Employee engagement among younger workers is on the increase

A staggering 92 per cent of Generation Y workers believe their role directly contributes to their organisation’s success. According to a poll of 1,120 UK office workers by recruitment solutions provider hyphen, younger workers in the UK feel more empowered and positive than ever about their workplace. Nearly two thirds (62.9%) of those aged 25-34 are proud to work for their current organisation and 81.8 per cent believe their colleagues and managers seek their opinion and listen to their views, up 16 per cent from March 2013. While the attitudes among younger workers are positive, the research suggests that older workers are feeling less optimistic – 15.9 per cent said they were not proud to work in their organisation – up nearly 8 per cent from March 2013.

The younger generation appear more positive, as nearly two fifths (78.5%) of workers aged 25-34 believe people within their organisations share common values, up 12.2 per cent (66.3%) from March 2013. And nearly three quarters (73.8%) of workers believe their manager empowers them to do their job, up from 61.6 per cent in March 2013.

Zain Wadee, Managing Director at hyphen said: “It’s encouraging to see a shift in the levels of workplace engagement among younger workers. These could be signs that organisations are adapting to the different needs and expectations of a multi-generational workforce.

“To ensure this trend continues managers need to ensure communication levels are maintained and employees continue to feel empowered and listened to if organisations are to get the most out of their younger workforce.

“Managers need to ensure they are providing a positive working environment that both engages and develops the workforce.”