Home   >   CSC-OpenAccess Library   >    Manuscript Information
A Critical Study of Workplace Factors Determining The Engagement Of Generation Y Employees
Henry Drieberg, Jarreth Yeo, Lee Kar Fai, Shalini Selvam
Pages - 105 - 144     |    Revised - 13-09-2021     |    Published - 20-12-2021
Volume - 0   Issue - 0    |    Publication Date - December 20, 2021  Table of Contents
MORE INFORMATION
KEYWORDS
Generation Y, Gen-Y, Workplace Engagement, Employees.
ABSTRACT
According to Malaysia’s Department of Statistic, Generation Y (also known as “Gen-Y”) has now become the majority of employees within the workplace. Studies have shown that this generation of workers is different from the generations that came before them. Our study further showed that not all conventional wisdoms of what positively engage them in the workplace are proven, within Malaysia’s context.Overall, the quantitative research has given us a total of 523 usable data that were collected through convenience and snowball sampling, administered via an online survey website. Using both multiple linear regression and one-way ANOVA statistical approaches, a set of valid and reliable independent variables were able to be tested. The study found that work-life balance (under leisure construct) and having friends at work (under social construct) do not positively impact engagement among Generation Y, whereas the remaining three constructs of extrinsic, intrinsic and altruistic have positive correlations. Additionally, the study has given the differences of factors determining the engagement that exist between generational cohorts; of Gen-Y, Gen-X and Baby Boomers. Through the study, even though we do not particularly study the correlation of workplace factors for the older cohorts, it is noteworthy to mention that as the generation becomes older, the more engaged they are in the workplace. Further research is recommended to study the data in understanding the correlation in determining the engagement factors that led to this observation.
Ajmal, A., Bashir, M., Abrar, M., Mahroof Khan, M., & Saqib, S. (2015). The Effects of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards on Employee Attitudes; Mediating Role of Perceived Organizational Support. Journal of Service Science and Management, 8(4), 461-470.
Aktar, S., Sachu, M. K., & Ali, M. E. (2012). The Impact of Rewards on Employee Performance in Commercial Banks of Bangladesh: An Empirical Study. Journal of Business and Management, 6(2), 9-15.
Allik, J., & McCrae, R. R. (2004). Toward a Geography of Personality Traits. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35(1), 13-28.
Aon Hewitt. (2012). 2012 Trends in Global Employee Engagement [PDF]. London: Aon Hewitt.
Arnett, J. (2007). Emerging Adulthood: What Is It, and What Is It Good For? Child Development Perspectives, 2, 68-73.
Arora, N., & Dhole, V. (2018). Generation Y: Perspective, Engagement, Expectations, Preferences & Satisfaction from Workplace; A Study conducted in Indian Context. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
Ashton, A. S. (2018). How human resources management best practice influence employee satisfaction and job retention in the Thai hotel industry. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 17(2), 175–199.
Avey, J. B., Avolio, B. J., Crossley, C. D., & Luthans, F. (2009). Psychological ownership: theoretical extensions, measurement and relation to work outcomes. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(2), 173-191.
Bolton, R. N., Parasuraman, A., Hoefnagels, A., Migchels, N., Kabadayi, S., Gruber, & et, a. (2013). Understanding Generation Y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda. Journal of Service Management, 24(3), 245-267.
Brightenburg, M. B., & Miller, R. (2018). A theoretical model: Volunteer programs, organizational commitment, and generational differences. Western Academy of Management annual conference. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Brightenburg, M. E. (2018). A Field Study of Employee Fit-Centered Approach to Understanding Employee Engagement Across A Generation-Diverse Workforce. Dallas: The University of Dallas.
Brightenburg, M. E., Whittington, J. L., Meskelis, S., & Asare, E. (2020). Job Engagement Levels Across the Generations at Work. ResearchGate - IGI Global, Chapter 4.
