New survey reveals workplace tensions

The conflicting beliefs of different generations are highlighted in the workplace, with younger employees not appreciating their older colleagues’ experience. In fact, many young people feel their careers may be “stifled” by the presence of late-retiring workers in the company. As a 21^st century labour force must deal with a longer working life and smaller pensions, the contrasting attitudes between ages are becoming more apparent.  

This was the finding of a recent survey of 1,500 people by KPMG, which investigates the inter-generational conflicts that arise within the workplace. Dividing working people into four distinct groups: Baby Boomers born from 1945-1960s, Generation X born in the 1960s-70s, Generation Y born in the late 1970s-mid 1990s and finally, Generation Z born from the mid-1990s onwards, KPMG charts their differences in attitudes and opinions.

KPMG reports that younger workers feel their senior peers “need to retire” in order for “younger workers to have a genuine chance of career progression.” A mere 20% of those questioned feel employers would want to retain older workers for their experience within the company, as almost 50% of respondents agree that a much older workforce would “drain productivity.”

In addition to disagreements between age groups, attitudes to employers also differ. A total of 48% of baby boomers are content with earning “enough” as opposed to 58% of Generation Y who are looking for a higher salary. Similarly, KPMG found that one in four of Generation Y agreed with the statement, “individuals will increasingly challenge and question their organisation’s purpose”, with only 12% of Baby Boomers believing this to be true.