York Study Finds Workers Want Meaningful Work
(excerpted from Y-File, July 31, 2012)
Workers of all ages see their jobs and employers in a similar light and want many of the same things, this according to a study of 1,000 people in 50 American states conducted by researchers in the School of Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies at York University. The findings will be presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention on Aug. 5.
“Many books and articles claim that younger and older workers see their jobs differently and want different things,” said York faculty member Paul Fairlie, a behavioural scientist, consultant and the study’s researcher. “But some of that is based on opinion and hearsay. More rigorous research is needed.”
The study found that age and generations had only a zero to three per cent effect how people see their work and what they desire from the workplace. Positive working conditions were far more responsible for people’s satisfaction, commitment, and retention.
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