Editing Generation gap (section)

====Workplace attitudes====
{{Speculation section}}{{Expand section|overfocus on millennials, lacking discussion of other generations|date=November 2024|small=no}}
''[[USA Today]]'' reported that younger generations are "entering the workplace in the face of demographic change and an increasingly multi-generational workplace".<ref>{{cite news|last=Armour|first=Stephanie|date=6 November 2005|title=Generation Y: They've arrived at work with a new attitude|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-11-06-gen-y_x.htm|newspaper=USA Today|access-date=8 May 2014}}</ref> Multiple engagement studies show that the interests shared across the generation gap by members of this increasingly multi-generational workplace can differ substantially.<ref>{{cite news|title=Winning the generation game|url=https://www.economist.com/news/business/21586831-businesses-are-worrying-about-how-manage-different-age-groups-widely-different|newspaper=The Economist|date=26 September 2013|access-date=1 December 2014}}</ref>

Researchers, who found evidence that millennials are relatively more confident in their abilities, speculate that they were 'buoyed by an educational system with inflated grades and standardized tests' and that this may complicate relations with colleagues of other generations.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Myers|first=Sadaghiani|title=Millennials in the Workplace: A Communication Perspective on Millennials' Organizational Relationships and Performance|journal=Journal of Business and Psychology|year=2010|volume=25|issue=2|pages=225–238|doi=10.1007/s10869-010-9172-7|pmid=20502509|pmc=2868990}}</ref>

Growing up, millennials looked to parents, teachers, and coaches as a source of praise and support. They were part of an educational system with inflated grades and [[standardized test]]s, in which they were skilled at performing well. Millennials developed a strong need for frequent, positive feedback from supervisors. Today, managers find themselves assessing their subordinates' productivity quite frequently, despite the fact that they often find it burdensome. Additionally, millennials' salaries and [[employee benefits]] give this generation an idea of how well they are performing. Millennials crave success, and good-paying jobs have been proven to make them feel more successful.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Ng|title=New Generation, Great Expectations: A Field Study of the Millennial Generation|journal=Journal of Business and Psychology}}</ref>

However, according to the engagement studies, mature workers and the new generations of workers share similar thoughts on a number of topics across the generation gap. Their opinions overlap on flexible working hours/arrangements, promotions/bonuses, the importance of computer proficiency, and leadership. Additionally, the majority of millennials and mature workers enjoy going to work every day and feel inspired to do their best.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://www.randstadusa.com/about/news/talking-about-my-generation-new-study-finds-millennial-and-mature-workers-attitudes-align/|title=Millennial and mature workers attitudes align|website=Randstad USA|access-date=1 December 2014|archive-date=23 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123191336/https://www.randstadusa.com/about/news/talking-about-my-generation-new-study-finds-millennial-and-mature-workers-attitudes-align/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2020 the [[National Academy of Sciences|NAS]] completed a literature review on workplace generational differences, looking at a variety of measures including job satisfaction, manager's perceptions, and personality. For a great deal of research, it reported that it was difficult to surmise whether an effect was a result of one's generation, or rather a result of a person's age{{Efn|'Age' being distinct from 'generation'. A pattern of behaviour may be common to all individuals at e.g. age 25 regardless of if they reach 25 in the 1990s, the 2000s, the 2010s, and so on.}} or historical events/trends. Among research which accounted for this by following attitudes over time, the review found mild effects, writing, "individuals from the same 'generation' are just as likely to be different from one another as from individuals of different generations."<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/25796/chapter/1 |title=Read "Are Generational Categories Meaningful Distinctions for Workforce Management?" at NAP.edu |date=2020 |doi=10.17226/25796 |isbn=978-0-309-67732-5 |language=en}}</ref> Other researchers have drawn similar conclusions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rudolph |first1=Cort W. |last2=Rauvola |first2=Rachel S. |last3=Costanza |first3=David P. |last4=Zacher |first4=Hannes |date=2020-09-04 |title=Generations and Generational Differences: Debunking Myths in Organizational Science and Practice and Paving New Paths Forward |journal=Journal of Business and Psychology |language=en |volume=36 |issue=6 |pages=945–967 |doi=10.1007/s10869-020-09715-2 |pmc=7471586 |pmid=32901173}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lyons |first1=Sean |last2=Kuron |first2=Lisa |date=February 2014 |title=Generational differences in the workplace: A review of the evidence and directions for future research: Generational Differences in the Workplace |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/job.1913 |journal=Journal of Organizational Behavior |language=en |volume=35 |issue=S1 |pages=S139–S157 |doi=10.1002/job.1913|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Costanza |first1=David P. |last2=Badger |first2=Jessica M. |last3=Fraser |first3=Rebecca L. |last4=Severt |first4=Jamie B. |last5=Gade |first5=Paul A. |date=2012-12-01 |title=Generational Differences in Work-Related Attitudes: A Meta-analysis |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10869-012-9259-4 |journal=Journal of Business and Psychology |language=en |volume=27 |issue=4 |pages=375–394 |doi=10.1007/s10869-012-9259-4 |issn=1573-353X|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zabel |first1=Keith L. |last2=Biermeier-Hanson |first2=Benjamin B. J. |last3=Baltes |first3=Boris B. |last4=Early |first4=Becky J. |last5=Shepard |first5=Agnieszka |date=2017-06-01 |title=Generational Differences in Work Ethic: Fact or Fiction? |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10869-016-9466-5 |journal=Journal of Business and Psychology |language=en |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=301–315 |doi=10.1007/s10869-016-9466-5 |issn=1573-353X|url-access=subscription }}</ref>