Young workers now value respect over 'fun' perks in the workplace

Date:
July 22, 2021
Source:
University of Missouri-Columbia
Summary:
Millennials, often referred to as the 'job-hopping generation,'
represent a group of young workers who once grabbed the national
spotlight with their publicized demands for 'fun' work perks,
such as happy hours.

However, researchers have discovered today's young workers --
ages 21-34 -- represent a life-stage shift toward placing more
value on having respectful communication in the workplace over
trendy work perks.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Millennials, often referred to as the "job-hopping generation,"
represent a group of young workers who once grabbed the national
spotlight with their publicized demands for "fun" work perks, such as
happy hours. However, researchers at the Novak Leadership Institute
at the University of Missouri and Kansas State University discovered
today's young workers -- ages 21-34 - - represent a life-stage shift
toward placing more value on having respectful communication in the
workplace over trendy work perks.


========================================================================== "Millennials have been called the 'entitled generation,' and they kind
of give young workers a bad rap because their often-publicized interests
began with wanting to have fun in the workplace, but today's young workers
have shifted toward interests in doing valuable work and finding meaning
in their day-to-day job functions," said Danielle LaGree, an assistant professor of strategic communication at Kansas State University, who
earned her doctorate at the Missouri School of Journalism. "Leaders and managers are the ones who have the power to help foster that connection
of meaningful work, determine what employee well-being means and how
to communicate that meaning in a respectful way to their employees."
The team of researchers, which includes experts from the Novak Leadership Institute and the MU Department of Communication, were able to identify
this shift in workplace values for young workers after surveying more than 1,000 full-time workers, ages 21-34, who represent 18 different career
areas, including the service industry. The team analyzed how participants rated, on a 1 to 5 scale, how each of the following workplace culture
aspects were representative of their current place of employment --
respectful engagement, autonomous respect, occupational resilience,
job satisfaction, employee loyalty and retention, and job engagement.

While previous studies have reported leaders and managers spend 70-90%
of their time communicating, LaGree believes this study shows more
emphasis needs to be placed on training leaders and managers on how to be effective communicators and convey respectful communication with their employees. She believes that even though the study was completed before
the COVID-19 pandemic began, their results continue to be relevant in
today's workplaces, which may have adjusted to more of a hybrid workplace
split between work and home offices, or gone entirely remote.

LaGree acknowledges the extent to which leaders and managers can foster supportive cultures and outcomes is still unclear, yet she believes their
study strongly contributes to the concept that workplaces are intensely
social experiences.

"As we see here with our research, actively recognizing employees for the
value they bring to their organization will help equip them to bounce back after adversity, to perform better in their jobs and be more committed
to their organizations in the long term," LaGree said. "I think that's especially relevant today, even though this study was conducted before
the coronavirus pandemic." Margaret Duffy, executive director of the
Novak Leadership Institute and a professor of strategic communication in
the Missouri School of Journalism, believes employers risk losing younger employees if they don't make an effort to use respectful communication
in the workplace.

"There's a giant risk for employers if they don't help employees
have a sense of purpose and a sense of well-being and engagement,"
Duffy said. "Coming to work may not be joyful every day, but if work
is something where I can feel fulfillment, I can feel respected as a
human being and most important, that I can feel that I have earned the
respect and recognition that I'm given by my boss and by my co-workers." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Missouri-Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Danielle LaGree, Brian Houston, Margaret Duffy, Haejung Shin. The
Effect
of Respect: Respectful Communication at Work Drives Resiliency,
Engagement, and Job Satisfaction among Early Career Employees.

International Journal of Business Communication, 2021;
232948842110165 DOI: 10.1177/23294884211016529 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210722163020.htm

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