What Motivates Employees? The Answer Depends (Partly) on their Generation




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Dalahn Colley
Entrepreneur, United States

What Motivates Employees? The Answer Depends (Partly) on their Generation

The age of retirement has been moved to 60, 65, 70 years and beyond. Where each generation used to pass the baton; there is no baton being passed anymore.
We can now find multiple generations (up to 4!) working in the workplace together. There are many intergenerational differences, including work motivation. While every person is different, it is proven that generational similarities such as priorities, motivators, reward preferences etc. do exist.
What motivates employee generations...An organization has to address that when creating a motivational plan. There are currently four generations in the workforce / rat race :-). Generational trends and motivators have been researched and identified by experts. To address the employees as a group an effective leader will understand and convey the messages proven to motivate each generation:
The generational names are debatable but these are the names I chose to use:
1. The Matures are born prior to 1946. They believe work is an obligation, no news is good news, their employer respects their experience and professionalism. Their satisfaction is gained from a job well done.
2. The Baby Boomers are born between 1946-1964. They view work as an adventure, want to be valued and needed by their employer. They don’t appreciate criticism and work for money, title and recognition.
3. The Generation X’ers are born between 1965-1980. They view work as a contract, want to do it their way without rules. They also feel freedom is the best reward and will seek feedback as opposed to waiting.
4. The Millennia's are born between 1981-1994. They view work as a means to an end, but want meaningful work done with other bright creative people, and want everything to manifest with the push of a button.
(Source: Lesonsky R., 2011).
 

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18
Scott Greenwood, United States
 

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4
David Wilson
Manager, Canada
 

Multiple Generations Have there Own Characteristics

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Daniele
Manager, Italy
 

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11
Hinda K. Sterling, Ph.D.
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Motivation is Complex and is Primarily Based on Traits

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9
Loek Hopstaken
Consultant, Netherlands
 

Generational Differences in Motivation / Communication Depend on the World Region

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Gil Vondrasek
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We Are What We Were When

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Dr Hussein Laqwer
CEO, Saudi Arabia
 

Culture Influences Employee Motivation More than Generation

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Dev Sen
Teacher, United Kingdom
 

Age is Just a Number

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SAMUEL LUZOBE
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The Relation between Maslow's Pyramid and Motivation of Generations

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Prasanna
Student (University), Sri Lanka
 

We Need a Method to Efficiently Assess Individual Employee Motivation

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Truong Thi Lan Anh, Viet Nam
 

Work-life Balance is the Common Motivator among Generations

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jorge eixeres
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Jone Sovalawa
Student (University), Australia
 

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Johnny Michael Tan
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Danilo Mazzarol
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Wulf-Dieter Krueger
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WALTER Pascal, France
 

Common Motivations Among all Generations

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JoAnn Becker
Management Consultant, United States
 

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karel sovak
Professor, United States
 

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Rebecca Kibazo-Gasque
United States
 

Employee Motivation Across Age Groups

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gonzalez
Management Consultant, France
 

How Employers Motivated Employees over the Years...

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Maia de Lourdes Larrea, Ecuador
 

Motivation is Different for Different Cultures

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3
Angel, Brazil
 

It Doesn't Matter How Old People Are, they Want Only One Thing...

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3
Bert Walker, USA
 

Dealing with Responsibility / Accountability When you Grow Older

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Vance E. Woods
Student (MBA), United States
 

Generational Motivation

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Daniel Newton Obaka, United States
 

Two Levels of Motivation: The Natural-Purpose and the Environment-Tainted Motivation

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Alain Kriegel, France
 

What Motivates People over the Generations?

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Carlos Torres
Business Consultant
 

Work Motivations of Young and Mature People

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Shafiul Azam
HR Consultant, Bangladesh
 

Employee Motivation also Varies According to Individual Personality

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Arif ur Rehman
Professor, Pakistan
 

Careful with Generalizations of Generational Imbalances in Working Mindsets

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Dev Sen
Teacher, United Kingdom
 

Baton of Experience is Not Passed among Generations

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Upadhyayula Narayana Das
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Martin Noonan, Australia
 

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Beddoe, United Kingdom
 

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Ellis, United Kingdom
 

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Dr Gary Jones
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Mbaile
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de vries
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John limpus
Australia
 

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AKOM JOSHUA, Ghana
 

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Gafar Bamikole
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DOUGLAS AIDOO
Student (Other), Ghana
 

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abraham garshong, Ghana
 

Common Denominator to Motivate Employees from Various Generations?

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KATHRYN STEINER, MBA
Entrepreneur, United States
 

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hernando bernal
Professor, Colombia
 

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Naomi Elisabeth
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