According to the Center for Management Communication at University of Southern California’s (USC) Marshall School of Business, Gen Y workers are less likely to be satisfied with their jobs, a problem that can a negative impact on the economy.
Across all major fields and industries, job satisfaction levels for new Gen Y professionals are plummeting. A 2007 study by the Conference Board found that job satisfaction for workers under the age of 25 are at record lows, with fewer than 4 out of 10 reporting that they are satisfied with their current jobs.
According to Marshall faculty member Kirk Snyder, who has just completed a 3-year research project focusing on communication and connection in the workplace, “the economic toll associated with these increasingly lower levels of job satisfaction among Gen Y is significant, immeasurable and preventable.”
Studies by the Society for Human Resources Management are consistent with Snyder’s findings and reveal that lower levels of job satisfaction go hand-in-hand with decreased employee commitment, productivity and retention. These are three organizational conditions that companies in today’s tightening economy simply cannot afford.
Communication
USC therefore is working to develop communication solutions that can play a fundamental role in bridging the growing disparities between Gen Y workers and their older managers and corporate leaders.
To help create proactive solutions, USC will hold a conference on Sept. 26 to bring together 60 undergraduate Marshall business students with organizational leaders across Southern California. This first-ever event will focus on how to increase generational communication in three areas that greatly impact job satisfaction: relationship-building, employee engagement and employee productivity.
“Our hope is that through conferences like this one, we can maximize the potential of this newest generation of young professionals,” Snyder said.