survey of generational communications differences around the globe

2Report by Mathew Greenwald & Associates Inc. of online survey using a stratified random sample of employees ages 20–26 and 50–59 in six countries

Table of Contents

TOPIC PAGEMethodology 3Executive Summary 6Literature Review 10Detailed Results 15

Differences in Employee Engagement by Age Cohort 16 Employee Communication by Age Cohort 24Ratings of Employer Communications by Age Cohort 41Frequent/Infrequent Users of Technology by Age Cohort 47Usage of Communication Channels by Age Cohort 57Suggestions for Improvement by Age Cohort 62Respondent Profiles by Age Cohort 65Industrialized vs. Non-Industrialized Country Results by Age Cohort 73Country-Specific Results by Age Cohort 87Industry Results by Age Cohort 95

Recommendations 102Appendix A: Diagnostic Tool 105Appendix B: Questionnaire 107


Methodology

Eligibility: Individuals ages 20–26 or 50–59 in six countries (Brazil, Canada, China, India, the U.K. and the U.S.) who work for employers with 26+ employees.

Sample Groups: Country Age 20–26 Age 50–59Brazil n=50 n=50Canada n=50 n=50China n=52 n=48India n=50 n=50U.K. n=50 n=50U.S. n=50 n=50TOTAL 300 300

The countries were selected to represent both industrialized nations and non-industrialized nations across multiple continents.

Sampling Error: Age group results have a sampling error of +/-5.8 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

Survey Dates: 17 March – 17 April 2008 (Fielding dates were staggered, with each country’s surveys fielded over four to nine days, except in China where the field period lasted 16 days.)

Languages: In each country outside of the U.S. and the U.K., respondents were offered the option to complete the survey in English or in their native language, i.e., Portuguese, French, Mandarin or Hindi.

As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.

The survey was conducted online using Greenfield Online’s panel to administer a questionnaire developed by Mathew Greenwald & Associates in collaboration with IABC and Deloitte.


Methodology: Generations

In each country, we surveyed fifty 20- to 26-year-olds and fifty 50- to 59-year-olds. These age groups were deliberately chosen to correspond to portions of younger and older generational cohorts in the U.S. Respondents ages 20 to 26 are members of America’s Generation Y, also known as Gen Y or the Millennial generation, which encompasses those born in 1982 or later. Surveying people under 20 years of age poses unique methodological challenges, and in several cultures, those under 20 are less likely to be part of the workforce; hence, the youngest portion of “Gen Y” was excluded. The older age group, those ages 50–59, are considered part of the Baby Boom generation in the U.S. Baby Boomers are typically thought to include those born between 1946 and 1964, though the survey focused on workers currently in their 50s, since those in their 60s are approaching retirement at different ages in different countries.

“Not all countries do in fact have [generational] cohorts as found in the U.S.…The existence of cohorts has been found in other developed countries. Yet it is the nature of the [generation-]defining moments within these other cultures that defines the topography of the cohort terrain. Different defining moments create cohorts with different dates, different lengths, and different values.”1 Consequently, throughout this report, we will refer to these groups by a more universal term, “age cohorts,” since generational birth years, experiences and characteristics do not necessarily translate cross-culturally.

1Meredith, G., & Schewe, D. US: Segmenting global markets by generational cohorts. Accessed at theMatureMarket.com.


Methodology: Use of Online Panel

Our decision to use an online panel for this research was driven by cost and time considerations.

It is clear that there are differences in Internet access in different countries, particularly in the non-industrialized nations.

In industrialized countries (the U.S., Canada and the U.K. in this study), a broad cross-section of the population has access to the Internet, whereas in the non-industrialized countries (China, India and Brazil in this study), access is limited to a more highly educated, wealthy and urbanized population. Therefore, responses from those countries should not be considered representative of the entire working population there. For an employer that hires this upper echelon type of worker, this may not be a major consideration.

Because we understand the implications of the online methodology on the representation of the broader populations, the study was designed to identify less frequent users of technology as a way to provide some insights about the groups that are not well-represented.

