Regardless of their ages, most workers lose enthusiasm for their jobs after six months

Many managers erroneously believe there are major differences between generations in what people want from their jobs. New survey data just released by Sirota Survey Intelligence, specialists in attitude research, further debunks this myth.

The data support Sirotaís previous findings that differences one finds at work between older and younger people are largely a result of tenure ñ not age. Even among younger and older employees (e.g. those ages 25-34 and those 55 and older), both groups show a sharp decline in their satisfaction from their first year of employment ñ 69 percent in each case ñ to 54 percent and 53 percent, respectively, among those with 2 to 5 yearsí experience.

Sirota examined the overall satisfaction expressed by 64,304 workers in employee attitude surveys the firm conducted for their employers. The study focused on an important element of satisfaction ñ equity, or being treated fairly with respect to the basic conditions of employment.

Company culture ñ or how management treats employees, and managementís attitudes and behaviors toward workers ñ determines how much of a downturn in enthusiasm there will be, said Nick Starritt, Managing Director of Sirota Survey Intelligence, Europe. (www.sirota.com).

Older employees start new jobs with the same hopefulness as younger workers. They have the same fundamental needs as younger employees, Starritt added. ìTheir level of enthusiasm depends on how well their needs are met as they move through the various stages of their employment life cycle,î he concluded.

ìJust 14 percent of organisations have enthusiastic work forces, where more than 75 percent of employees are satisfied overall, and less than 10 percent are dissatisfied,î said David Sirota, chairman emeritus of Sirota Survey Intelligence and co-author of ìThe Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit By Giving Workers What They Want,î (Wharton School Publishing).

There are a number of ways management is unwittingly de-motivating their employees and diminishing their enthusiasm, according to Sirota.

ìMany companies treat employees as disposable as paper clips. For example, at the first sign of business difficulty, workers become expendable. Employees generally receive inadequate recognition and reward for their contributions ñ about half report receiving little or no credit, and almost two-thirds say management is much more likely to criticize them for poor performance than praise them for good work.,î said Sirota.

ìToo many companies use a transactional approach to management, wherein employees are treated essentially as commodities that have a ëpriceí and are owed nothing but that price (that is, nothing beyond their paycheques ),î Sirota added.

According to the study:

- All Ages of Workers: The satisfaction of employees of all ages with their level of equity at work is 70 percent for workers with less than one yearís experience vs. only 53 percent for employees with 2 to 5 yearsí experience. This general decline holds at all age groups shown below:

- Workers Under 25 Years Old: The satisfaction of employees under 25 years old with their level of equity at work is 75 percent for workers with less than one yearís experience vs. only 57 percent for employees with 2 to 5 yearsí experience.

- Workers Ages 25 to 34: The satisfaction of employees ages 25 to 34 with their level of equity at work is 69 percent for workers with less than one yearís experience vs. only 54 percent for employees with 2 to 5 yearsí experience.

- Workers Ages 35 to 44: The satisfaction of employees ages 35 to 44 with their level of equity at work is 69 percent for workers with less than one yearís experience vs. only 53 percent for employees with 2 to 5 yearsí experience.

- Workers Ages 45 to 54: The satisfaction of employees ages 45 to 54 with their level of equity at work is 67 percent for workers with less than one yearís experience vs. only 53 percent for employees with 2 to 5 yearsí experience.

- Workers Ages 55 and Older: The satisfaction of employees ages 55 and older with their level of equity at work is 69 percent for workers with less than one yearís experience vs. only 53 percent for employees with 2 to 5 yearsí experience.