Brown, D., Bersin, J., Gosling, W., & Sloan, N. (2016). Engagement: Always On. Retrieved May 14, 2017, from Deloitte University Press: https://dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/focus/human-capital-trends/2016/employee-engagement-and-retention.html
Brown, T. J., Churchill, G. A., & Peter, J. (1993). Improving the measurement of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 69(1), 127-139.
Cennamo, L., & Gardner, D. (2008). Generational differences in work values, outcomes and person‐organisation values fit. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(8), 891-906.
Chandra, V. (2012). Work–life balance: eastern and western perspectives. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(5), 1040-1056.
Chawla, D., Dokadia, A., & Rai, S. (2017). Multigenerational differences in career preferences, reward preferences and work engagement among Indian employees. Global Business Review, 18(1), 181–197.
Choudhury, S., & Mohanty, M. K. (2019). Drivers of Employee Engagement – A Chronological Literature Review Excluding India. Journal of Strategic Human Resource Management, vol. 8, no.1, pp 32-46.
Chumba, G. J., & Gachunga, H. (2016). Effect of Organizational Factors on Retention of Generation Y Employees in Parastatals: A Case of Kenya Revenue Authority. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 3(4), 905-923.
Delli Carpini, M. (2000). Gen.com: Youth, Civic Engagement, and the New Information Environment. Political Communication, 17(4), 341-349.
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2014). Labour Force by Age Group, Stratrum and Sex, Malaysia. Retrieved May 14, 2017, from Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Portal: https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthree&menu_id=cEhBV0xzWll6WTRjdkJienhoR290QT09
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2017). Current Population Estimates, Malaysia, 2016-2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017, from Department of Statistics Malaysia, Official Portal: https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=155&bul_id=a1d1UTFZazd5ajJiRWFHNDduOXFFQT09&menu_id=L0pheU43NWJwRWVSZklWdzQ4TlhUUT09
Do, H., Budhwar, P. S., & Patel, C. (2018). Relationship between innovation‐led HR policy, strategy, and firm performance: A serial mediation investigation. . Human Resource Management, 57(5), 1271–1284.
Emmons, R. A., Diener, E., & Larsen, R. J. (1986). Choice and avoidance of everyday situations and affect congruence: Two models of reciprocal interactionism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(4), 815-826.
Fenzel, J. L. (2013). Examining Generational Differences in the Workplace: Work Centrality, Narcissism, and Their Relation to Employee Work Engagement. Theses and Dissertations, 350.
Gallup. (2013). State of the American Workplace. Retrieved July 31, 2017, from Gallup: http://www.gallup.com/reports/199961/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx
Gallup. (2017). Does your brand attract star employees? . 3/27/18: http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/208748/brand-attract-star-employees.aspx .
George, D., & Mallery, P. (2005). SPSS for Windows Step by Step: A Simple Guide and Reference, 11.0 Update (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Glass, A. (2007). Understanding generational differences for competitive success. Industrial and Commercial Training, 39(2), 98-103.
Golafshani, N. (2003). Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research. The Qualitative Report, 8(4), 597-606.
Gursoy, D., Maier, T. A., & Chi, C. G. (2008). Generational differences: An examination of work values and generational gaps in the hospitality workforce. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(3), 448-458.
Haar, J. M., Russo, M., Suñe, A., & Ollier-Malaterre, A. (2014). Outcomes of work–life balance on job satisfaction, life satisfaction and mental health: A study across seven cultures. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85(3), 361-373.
Hassan, M., Jambulingam, M., Alagas, E., Uzir, M., & Halbusi, H. (2020). Necessities and Ways of Combating Dissatisfactions at Workplaces Against the Job-Hopping Generation Y Employees. Global Business Review, 097215092092696.
Hays. (2013). Gen Y And The World Of Work. Retrieved May 15, 2017, from Hays: https://social.hays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Hays_Report_V4_02122013_online.pdf
Herzog, A. (1982). High School Seniors' Occupational Plans and Values: Trends in Sex Differences 1976 through 1980. Sociology of Education, 55(1).