The reader should assume that our overall results overstate the attitudes and behaviors of those who are frequent users of technology and understate those of the less frequent and non-users. By examining the technology usage levels of respondents, one can get a more balanced view of this diverse global workforce.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

• This study was conducted to compare two age cohorts (ages 20–26 and ages 50–59) in today’s global workforce in order to understand their preferences, needs, attitudes and habits regarding workplace communications.

Employee Engagement:• Both age cohorts are willing to go above and beyond their normal job requirements, and they feel they are doing

interesting work. Nevertheless, only half of the employees in each cohort feel a sense of belonging with their employer.

• The younger cohort is more positive than the older cohort about their opportunities to learn and advance, and about being proud to work for their employer. The difference in learning opportunities is most pronounced in larger organizations (1,000 or more employees).

• The younger cohort is more positive about their salaries, having flexible scheduling options, being rewarded for their contributions and having a fun workplace culture. They are also more likely to enjoy employer-sponsored events.

• In addition, the younger age group has a more positive view of their employer’s ethical standards and social responsibility; they feel they report to good managers, and that their employer takes full advantage of their generation’s skills and values their opinions. They also are more trusting that the employer will consider the best interests of the employees when making decisions.

• Overall job satisfaction is similar for the two age cohorts. For both age groups, being proud to work for their employer is a leading driver of overall satisfaction. For the younger group, feeling a sense of belonging is also a key driver, whereas for the older group, trusting leaders to consider employees’ interests is one of the top two drivers.

• Despite their more positive view of many aspects of their employers, the younger cohort is less likely to stay with their current employer through the next two years.

Importance and Effectiveness of Employer Communicat ions:• The most important types of employer communications for both cohorts are: job performance feedback, employee

recognition for contributions and opportunities to interact with co-workers.• The younger cohort places more importance on unofficial and interactive types of communication, while the older

cohort is more likely to want to hear about their organization’s goals.


Executive Summary (continued)

Importance and Effectiveness of Employer Communicat ions (continued):• Neither cohort gives high ratings for the effectiveness of their employer’s communications. • For both cohorts, there are six types of communication with the largest gaps between their importance and the

employers’ effectiveness. Five are common to both cohorts and include:– Performance recognition.

– Feedback about job performance.

– Interaction with colleagues.– How work advances company goals.

– Communication with a mentor.

The sixth type for the younger cohort is “Fun ways to build teamwork”; for the older cohort, it is “Information about policies.”

Communication Channel Preferences:• Employee preferences regarding communication channels understandably vary by type of communication, but

there are no sweeping generalizations that fit each age cohort. This suggests that multiple channels must be activated for most employer communication.

• A more useful way than age cohorts to think about employee channel preferences is to compare their use of communication technology. Those who frequently use such tools as e-mail, the company intranet, instant messaging, text messaging, message boards, blogs, and/or podcasts have different preferences than others their same age who are not frequent users of these sorts of technology.

• The type of communication with the clearest channel preference is “Interacting with co-workers to build good working relationships.” More than half in each age cohort see this as something that should be done in person. Nevertheless, there are some among the younger workers who are high users of technology and who prefer electronic messaging for this type of communication.

• Employees of each age group tend to prefer to use electronic messaging or the intranet to learn about company events and to get business news. The combination of electronic messaging and in-person discussions meet the needs of most employees for getting project updates and exchanging routine information with supervisors.


Executive Summary (continued)

Ratings of Employer Communications: • Although the majority of each cohort gives positive ratings for all five of the communication attributes tested, the

older cohort is more likely to rate each of them negatively.– This includes higher ratings of Not credible, Not relevant, Difficult to understand, Not timely and Not

explaining why information is important.– These differences are often greatest in two industry sectors: Consumer/Industrial Products and Services,

and the Public Sector. – The relevance of communications is a bigger problem in large organizations (1,000+ employees).

