Research Foundation
Generational Communication
Differences Around the Globe
Jan Thibodeau, ABC
Agenda
• Study Overview
• AHAs and SO WHATs
– Engagement
– Importance & Effectiveness of Employer Communication
– Channel Preferences – Ratings of Employer
Communications
• NOW WHAT? - Roundtable Discussions
Study Overview
• Commissioned by the IABC Research Foundation
• Sponsored by Deloitte Consulting LLP
• Conducted by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, Inc.
• Preliminary report of findings
Study Purpose
• Compare two age cohorts in today’s global
workforce to understand preferences, needs, habits and attitudes regarding workplace communications
– Ages 20-26 (Generation Y or Millennials in the US)
Study Design
• Online survey
• Six countries: Brazil, Canada, China, India, United Kingdom, United States
• 600 participants: 50 of each age cohort in each country
• March 17 – April 17, 2008
• English or native language
Engagement
• What differences exist in how each age cohort thinks about their job, their benefits and work environment and their organization’s management?
• How are the age cohorts different in three job loyalty measures:
– overall job satisfaction
– intention to remain with current employer
Engagement
• Younger: more positive about most factors, especially opportunities to learn and grow
– Younger: 72% strongly agree or agree – Older: 54% strongly agree or agree
• Both age cohorts: being proud to work for an employer is one of two leading drivers of overall satisfaction
• Other driver
– Younger: feeling a sense of belonging
– Older: trusting leaders to consider employees’ best interests
• Younger group was more positive about being proud to work for their employer than the older group (63% vs. 54%)
Engagement Implications
• Are older workers aware of development opportunities in your organization?
• Are both younger and older workers proud to work for your organization?
– Fulfills social responsibilities – Inspires trust in leadership
– Provides learning and development opportunities
Importance & Effectiveness
of Employer Communication
• What are the most important types of communication for each age cohort?
• How effectively are
employers performing in each type of
communication?
• Where are the biggest gaps between
Importance & Effectiveness
of Employer Communication
• Both groups: most important types of employer communications
– Performance recognition
– Feedback about job performance
– Opportunities to interact with fellow employees
• Younger group: place more value on informal communication and fun ways to build teamwork
• Older group: place more value on official/formal sources of information
– Explanation of organizational goals and policies
Importance & Effectiveness Implications
• How do your organization’s communication strategies facilitate:
– Performance recognition
– Feedback about job performance
– Opportunities to interact with fellow employees
• What communication programs/strategies are in place to foster informal communication and fun ways to build
teamwork?
• How does your organization communicate
– Organizational goals and policies
Channel Preferences
• What are the communication channel preferences for
receiving information about – Benefits
– Company goals & performance – Company events
– Business/industry news – Project/team updates
• And for…
– Interacting w/co-workers – Having routine exchanges
Channel Preferences
• Channel preferences vary by type of communication
– No sweeping channel preferences that fit each age group
• Both age groups: preference for in-person interaction with co-workers to build working relationships
• Younger, high users of technology
Channel Preferences Implications
• How do you determine which channels to use when communicating various types of
information?
– Are you using multiple channels?
• What communication practices do you have in place to foster in-person interaction with co-workers to build working relationships?
Ratings of Employer Communications
• How do the age cohorts rate employer communications to employees for their:
– credibility – relevance
– understandability – timeliness
Ratings of Employer Communications
• Both age groups: majority gave positive ratings for all five attributes tested
• Older age group: lower ratings than younger on credibility
– Older age group were three times more likely to rate employer’s communications as not credible
• Older workers with no management or supervisory role were the most critical
Ratings Implications
• How are you measuring the communications credibility factor in your organization?
• How does your organization ensure that the
Review of Key Findings
• Both age groups:
– Engagement: Being proud to work for an employer is one of two leading drivers of overall satisfaction
– Channels: Preference for in-person interaction with co-workers to build working relationships
• Younger group:
– Communication Importance & Effectiveness: Places more value on informal communication and fun ways to build teamwork
– Channels: Is more likely to use electronic messaging as an effective way to build relationships (high technology users)
• Older group:
Now What?
• What do these findings mean to communications in your workplace?
• What might you continue, start or stop doing?
Final Report
• Lots more details for each of the four areas
• Findings by
– Geographical location – Industry
– High and low technology users
