More life, less work
German employees are better motivated and more satisfied than ever before. But one age group bucks the trend.
Germany. German employees are more motivated and satisfied than two years ago. That is the core finding of the 2017 Jobs Study compiled by corporate consultants EY. According to it, 42 percent of the employees are highly motivated at work, as compared to 34 percent two years ago. And two thirds of employees (68 percent) are unconditionally satisfied with their work, as against 56 percent in 2015. However, this is not true of all age groups.
What about the 21-30 year-olds?
Younger people are far less motivated and satisfied than older employees. In the group of 21-30 year-olds, 29 percent are highly motivated, while the figure is 49 percent among those aged over 61. Of the younger people, only 50 percent are satisfied, compared with 72 percent among the older ones.
What do young people want?
“Many young people have long since ceased to draw their self-esteem only from their jobs,” says Ulrike Hasbargen, partner at EY, “but do so equally from their private lives. They want flexible working hours and an opportunity to work at home in order to better combine work and family life.”
What can companies do?
Younger people “expect flat hierarchies at work and a pleasant working atmosphere,” comments Ulrike Hasbargen. “The greatest challenge is to keep the smartest brains on board over a longer period of time. Companies must motivate their staff in the long term and to that end create an attractive system of remuneration and incentives.”