Employee Suggestions for Improvement:• Both age cohorts feel improved communications and better facilities would improve their work environment for

people their age. • Younger employees are more likely to suggest that the work environment should be more fun and that there

should be a greater emphasis on employee development.• Older employees are more likely to suggest greater employee appreciation efforts.• The younger cohort also places more emphasis on improving technology in the workplace as a way to improve

communication.• Another leading suggestion for improved communication from both age groups is to have more events or

meetings.


Literature Review


Literature Review

Employee Engagement and Organizational Performance

The importance of an engaged workforce to any organization cannot be overstated. Effective employee communication is a central tool to employees’ understanding and appreciation of the values of the company and their alignment with the organization’s goals.

One recent study making this point is a global employee engagement study by ISR, which found dramatically better financial performance in companies with highly engaged employees compared to those with low employer engagement. All three financial performance measures (operating income, net income and earnings per share [EPS]) showed this difference, including a 28 percent improvement in EPS growth for high employee engagement companies compared to an 11 percent decline in EPS over the same period for those with low employee engagement.2

Other research supports the strong connection between a company’s corporate citizenship activities and its employees’ satisfaction and loyalty. A U.S. study found that employees involved in company-sponsored community events were 30 percent more likely to want to continue working for that company and to help it succeed. Another study of 25,000 workers in 25 countries found that 80 percent of the employees of large organizations felt greater motivation and loyalty to their jobs as their employers became more socially responsible. A third study of European employees found that almost 90 percent expressed greater loyalty to employees who were socially responsible.3

IABC’s Best Practices in Employee Communication: A Study of Global Challenges and Approaches makes this point very well. It identifies motivating employees to align with the business strategy as the most critical issue for business communicators. At the same time, only 37 percent feel organizations handle this issue effectively.4

�These results raise important questions that are relevant to our research study. If a younger generation is more or less engaged than the older workers they replace over the years, there can be important implications for organizational performance.


Literature Review (continued)

Employee Engagement/Satisfaction Levels Today

In today’s global markets, it is more important than ever for organizations to understand the cultural differences among their potential and current workforces.

Recent research conducted by Towers Perrin suggests that 24 percent of global workers are disengaged, with a range of 7 percent in Brazil to 56 percent in India, looking exclusively at the six countries included in this study. They also found that Canada and the U.S. had similar and relatively low rates of disengaged workers (17 percent and 16 percent respectively), while the U.K.’s and China’s rates were higher, at 23 percent and 25 percent respectively. On the positive side, 62 percent of global workers are moderately engaged, and another 14 percent are highly engaged.5

A study of the 10 largest economies in the world found that employee satisfaction is highest in Brazil and Canada, (both at 65 percent of employees satisfied) and lowest in Japan, (with 45 percent employee satisfaction.) Several Western European countries were near the bottom, including the U.K. at 56 percent , and France and Italy both at 55 percent. This study put the U.S. right behind the leaders (62 percent ) and China not much further behind at 59 percent.6 These satisfaction scores were composite measures that included how well trained, organized, rewarded, involved, and managed the employees were, as well as the company’s employment security, emphasis on quality, customer service, and corporate ethics.

� Companies with global operations must be aware of the differences in workforce satisfaction across different countries. The implications become more complicated as one adds in the generational component, with the possibility of different drivers of job satisfaction and employee engagement levels for each age group.


Literature Review (continued)

Generational Differences

As mentioned in our methodological note about generations, the definition of a generation is difficult to translate across the world. For that reason, there is little research about global generations in the workforce. However, there are studies focusing on individual countries that suggest some differences among the generations can be tested in terms of how well they apply globally in this and, hopefully, in future research.

