Millennial malaise spreading

Workers aged 18 to 34 generally agree they are less engaged and have a laissez-faire attitude

A smouldering day on summer vacation is an appropriate time to feel lazy-daisy, devil-may-care. Any given day in the workplace, on the other hand, is not.

But a survey conducted by Workplace Options, a provider of work-life programs and employee benefits, suggests that’s what a lot of older workers think about how millennials approach their workdays – and those millennials, people aged 18 to 34, wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that assessment.

The poll of American workers “shows a shared sentiment across age groups that millennials have a distinct attitude toward workplace responsibility – one interpreted as largely lackadaisical,” Workplace Options said.

Among the poll results: 77 per cent of workers believe millennials have a different attitude toward workplace responsibility than older workers; 68 per cent believe they are less motivated to take on responsibility and produce quality work; and 46 per cent believe millennials are less engaged at work than older employees.

That perception of lack of engagement or motivation could trace back to the kinds of jobs millennials are hired to do, says Dean Debnam, chief executive at Workplace Options.

“The attitudes reflected in this poll may stem, in part, from the responsibilities younger workers typically have as more junior employees, but this is certainly a trend to monitor.

“The new challenge for managers is not only finding ways to engage millennials in the workplace culture, but also bridging the gaps that exist between employees of different age groups.”

While older workers might cast a particularly jaded eye over the efforts of their younger colleagues, millennials barely give themselves higher marks on the same questions: 59 per cent say their generation has a different attitude toward workplace responsibility; 55 per cent acknowledge their generation is less motivated; and 34 per cent re- port millennials are less engaged at work.

“Workplaces are generally going through a ‘changing of the guard’ with new technology and new ways of doing business being implemented every day,” says Debnam. “As these changes take place and millennials grow into new roles that come with more senior responsibilities, these perceptions around attitudes and productivity will likely change across the board.”

One area where millennials are acknowledged leaders is when it comes to new technology, with 78 per cent of workers agreeing they’re more tech-savvy in the workplace, and 70 per cent across all ages saying this is a career advantage.

The poll of 637 working Americans was conducted by Public Policy Polling last fall and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 per cent.