about the different generations is to get to know them. Well, in this survey, we polled more than 4,000 people, which represents a large sample size across the generations. The results were interesting to say the least.
Looking at both the 18–24-year-old group and the 41-54-year-old age group, 64% plan to stay put in both those categories, while 72% of those ages 25-40-year-old plan to stay put. Only 54% of those over the age of 55-year-old plan to stay with their current company for the next 12 months.
One of the most eye-opening questions in the survey was what keeps workers in their current position—and compensation was low on the list. What topped the list were people and technology. The research reveals technology is leading this ever-evolving charge to help drive the world forward. Additionally, we see people and coworkers keep workers engaged in a career, while mentorship is also essential in a job. These are the true reasons people seek out and stay in a career. The survey unpacks more reasons, but we see here workers need purpose and the right people and technology beside them to make their career worthwhile.
At the end of the day, we are beginning to learn that while money is a key component that makes the world go around, it is not the driving factor for many people. People want more out of a career. They want to make a difference and work alongside other people who want to make a difference too. They want technology to enable their career. This information is valuable for employers, as they are looking to recruit the younger generations.
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