In the U.S., the Millennials (the younger age cohort in this study) are said to be confident, hopeful, goal-oriented, civic-minded and inclusive. They want to work with positive people, be challenged, be treated respectfully, learn new skills and knowledge, work in friendly environments, have flexible schedules, and be paid well. Therefore, this generation prefers communication that is positive, respectful, motivational, electronic and goal-focused.7

Millennials want continuous feedback to know what they’re doing right and wrong. Being used to praise, they may mistakesilence for disapproval. By comparison, the U.S. Baby Boomer generation would like well-documented performance feedback; once a year is sufficient.8

In China, the new generation is described as being poor team players with unrealistic expectations about their futures and a tendency to job-hop in order to keep up with their peers. Older workers in China do not have the entrepreneurial flair of the younger generation, but they do have more mature judgment and people management skills.9

Canadian recruiters report that Baby Boomers in that country are attracted to family-friendly work environments and good benefits, including health, wellness and retirement packages. Millennials are described as wanting work-life balance, as well as work that is fun, exciting, new and that means something in the grander scheme of life.10

In the U.K., Baby Boomers want to work past the normal pension age but find it difficult to find fulfilling jobs as employers tend to “put employees age 50+ out to pasture.”11 In the U.S., efforts to retain Baby Boomer employees are effective, particularly when offering wellness programs, mentoring programs, meaningful work, flexibility, and rewards for those who stay (meaning they do not have to wait until retirement for recognition). 12

� These generational results are country-specific, and companies with a global workforce need to understand the similarities and differences between the age groups that extend beyond any country’s borders.


Literature Review: Sources

Footnote Sources2 Watson Wyatt Worldwide. (2004). Connecting organizational communication to financial performance.

3 Zappalà, Orfeus Research & University of Sydney, Australia. (2004). Corporate citizenship and human resource management: A new tool or a missed opportunity. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 42 (2), 185–201.

4 Gay, C., Mahony, M., & Graves, J. (2005). Best practices in employee communication: A study of global challenges and approaches. San Francisco: IABC.

5 Towers Perrin Global Workforce Study. (2005). Winning strategies for a global workforce: Attracting, retaining and engaging employees for competitive advantage.

6 ISR (International Survey Research). Employee satisfaction in the world’s 10 largest economies: Globalisation or diversity?

7 Raines, C. (2003). Connecting generations: The sourcebook. Menlo Park, California: Crisp Learning.

8 Office of Institutional Equity, Duke University. Cross generational communication: Implications in the work environment.

9 Gundling, E., & Zanchettin, A. (2006). Global diversity: Winning customers and engaging employees within world markets. Boston: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

10 Hodges Humble. (2007). Recruitment tactics: Recruiting from a multi-generational labour pool.

11 Management-Issues.com. (2006). Baby Boomer Britons reject traditional retirement.

12 AARP.org. (2007). Retention strategies.


Detailed Results


Differences in Employee Engagement by Age Cohort

In this section, we explore the following questions:• What differences exist in how each age cohort thinks about their job, benefits, and work

environment and their organization’s management?• How are the age cohorts different in three job loyalty measures: overall job satisfaction, intention

to remain with current employer and willingness to recommend employer to others?• What are the key drivers of job loyalty?


80%

78%

71%

69%

72%

63%

53%

82%

78%

69%

65%

54%

54%

51%

Willing to go beyondnormal

responsibilities

Work I do isinteresting

Support employer'sgoals

Feel I am animportant part of the

organization

Have opportunitiesto grow, learn

Proud to work foremployer

Feel sense ofbelonging with

employer

Percentage Strongly Agree/Agree

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

Employee Engagement: General Feelings About Work

• For both age cohorts, there is similar and widespread agreement that employees are willing to go beyond normal job responsibilities if needed and that the work they do is interesting.

• However, the younger age cohort is much more likely to agree that they have opportunities to grow and learn in their job, and that they are proud to work for their employer.

•The gap between the age cohorts for having learning and growth opportunities is widest among employees of larger organizations (1,000 or more employees), where 74 percent of the younger age cohort agrees and just 49 percent of the older age cohort agrees.

•The difference is found among both males and females, and in the industrialized as well as non-industrialized nations.

• Just slightly over half of each age cohort feels a sense of belonging with their employers.

