Understanding Generational Differences: Perception of Meaningful Work and its Effect on Well-being

Abstract

In the last decade the topic of generational difference at work has been widely discussed by both scholars and practitioners as Millennials began to play a larger role in the global workforce. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of generational differences in the perception of meaningful work and its relationship with well-being. Specifically, this study seeks to identify how the perception of meaningful work differs for Millennials compared to past generations. Drawing from prior literature by classic motivation theorists and humanistic psychologists we present a theoretical framework for meaningful work its relationship with indicators of well-being. We analyzed work orientation data from International Social Survey Program collected between 1989 to 2015, using a time-lag study approach where we compared respondents of the same age cohort from different generations. Our analysis revealed that although generational differences do exist, the differences may not have a large practical significance. Furthermore, we also found that specific job characteristics are significant predictors of certain indicators of well-being. Finally, we also established ‘Interesting job’ as the key job characteristic that is crucial for not only helping an incumbent to realize the meaning in their work but also necessary for their well-being at work.