The world of work is ever changing, and is constantly adapting to global and local events. Whether it’s new advancements in technology, social and political change, or a new wave of workers, welcoming change is necessary for companies to stay on top of their game. I am exploring the latter - a new wave of workers entering the workforce, by surveying people between the ages of 18 to 24. I asked them a series of questions, inquiring about their expectations of the workplace, expectations from their employers, companies, and leaders.

In my survey, I got 11 responses from people between the ages of 19-24. These people reported working in nine different fields, and over 70 percent reported their time in the workforce to be between one and three years. This is incredibly important, because I wanted to see what the next generation of workers thinks about work and how they view work from their time in part-time positions. Their thoughts and opinions on the current world of work are unbiased because they have spent little to no time in full-time positions at established firms. 

By researching the incoming generation, we can find out what employees expect from their employers, and get a head start on the changes to come. Also, it may give us a look into what impressions the managers and leaders of today are leaving on the employees of today. Some questions were intentionally left vague to get a variety of answers, and those surveyed were made aware of this prior to taking the survey. 

What are you looking for from your workplace leaders?

Communication is overwhelmingly the most popular response, being mentioned by 82% of those surveyed. In my own (very recent) experience, communication is taught throughout school as being a key skill necessary for all people to be successful. It is important to consider whether the priority of this response is due to being taught the importance of communication; a lack of communication from current workplace employers, managers, and leaders; or a combination of both. 

The second most common expectation from workplace leaders is empathy and friendliness. It appears that the next generation is looking for a more personal and close connection with their employers. Other expectations include: organization, respect, support, and flexibility. 

I found it extremely interesting how not one response mentioned anything about recognition. I believe in the past, work has been a place of competition, where employees are encouraged to be better than their peers and will be rewarded for their accomplishments. However, the next generation is more interested in a family-oriented style of work, where collaboration is in higher regard than competition. Do you think it’s possible that a fun-loving team of friends might be more productive than a team composed of top performers? What kind of impact do you think relationships in the workplace can have on productivity and creativity? 

What are you looking for from your company?

When the question is expanded to, “What are you looking for from your company?” - Money is obviously the number one answer. Whether it comes from an interest in liveable wages, more hours, or competitive pay, money is the priority. Initially, I thought this would be an expected outcome to anyone I asked, but, I found the opposite to be true. While previous generations do consider money to be important, according to a few people I have discussed this result with, it is not necessarily the MOST important aspect or benefit of employment. 

Communication, to no surprise, is still very popular as well. Self-improvement and opportunities to continue education are also important to those surveyed, and may be connected to only getting one response of safety and security. Is it possible that there is a correlation between wanting to make yourself more marketable to future employers, and the decrease from generation to generation in the amount of time workers stay with a company? 

On that note, I am curious to see how my generation will show up to the workforce. Will we change directions and have more loyalty with our companies? Or, will we continue to decrease our time, and change the world of work in a completely new way? 

The last notable response was work-life balance.While I would like to investigate some of the responses further, one thing is for certain. Work-life balance is becoming more and more popular with younger generations and will certainly call for significant change in the workplace and what companies offer their employees.

What are your expectations for your employer?

The third question I asked was, “What are your expectations for your employer?” This response got nearly copy-paste answers as the previous question. Personally, I think of my expectations of my employer to be different from what I am getting from them. I expect to be treated with respect, given opportunities to give feedback, and effective and prompt communication. What I want to get from my employer is guidance and support; and to know that where I am currently may not be the end of the line for my career, that everything I have learned and completed benefits me and helps me to take the next step in my career. 

If I were to conduct this survey again, it would be in my best interest to get a larger number of participants. I will be releasing this survey on a larger scale and looking to compile an interactive list of the responses for others to view. Additionally, I would reword my third question to be distinct from the second question. There were some more questions asked in my survey, which I will explore in another article within this series. I encourage you, my reader, to explore the articles to come; and keep up with the insights on the incoming generation entering the workforce.

Written by Evan Johnston