• College-educated employees, regardless of age cohort, are more likely than those without a college degree to:

•Find work interesting (younger: 82 percent versus 68 percent; older: 83 percent versus 70 percent).•Feel they are an important part of the organization (younger: 73 percent versus 60 percent; older: 69 percent versus 59 percent).•Have opportunities to grow and learn (younger: 77 percent versus 61 percent; older: 61 percent versus 42 percent).

Result for ages 20–26 is significantly higher than for ages 50–59 (90%+ confidence level).

Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements regarding general feelings abo ut your work.

Bottom line: Older workers need more development opportunities and reasons to feel proud to work for their employer. Younger workers, despite having interesting work and feeling important in their organizations, often do not feel that they belong.


66%

70%

59%

57%

51%

53%

54%

62%

56%

49%

40%

46%

41%

40%

Happy with workspace provided

Provides schedulingflexibility when

needed

Enjoy attendingemployer-sponsored

events

Employeesrewarded forcontributions

Offers excellentbenefits

Workplace cultureis creative and fun

Offers competitivesalaries


Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

Employee Engagement: Benefits and Environment

• The younger age cohort is more positive about the benefits of working for their employer than the older age cohort is.

• They are more likely to:

•Feel they are offered flexible scheduling options.

•Enjoy employer-sponsored events.

•Feel employees are rewarded for their contributions.

•Find their workplace culture to be creative and fun.

•Feel the employer offers competitive salaries.

• College-educated employees are more likely than those without a college degree to:

•Be happy with their work space.

•Enjoy attending employer events.

•Feel their workplace is creative and fun.


Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about employee benefits.

Bottom line: Workers in each age group are less positive about their benefits and work environment than about their work in general. Although more positive than the older age group, only half of younger workers find their workplace culture to be creative and fun.


69%

70%

69%

64%

65%

52%

61%

59%

57%

52%

49%

38%

Organizationmaintains high

ethical standards

Employer fulfills itssocial responsibilities

Person I report to is agood manager

Takes full advantageof the skills of my

generation

Values my opinion,encourages open

discussion

Trusts leaders toconsider employees'

best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

Employee Engagement: Attitudes About Management

• The younger age cohort is also more positive about their employer’s management team and how their organization is run. Each of the attributes tested were rated significantly higher by the younger age cohort than the older one.

• For each of these attributes, the gaps are primarily found among employees of large organizations and in developed economies.

• For four issues, the generation gap occurs among both men and women. These issues include: employer valuing employees’ opinions, trusting leaders to consider employees’ best interests, employer fulfilling its social responsibilities, and employer taking full advantage of the generation’s skills.

• One issue, organization maintains high ethical standards, creates a generational gap primarily among men.

• The generational divide for one other issue is found among women—reporting to a good manager.

• For both age groups, the higher educated employees are more likely to feel their employer fulfills its social responsibilities and that the employer values their opinion.

• Managers within both age cohorts are more likely to say the employer takes full advantage of their generation’s skills.

Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about your organization’s mana gement.

Bottom line: Employers should address the older workers’ reservations about the management of their organizations. Workers in both age groups are somewhat reluctant to trust their organization’s leaders. Communicators should pay special attention to informing workers about how their interests were considered in key decisions.



11%

40%

25%

9%

8%

5%

2%

15%

36%

22%

9%

8%

5%

5%

Extremely satisfied

Satisfied

Somewhatsatisfied

Neither satisfiednor dissatisfied

Somewhatdissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Extremelydissatisfied

Overall, how satisfied are you with your current job?

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

Employee Engagement: Overall Satisfaction

• Overall job satisfaction is similar for the two age cohorts.

• For the younger age cohort, the four best predictors of overall satisfaction* are:

•Feeling a sense of belonging.

•Being proud to work for employer.

•Reporting to a good manager.

•Employer offering competitive salaries.

• For the older age cohort, the four best predictors of overall satisfaction* are:

•Being proud to work for employer.

•Trusting leaders to consider employees’best interests.

•Being happy with work space.

•Employer offering excellent benefits.

Result for ages 20–26 is significantly lower than for ages 50–59 (90%+ confidence level).