Hoole, C., & Bonnema, J. (2015). Work engagement and meaningful work across generational cohorts. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 13(1).
Horvathova, P., Mikusova, M., & Kashi, K. (2019). Evaluation of the employees’ engagement factors importance methodology including generation Y. Economic Research – Ekonomska Istrazivanja, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 3895-3917.
Joanes, D. N., & Gill, C. A. (1998). Comparing Measures of Sample Skewness and Kurtosis. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series D (The Statistician), 47(1), 183-189.
Johnson, M. (2004). The New Rules of Engagement: Life‐Work Balance and Employee Commitment. Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.
Johnson, M. K. (2002). Social Origins, Adolescent Experiences, and Work Value Trajectories during the Transition to Adulthood. Social Forces, 80(4), 1307-1341.
Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692-724.
Khatib, F. (1998). An investigation of airline service quality, passenger satisfaction and loyalty: The Jordanian Airline. Sheffield: Sheffield University Management School. Retrieved from http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/3647
Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining Sample Size For Research Activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607-610.
Kristof-Brown, A. L., Zimmerman, R. D., & Johnson, E. C. (2005). Consequences of Individuals' Fit at Work: A Meta-Analysis of Person-Job, Person-Organization, Person-Group, and Person-Supervisor Fit. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 281-342.
Krueger, J., & Killham, E. (2006). Who's Driving Innovation at Your Company? Retrieved May 17, 2017, from Gallup: http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/24472/whos-driving-innovation-your-company.aspx
Lancaster, G. A., Dodd, S., & Williamson, P. (2004). Design and analysis of pilot studies: Recommendations for good practice. 10(2), 307-312.
Lancaster, L. C., & Stillman, D. (2003). When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work.New York: HarperCollins.
Langelaan, S., Bakker, A. B., van Doornen, L. J., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). Burnout and work engagement: Do individual differences make a difference? Personality and Individual Differences, 40(3), 521-532.
Liyanage, H. M., & Gamage, P. (2020). Factors influencing the Employee Engagement of the Generation Y Employees. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346942663, PDF.
Lockwood, N. R. (2007). Leveraging Employee Engagement for Competitive Advantage: HR’s Strategic Role. Alexandria: Society for Human Resource Management.
Lucas, R. E., Diener, E., Grob, A., Suh, E. M., & Shao, L. (2000). Cross-cultural evidence for the fundamental features of extraversion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(3), 452-468.
Mahipalan, M. (2018). Mediating Effects of Engagement on Workplace Spritiually – Job Involvement Relationsip: A Study Among Generation Y Professionals. Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, vol. 14, no.1-2, pp 1-9.
malaymail online. (2017). Malaysian employee engagement among worst in Asia, says study. Retrieved May 9, 2017, from malaymail online: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysian-employee-engagement-among-worst-in-asia-says-study
Martin, C. A. (2005). From high maintenance to high productivity. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37(1), 39-44.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job Burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397-422.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 81-90.
Miller, M. J., Woehr, D. J., & Hudspeth, N. (2002). The Meaning and Measurement of Work Ethic: Construction and Initial Validation of a Multidimensional Inventory. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 60(3), 451-489.
Mishra, S., & Mishra, S. (2017). Impact of intrinsic motivational factors on employee retention among Generation Y: A qualitative perspective. Parikalpana: KIIT Journal of Management, 13(1), 31–42.
Naim, M. F., & Lenka, U. (2018). Development and retention of Generation Y employees: A conceptual framework. Employee Relations, 40(2), 433–455.
Ng, E. S., & Johnson, J. M. (2015). Millennials: Who are they, how are they different, and why should we care? In R. Burke, C. Cooper, & A.-S. Antoniou, The Multi-generational and Aging Workforce (pp. 121-137). Edward Elgar.
