While working on my homework this week for school, I read an interesting article about job satisfaction during an economic downturn. The article surveyed employees to find out how they perceived their organizations and if they were happy with their jobs. What was interesting was that 65% of those surveyed indicated that even in this troubled economy, they are either actively looking for a new job or casual keeping their options open. What I found most intriguing was that the study found that Millennials reported the lowest job satisfaction of any other generation and were more likely to be looking for a new job.
These results are fairly consistent with some of the other research I have read on this topic which indicates that Millennials are more likely to be burned out on the job and dissatisfied with their work than other generations (and it's happeing at a very fast rate). I've been wondering why this is and in my response to my professor I wrote that in my opinion, Millennials are more likely to be dissatisfied because they have been taught to always want more. They have learned that they are special and have the right to be happy with their jobs. Is it possible that we have created an entire generation who may never be content in what they are doing? Is the grass always going to be greener on the other side of the fence for this group? It makes me worry about whether or not employers will ever be able to truly hold this generations attention in a job.
Of course, Millennials want what everyone else wants in a job. According to four Fortune 500 case studies, when asked, "What influences you to join an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Mission, values, ethics
• Pay and benefit package
• Challenge and interesting work
• Opportunity for career development
When asked, "Why do you stay with an organization?" the most important elements across all age groups were:
• Challenge (the work itself: interest and variety)
• Being treated with respect by managers and co-workers
• An ethical organization
Clearly, we all want the same things to be satisfied in a job. The problem is, maybe Millennials have less of a sense of reality compared with other generations. Sometimes you don't always have these things. Sometimes your job isn't that interesting and you don't love what you're doing. The key is to find ways to keep yourself engaged. To make sure your expectations are realistic. I think internships and experience for Millennials helps but ultimately they may just have to suck it up and realize that the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, but that's only because they used that fancy green spray paint to make it look good!