Net satisfied (Extremely satisfied + satisfied)

Younger cohort: 51%

Older cohort: 51%

* Based on multiple regression analysis. For the younger age cohort, the Adjusted R2 for the four variable model is 0.61; for the older cohort, the Adjusted R2 is 0.60.

Bottom line: Increasing younger workers’ sense of belonging is key to improving their overall job satisfaction. For older workers, helping them to appreciate the contributions and values of their employer will help to bolster their satisfaction.


Net recommend (Definitely + Probably would recommend)

Younger cohort: 86%

Older cohort: 75%

40%

46%

11%

3%

33%

42%

17%

8%

Definitely would

Probably would

Probably would not

Definitely would not

Would you recommend your employer to someone looking for employment?

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

Employee Engagement: Recommending Employer

• The younger age cohort is more likely to be willing to recommend their employer to someone seeking a job.

• This difference exists in both developing and developed countries, and in both smaller and larger organizations.

• For the younger employees, the best predictors* of recommending are:

•Being proud to work for their employer.

•Reporting to a good manager.•Employer rewards employee contributions.

•Employer offers competitive salaries.

• For the older employees, the best predictors* of recommending are:

•Trusting organizational leaders to consider employees’ best interests.

•Being proud to work for employer.•Workplace culture is creative and fun.•Having opportunities to grow and learn.

* Based on multiple regression analysis. For the younger age cohort, the Adjusted R2 for the four variable model is 0.552; for the older cohort, the Adjusted R2 is 0.558.

Bottom line: In companies of all sizes, older workers are less likely to be ambassadors for their employers. By increasing the older workers’ trust in their employer, organizations can increase their willingness to recommend the organization.



The younger generation feels better about many aspects of their jobs, their benefits and work environment, and the organizations’ leadership.

They are more likely to recommend their employer to others.

Do all these positive feelings translate into loyal younger workers?


21%

46%

24%

9%

34%

45%

19%

3%

Definitely will

Probably will

Probably will not

Definitely will not

How likely are you to be working for your current employer in 2010?

Ages 20–26 (n=274) * Ages 50–59 (n=242) *

Employee Engagement: Retention

• Despite their tendency to be more positive about their employers in many aspects, the younger cohort is less likely to stay with their current employer.

• Attitudes about the employer and the job are weak predictors of retention. Through regression analysis, we are only able to explain 25 percent of the variance in retention among the younger cohort and only 29 percent for the older cohort.

•The best predictors of retention for the younger cohort are: being proud to work for the employer and employer offering excellent benefits.

•The best predictors of retention for the older cohort are: employer offering excellent benefits and being proud to work for the employer.

/

* This question was not asked of those who do not plan to be working full-time in 2010—9 percent of the younger cohort and 19 percent of the older cohort.

Bottom line: For both age groups, being proud to work for an employer is a key driver of retention. Offering a strong benefits package is also key.

Result for ages 20–26 is significantly higher/lower than for ages 50–59 (90%+ confidence level).


Employee Communication by Age Cohort

In this section, we explore the following questions:• What are the most important types of communication for each age cohort?• How effectively are employers performing in each type of communication?• Are managers and supervisors different in their views about communication types?• Where are the biggest gaps between communication importance and effectiveness for each age

cohort?• What communication channels are preferred for specific types of communication?


76%

71%

69%

64%

62%

61%

56%

55%

54%

54%

36%

48%

59%

62%

57%

30%

67%

75%

73%

72%

59%

63%

Feedback about your job performance

Recognition for exceptionalcontributions

Opportunities to interact, build workingrelationships

Information about company policies

Communication with mentor aboutcareer, advancement

Explaining how work advancescompany's goals

Interesting, fun ways to build teamwork

Updates from senior management aboutcompany performance

Explanations of organization's goals

Online resources for employees

Information shared through unofficialsources

Percentage rating 8–10

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

Importance of Employer Communication Types

• The two age groups generally agree about the importance of most types of employer communication.

• The differences appear when looking at communications that are either formal, top-down types or informal, interactive types.