Ng, E. S., Schweitzer, L., & Lyons, S. T. (2010). New Generation, Great Expectations: A Field Study of the Millennial Generation. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(2), 281-292.
Obicci, P. A. (2015). Influence of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Rewards on Employee Engagement (Empirical Study in Public Sector of Uganda). Management Studies and Economic Systems (MSES), 2(1), 59-70.
Osborne, J. W., & Waters, E. (2002). Four Assumptions of Multiple Regression that Researchers Should Always Test. Pratical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(2).
Pedersen, V. B., & Lewis, S. (2012). Flexible friends? Flexible working time arrangements, blurred work-life boundaries and friendship. Work, employment and society, 26(3), 464-480.
Pew Research Center. (2011). The Generation Gap And The 2012 Election. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from Pew Research Center - U.S. Politics & Policy: http://www.people-press.org/2011/11/03/section-8-domestic-and-foreign-policy-views/
PwC. (2011). Millennials at work: Reshaping the workplace. Retrieved May 15, 2017, from https://www.pwc.com/m1/en/services/consulting/documents/millennials-at-work.pdf
Queiri, A., Wan Yusoff, W., & Dwaikat, N. (2015). Explaining Generation-Y Employees’ Turnover in Malaysian Context. Asian Social Science, 11(10).
Randstad. (2017). Media Release: Work-life balance not a priority for Malaysian Millennials : Randstad Employer Brand Research 2016. Retrieved 07 08, 2017, from Randstad: https://www.randstad.com.my/workforce360/articles/media-release-work-life-balance-not-a-priority-for-malaysian-millennials-randstad-employer-brand-research-2016
Rattay, J., & Jones, M. C. (2007). Essential elements of questionnaire design and development. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16(2), 234-243.
Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600-619.
Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: a multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293-315.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2010). Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach (5th ed.). Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The Star Online. (2017). When employees get work-life balance by default. Retrieved 07 08, 2017, from The Star Online: http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/03/18/when-employees-get-worklife-balance-by-default/
Tolbize, A. (2008). Generational differences in the workplace. Minnesota: University of Minnesota.
Twenge, J. M. (2010). A Review of the Empirical Evidence on Generational Differences in Work Attitudes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(2), 201-210.
Twenge, J. M., Campbell, S. M., Hoffman, B. J., & Lance, C. E. (2010). Generational Differences in Work Values: Leisure and Extrinsic Values Increasing, Social and Intrinsic Values Decreasing. Journal of Management, 36(5), 1117-1142.
Visser, W. (2013). The age of responsibility: CSR 2.0 and the new DNA of business. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.
Wang, H., Wang, X., & Li, J. (2018). Is new generation employees’ job crafting beneficial or detrimental to organizations in China? Asia Pacific Business Review, 24(4), 543-560.
White, M. (2011). Rethinking Generation Gaps in the Workplace: Focus on Shared Values. Retrieved July 31, 2017, from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School: https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/executive-development/custom-programs/~/media/C8FC09AEF03743BE91112418FEE286D0.ashx
Witold Henisz, Tim Koller, and Robin Nuttall. (2019). Five ways that ESG creates valuw. McKinsey Quarterly, pp. 6-7.
Wong, M., Gardiner, E., Lang, W., & Coulon, L. (2008). Generational differences in personality and motivation. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(8), 878-890.
Zikmund, W. G., Babin, B. J., Carr, J. C., & Griffin, M. (2010). Business Research Methods (8th ed.). New York: Cengage Learning.
Mr. Henry Drieberg
DHL - Australia
henry.drieberg@gmail.com
Mr. Jarreth Yeo
Business School, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 8001 - Australia
Mr. Lee Kar Fai
Business School, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 8001 - Australia
Miss Shalini Selvam
Business School, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 8001 - Australia


CREATE AUTHOR ACCOUNT
 
LAUNCH YOUR SPECIAL ISSUE
View all special issues >>
 
PUBLICATION VIDEOS