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Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec

Generation Y have pride in the job

Employee engagement among younger workers is on the increase

Younger workers in the UK are feeling more empowered and positive about their workplace, according to new research from hyphen, the recruitment solutions provider.

The poll of 1,120 UK office workers shows that nearing two thirds (62.9%) of workers aged 25-34 are proud to work for their current organisation, an increase of 16% from September 2012.

A staggering 92% of Generation Y workers believe their role directly contributes to their organisation’s success, up from 83.2% in March 2013 and the highest to date.  81.8% believe their colleagues and managers seek their opinion and listen to their views, up 16% from March 2013 (65.8%). 

This trend of increased empowerment among young people at work suggests growing recognition among employers about the needs and expectations of a multi-generational workforce.  This in turn may be having a positive cultural impact on the workplace and the way younger employees feel about their jobs more generally.  To maintain this level of workplace pride as for the rest of 2013 though, organisations must maintain a flexible approach to appeal to and retain today’s ‘x-factor’ generation. 

Further findings also reveal that nearly two fifths (78.5%) of workers aged 25-34 believe people within their organisations share common values, up 12.2% (66.3%) from March 2013. And nearly three quarters (73.8%) of workers believe their manager empowers them to do their job, up from 61.6% in March 2013.

But while the attitudes among Generation Y workers are positive, the research suggests that older workers are feeling less optimistic – 15.9% said they were not proud to work in their organisation – up nearly 8% from March 2013(8%).

Zain Wadee, Managing Director at hyphen said:

“It’s encouraging to see a shift in the levels of workplace engagement among younger workers. These could be signs that organisations are adapting to the different needs and expectations of a multi-generational workforce.

“To ensure this trend continues managers need to ensure communication levels are maintained and employees continue to feel empowered and listened to if organisations are to get the most out of their younger workforce.

“Managers need to ensure they are providing a positive working environment that both engages and develops the workforce.”