Employee Engagement: The Generation Game
Managing today’s workforce is a tall task. Within two years, five generations will be at work simultaneously. Longevity and worries over financial security will keep more people in work, even as younger generations join. And as the corporate ladder turns into a corporate lattice, talent management has become increasingly complex.
Many leaders and managers have more questions than answers on how to engage diverse groups of employees. How often should I recognize my millennials? What’s the best way to inspire Gen Xers and baby boomers? What do I need to know about Gen Z and the upcoming Gen Alpha workforce?
| Factors That Build Engagement | Factors That Undermine Engagement |
|---|---|
| ACHIEVEMENT | |
| Meaningful work | Micromanagement |
| Recognition | Lack of feedback |
| Career growth | Limited resources |
| Compelling mission | Unclear future |
| CAMARADERIE | |
| Partnership principles | Poor communication |
| Respectful dialogue | Destructive conflict |
| Supportive teams | Poor internal service |
| Strong community | High levels of distrust |
| EQUITY | |
| Fair pay and benefits | Favoritism |
| Fair treatment | Climate of disrespect |
| Transparency | Lack of accountability |
| Strong values | Workload imbalance |
What does a better approach to multigenerational engagement look like?
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Start with your leaders and managers:Effective leaders understand who they are, how they behave and how they influence their team. But with limited resources and even less time, leaders face ever more elevated levels of stress. Overwhelmed leaders provide significantly less recognition and support.
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Integrate your data:A robust workforce analytics platform can lead to clear insight and action. Whether it be through agile surveying, the personalization of engagement or infused analytics, you will have a clearer (and actionable) picture of turnover, productivity, service, profit, efficiency and stock performance.
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Focus on performance:Do you know what drives performance in your organization? Through linkage analysis, organizations can identify the critical factors that impact performance.
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Tap into the power of personal engagement:In most organizations, leaders, managers and HR are responsible for building a culture of engagement. What about employees? Mercer’s experience suggests they have a role to play, too.
Who are Gen Z?
What Gen Z want?
Our latest research shows taht employees can take steps to manage their own engagement
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Reflect
on the impact and value of the organization and the work -
Communicate
career needs and challenges to leadership -
Mentor
colleagues at the organization -
Manage
your energy through personal leave, flexible scheduling and connecting with colleagues -
Find
new projects and challenges that use different skillsets or with different teams -
Model
a positive attitude despite the current challenges in the workplace
In most organizations, leaders, managers and HR are responsible for building a culture of engagement. What about employees?
What comes after engagement?
But engagement does not guarantee exceptional performance. In today’s VUCA world,12 success requires a workforce that is adaptive, resilient and evolving. The best organizations focus on expanding employees’ skills and capabilities. These organizations don’t just create an engaging work environment — they also enrich the personal assets of their employees, helping them build better careers, healthier lives and greater financial security. They create opportunities for employees to improve themselves and the world through meaningful work, compelling missions and a sense of purpose. Organizations with a thriving workforce thrive themselves: Stock performance is 11% to 16% higher in organizations with highly enthusiastic employees.
Mercer’s Talent Trends Study highlights one other important finding: Only half (54%) of employees we recently surveyed are thriving. The rest were in dull, draining or depleting jobs. This suggests that when it comes to building a thriving work environment, most organizations have a way to go.