The one thing employees want at work

You may have to throw out any previous notions you may have on the differences between workforce generations, because a new study is showing that employees of all age groups are more alike than we may have thought.

Employees in every workforce generation all agree that what they want at work is a little respect, according to the AchieveGlobal Study on Multigenerational Workforces.

The study revealed that respect is the top rated job attribute across all ages in the workplace and that there are “considerably more” similarities among workforce generations than we know. The new research challenges findings released last year that suggested generations differ greatly in their workplace values and what they want at work.

The study analyzed responses from more than 500 international participants from Generation Y (29 years old and younger) to Traditionalists (64 years old and older). It provided insight to common workplace questions, including:

• Do employees want to be treated differently regardless of their age?
• Do regional differences affect how employees want to be treated in the workplace?
• Do project assignments involving people of different ages hinder job performance?
• Is an employee's workplace behavior and attitude influenced by age?

From Training Magazine:

The findings, which buck conventional wisdom, reveal that there is little sensitivity to age differences and multigenerational teams. Additionally, there is an overall ambivalence to suggestions that age influences the way people behave in the workplace.

The similarities among generations are further demonstrated by questions that asked employees to rate the most valued attributes of a job: In all but one generation, respect was singled out as the most valued attribute.

"As workforces become leaner in our current economy, managers would do well to focus on developing employees' personal skills and fostering an environment of collaboration," says [AchieveGlobal CEO Sharon] Daniels. "Inherent in multigenerational workforces is a diversity of experiences and expertise. Now is the time to encourage employees to value each others distinct talents and uses similarities and difference to build opportunities in the future."

If you’ve been searching for new employee incentive ideas to get your employees motivated, maybe what you really need to do is listen to Aretha Franklin. Hand out a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T around the office and watch what happens.

Read the full report at www.achieveglobal.com/report/generational.

Friday fun: Could your boss be president?

In honor of Monday's President’s Day holiday, we have a fun question for you:

If you could choose a boss similar to a U.S. president, who would you pick?

It turns out that most employees wish their boss was more like Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan, according to a recent survey by Randstad US, with 28 and 24% of the votes, respectively.

However, many described their real boss as a “Dominator,” someone who tends to be bossy, demanding and domineering, personality traits similar to Richard Nixon or Lyndon Johnson.

When asked if they would “re-elect” their boss if given the opportunity, 66% of respondents said they would. More than one quarter (27%) of respondents said their boss’ personality traits were worthy of impeachment proceedings.

Almost two-thirds of those who have a boss and have an opinion on the subject (63%) agreed that their boss handles stress and adversity well, while over half (51%) believe that their boss’ management style brings out the best in their work.

President Barack Obama was not included in the survey taken in late January, though almost a fifth of Gen Y employees chose an Abraham Lincoln boss, a choice that Randstad notes as a possible Obama connection.

We would like to know - If you could choose a boss similar to a U.S. president, who would you pick?

Employee training ideas for Generation Y

Generation Y, Millenials, or however you like to refer to the latest generation to move into the workforce ... they’re here, and now we must train them.

More than past generations, today’s college grads rely heavily on technology and social interaction. They can send instant messages while reading an article online and text a friend on their phone, all at the same time. Training Gen Y employees requires a mix of technology, social networking and entertainment in order to drive the message home.

Gen Y at work

If they can’t read the employee handbook in 140 characters or less, they’re not even going to turn the first page. Long-term employment translates to anything over two years and the thought of working 30 years for one company is absurd. They want to learn everything possible from their current employer to help them advance in their job.

They feel entitled to work when and where they want. They want to telecommute and play video games at work. They want to be measured on the quality of their work, not just because they sit in a chair looking busy from nine to five. They want freedom, creativity and a pair of jeans. Don’t forget Facebook, MySpace and Twitter at work.

So, how to we train this group of casual social butterflies now that they’re part of our workforce?

Training Gen Y

Here are some tips and employee training ideas for Generation Y to get you started:

Implement ongoing training. When Millennials start a job, they expect ongoing education and challenges. They’re eager to learn anything new and expect to use what they learn at this job to help them later in their career. If you don’t have the time or resources to offer ongoing training, supplement a static training program with simulations or online training courses to keep employees engaged.

Keep it short. Gen Y learns best from information delivered in short bites, rather than one giant, lengthy chunk of information. Break up long training courses into multiple, shorter sessions to help employees better consume the information. If it’s impossible to break up a large training session, create documents reviewing sections of information and make them available on the company network or online.

Make training entertaining. Gen Y grew up on computers and video games, with constant audio-visual stimulation. Explore training options that incorporate computer simulation, online courses and social media applications. Entertaining audio and video will hold their attention, ensuring Gen Y employees retain the message.

Allow freedom. If possible, give employees the option to attend training at a time that is suitable with their schedule. Online courses and podcasts may provide the most flexibility, allowing students to participate in courses at their leisure. Digital options also give Gen Y the freedom to review materials that were taught in a previous training session on their own time.

Explore mobile learning (m-learning). If you have the resources available, provide on-demand training experiences using mobile devices. Facilitate m-learning by offering e-learning courses, chapter reviews from training courses and share expert videos on the training topic.

Encourage teamwork. Millennial employees generally flourish and enjoy working in team environments. Develop team activities led by senior employees or managers during and after training courses to foster teamwork and reinforce training points.


When training any generational group, your goal is to provide valuable learning experiences that give employees the tools to develop in their careers. Training is a gift employers give to their workforce that keeps employees engaged, happy and productive. Knowing how younger generations learn best will help you develop the next great leaders in our organizations.