US : Where’s the Passion for Work? It’s in Workers Over 55!

Mature workers 55 and over are more likely to say their organization inspires the best in them than are younger workers (18-34 years old) by a margin of 43 to 28 percent. This could help to explain why a higher number of mature workers (53 percent) say they are willing to put forth more effort than their young colleagues (43 percent). Both findings come from a just-released nationwide survey of 7,718 American workers aged 18 and over. The « New Employer/Employee Equation Survey » was conducted by Harris Interactive, Inc. for Age Wave, an independent think tank that counsels business and government on issues impacting the aging society, and for The Concours Group, a global consultancy to senior executives. It was sponsored by 24 leading corporations. « Companies have to wake up to the fact that their young workers – their managers and skilled professionals of tomorrow — are the most dissatisfied and least engaged workers today, » said Tamara Erickson, executive officer of the Concours Group. « At the same time, workers approaching retirement are the most energetic, focused and loyal. The question companies need to answer as we approach a skilled labor shortage is, ‘How do we better engage the younger workers while