What do younger workers want from work? Autonomy, recognition
Being raised in a totally digital world has given the latest generation of workers a unique perspective.
A new generation—one that was born and raised in the age of digital information—is an increasingly important part of the workforce, and companies have a lot to learn about reaching this demographic, according to a study by Citrix.
Citrix, a workspace technology company, said that younger workers—which they call Born Digital workers—are becoming the engines of the knowledge economy, and that they have different needs and expectations due in part to their experience as the first generation raised in a totally digital world.
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The economic impact of this generation is considerable, according to the Citrix research. “Countries with above-average Born Digital populations—markets that have a high proportion of young, well-educated, digital-savvy employees—benefit from more than $1.9 trillion in extra company profits,” the study said. The report defines the Born-Digital cohort as people in the Millennial (born 1981 to 1996) and Generation Z (born after 1997) generations. Citrix used global opinion research from 1,000 business leaders and 2,000 knowledge workers in 10 countries to create the report.
“These young employees are different from previous generations in that they have only ever known a tech-driven world of work,” said Donna Kimmel, Executive Vice President of Chief People Officer, Citrix. “To shore up their future business success, companies must understand their values, career aspirations, and working styles and invest in their development.”
The digital disconnect
One finding of the report is that business leaders are out of touch with the Born Digital cohort. The report noted that surveys of business leaders show that 58% of them believe that young workers will want to spend most or all of their time working in an office.
But the Citrix research paints a more complex picture. Over half (51%) of the cohort want to work from home most or all the time, the study said. Others want a more hybrid approach, 18% want both home and office work with more time in the office, and 21% want to split their work time evenly. Only 10% want to work in the office full time.
At the same time, 68% of Born Digital workers say that social interaction is crucial in a business context. “As companies move forward in enabling work from anywhere, they will need to provide opportunities for employees to come together both physically in offices and virtually from home to keep them connected, engaged, and prepared for the future of work,” Kimmel said.
Another area of significant difference between these younger workers and their older employers and supervisors is their comfort with technology itself. “Only 21% of business leaders use instant messaging apps like Slack or WhatsApp for work purposes, compared to 81% of Born Digital employees,” the study said. “And only 26% of business leaders like using these apps for work, compared to 82% of Born Digital workers.”
Freedom of choice
One theme in the report’s findings is the desire for flexibility and choice by the Born Digital workers. For example, some younger workers find the idea of a four-day workweek attractive, with 17% saying they should be given that option. Others wanted the freedom of being able to choose their starting and ending times for daily work (27%), or the option of working unstructured or output-based hours (7%).
Other priorities for this cohort of workers include:
- Autonomy, or the opportunity to work in a high-trust environment (83%)
- Compensation that recognizes and rewards performance (81%)
- Strong and visible leadership (79%)
Although the finding that younger workers want lots of freedom and rewards is perhaps not surprising, the researchers noted that countries with younger workforces tend to have stronger economies, so meeting these expectations may benefit companies seeking to attract and retain this cohort of worker.
“Successfully attracting and retaining the Born Digital will require organizations to invest in the work model and tools to create the flexible, efficient, and engaged work environment that this next generation of leaders craves and thrives in,” said Tim Minahan, executive vice president of business strategy at Citrix. “And there is clear commercial benefit to doing so.”
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