[Leon Della Bosca]

The new generation of workers value fun and enjoyment over work perks and salary, says research from jobs aggregator SEEK.

This attitude could make them the most successful generation yet at finding true work-life balance.

Working from home is a priority for workers who are raising families but not so much for Baby Boomers and Generation Z, says SEEK’s Laws of Attraction research.

It also found that the youngest people entering the workforce want to be engaged and fulfilled and still have a good time doing so, prioritising work/life balance over compensation and career advancement.

The data shows almost half of Gen Z employees (47 per cent) want fun co-workers and managers, compared to 41 per cent of Gen Y and about a third of Gen X (36 per cent) and Baby Boomers (32).

SEEK customer insights and strategy head Aimee Hutton says Gen Z workers want supportive, respectful and inclusive culture more than any other age group.

“Our youngest workers are eager to learn and grow their careers, but want to do so in an environment they feel supported and inspired by,” she says. “Money is important to them but not at the expense of their work/life balance.

“On-the-job training and development ranks significantly higher on the list of must-haves for Gen Z compared to all other generations.

“A modern workspace is also highly indexed for our youngest workers, as is additional leave entitlements.”

Their relationship with peers is one of the top reasons Gen Z want to have or keep their job, cited by 62 per cent of workers.

Did you find or have you found true work-life balance? What do you think of this generation’s attitude towards work?

[FrankC]

What are Generation X , Y, and Z, and baby boomers > I tyhink the latter aare those born around 1950s, not sure

[KSS]

Baby boomers are anyone born from 1946 to 1964.
Generation X is anyone born from 1965 to 1980.
Generation Y (AKA Millennials) are anyone born from 1981 to 1996.
Generation Z is anyone born from 1997 to 2012.

[Ronin]

As an employer, I find in general that young workers have an elevated understanding of their value to the organisation, plus they lack resilience. They seek counselling often and see their manager as more of a mother-figure than an employer. I don’t believe this bodes well for the future of organisations, assuming that AI won’t be doing all the work!

[KSS]

My experience working with people across the generations is the younger they are the more inflated opinion they have of themselves and their abilities. The older they are the more resilient, more reliable and take far fewer sick days (they are just not sick not working whilst sick). The younger they are the more pats on the back they need – constant validation so you get the ridiculous of congratulating them for the smallest thing (well done you turned up for work and did exactly what you are paid to do). The older they are the more likely they are to persevere through tougher assignments rather than whinging and whining and demanding time off for mental health!

Yes organisations need both but unfortunately, more employers fall for the overconfidence and hubris of the younger workers rather than having a good mix for the kids to learn from the baby boomers.

[Author]

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