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A new CareerBuilder survey looks at how the next generation of workers compares to America’s current workforce in terms of work/life beliefs and expectations.
The national online survey, conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder by Harris Poll between May 14, 2015 and June 3, 2015, included a representative sample of more than 3,000 full-time, U.S. workers across industries and company sizes and more than 200 high school seniors.
“With the next generation of workers preparing to enter the workforce, now is the time for companies to adjust their recruitment and retention strategies to guarantee the success of all workers and strengthen the bottom line,” says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer of CareerBuilder.
Haefner continues by saying, “While workplace expectations can vary widely among different generations, one thing they have in common is the want to be successful in their positions. Introducing programs that promote learning and collaboration—such as mentoring—can help workers of all generations achieve that together.”
Need help attracting top millennial talent? Start on Wednesday, December 9, 2015, with a new interactive webinar—Next Generation Recruiting: 5 Proven Strategies to Attract Top Millennial Talent. Learn More
Money Matters
When asked what salary they feel they need to earn to be successful, one in four current workers (25%) feel they would be successful making less than $50,000 a year, a sentiment shared by only 18% of high school students. In fact, high school students are nearly three times as likely as current workers to say they need to make $200,000 or more to feel successful (13% versus 5%).
What salary do you feel you need to earn to be successful?
| Current Workforce | High School Students | |
| Under $50,000 | 25% | 18% |
| $50,000–$69,999 | 27% | 18% |
| $70,000–$99,999 | 24% | 24% |
| $100,000–$149,999 | 15% | 21% |
| $150,000–$199,999 | 3% | 5% |
| $200,000 or more | 5% | 13% |
Defining Success
The majority of both current workers (76%) and high school students (81%) define success in a career as the ability to provide a comfortable life for themselves and their families. Both groups also agree that having a good balance between work and personal life is a defining factor in success (71% of current workers and 76% of high school students).
High school students, however, are more likely to associate success with a sense of accomplishment (78%, compared to 67% of current workers); the ability to make a positive impact on people’s lives (78% versus 47% of current workers); and making a lot of money (53% versus 33% of current workers).
The gap grows even wider when it comes to a loftier goal: High school students were more than twice as likely as current workers to define success as “making a mark on this world” (54% versus 22%).
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The Ideal Work Environment
For the survey, CareerBuilder asked workers to give their attitudes toward eight commonly debated areas of workforce culture.
- On office attire. High school students and current workers have similar views on workplace wear. The vast majority of both groups (74% of current workers and 70% of high school students) feel one should be able to dress casually at work. Looking at specific age groups, 45- to 54-year-old workers (79%) were more likely to agree with this statement than workers aged18–24 (67%) and 35–44 (72%).
- On promotions. When it comes to earning promotions, high school students display more optimism than working professionals. Eighty-seven percent of high school students agree that one should be promoted every 2 to 3 years if one is doing a good job, compared to 73% of current workers. Workers aged 18–24 were closest to high school students’ level of agreement (81%), and 45- to 54-year-old workers were the farthest (65%).
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll take a look at the other eight commonly debated areas of workforce culture. Plus an introduction to an interactive webinar, Next Generation Recruiting: 5 Proven Strategies to Attract Top Millennial Talent.