Insights

Employee generational differences play a major role in workplace motivation, especially when dealing with environmental and social initiatives implemented by their prospective or current company.

Younger generations, like Generation Z, were brought up with a core understanding of the importance of environmental and social factors throughout their education. This inherently translates to the underlying motivating factors in their workplace. Older generations were not brought up with the same level of environmental and social education, meaning that leadership may miss the mark when assessing the important role these play in motivating their younger employees.

Acknowledging these motivations is imperative in attracting and retaining talent among the younger generations. This extends beyond just saying that your company engages in pro environment and prosocial actions; employees can see right through fictitious claims and will even think less of a company if that is the case.

So how can a company take advantage of this?

• Sincere environmental initiatives
• Reachable social goals
• Paid volunteer days
• Vacation day awards for environmental goals

What is your company doing to attract younger generations and how are you tackling employee motivation?

Unlock the potential of your team with the help of Talent Partners. With our expertise in hiring talent across generations, we help companies build a stronger, more effective team that can take their organization to the next level. Join us in building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. 

JT Larkin has recently earned his MBA and the above insights are based on his graduate research.