• The older workers place more importance on the employer’s formal communication.

•The older age cohort is more likely to place high importance on getting explanations of the organization’s goals.

•In addition, the older employees are more likely to rate getting information about company policies as highly important, as 67 percent rate this a 9 or 10, compared to just 64 percent of younger employees.

• At the same time, the younger workers place more importance on informal communication.

•The younger cohort finds it more important to have interesting teambuilding activities and information sharing through unofficial sources.

Result for ages 20–26 is significantly higher/lower than for ages 50–59 (90%+ confidence level)./

How important is each of the following types of emp loyer communications to you? 10=Extremely important, 0=Not at all important

Bottom line: Both age groups need performance feedback and recognition. Younger workers need fun teambuilding activities and informal information sharing, while older workers focus more on understanding the organization’s goals.


72%

73%

71%

69%

72%

69%

64%

66%

67%

61%

51%

52%

57%

60%

48%

40%

65%

63%

66%

61%

62%

59%

Feedback about your job performance

Information about company policies

Explanations of organization's goals

Opportunities to interact, build workingrelationships

Updates from senior managementabout company performance

Recognition for exceptionalcontributions

Communication with mentor aboutcareer, advancement

Explaining how work advancescompany's goals

Online resources for employees

Interesting, fun ways to build teamwork

Information shared through unofficialsources


Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

Effectiveness of Employer Communications

Rate how effectively your employer communicates to you in each of the following areas? 10=Extremely effective, 0=Not at all effective

• Younger workers rate employer communication as more effective than older workers do.

•Looking at those that gave at least a somewhat positive rating (6 or higher on a 0 –10 scale), the younger cohort has significantly higher positives than the older cohort for all but one type of communication (opportunities to interact with colleagues).

• However, looking exclusively at those giving high scores (ratings of 8, 9 or 10—shown to the right of the chart), the age group differences largely disappear. In fact, less than half in each age group give a high effectiveness rating for most items.

•Nevertheless, the younger employees are more likely to give high ratings for effective job performance feedback, as well as for effective unofficial information sharing.

% 8–10

50%

41%

48%

46%

46%

43%

46%

44%

44%

41%

41%

41%

41%

35%

39%

38%

39%

38%

36%

31%

32%

23%

Bottom line: Neither age group feels employers are highly effective at most types of communication.

Result for ages 20–26 is significantly higher/lower than for ages 50–59 (90%+ confidence level)./


63% 63%

53%

48%51% 50%

48%

53%

47%44%

30%

61%63%

53%56%

58%

47%45%

34% 34% 34%

22%

43%

52%

64% 63%

17%

30%30%27%

37%37%

57%

49%

45% 44%

39%

13%

30%

34%36%

42%

51%

60%

Performancefeedback

Recognition forcontributions

Opportunities tointeract

Companypolicies

Communicationw ith mentor

How w orkadvancescompany's

goals

Interestingw ays to build

teamw ork

Updates aboutcompany

performance

Explainsorganization's

goals

Onlineemployeeresources

Unofficialinformation

sharing


Younger, Manager (n=147) Older, Manager (n=152) Younger, Nonmanager (n=155) Older, Nonmanager (n=146)

Importance of Communication by Management Roles


• Those with a supervision or management role in both age cohorts are usually more likely than their counterparts to feel each type of communication is highly important (ratings of 9 or 10).

• In addition, managers within the older cohort are more likely than their younger counterparts to place a high importance on company policy information and explanations of the organization’s goals.

Bottom line: Although performance feedback is universally important, those with supervisory or management roles often need more communication.


43%40% 39% 39%

32%35%

33%

37% 38%

33%

28%30%

21%

28%25%

37%

30%

36%34%

36%39%

18%

27%

32%31%34%

17%21%

27%24%

17%

27%28%

17%

25%

20%

24%

14%

20%

16%19%

27%25%25%

Performancefeedback


Opportunities tointeract

Companypolicies



goals


teamw ork


performance


goals


Unoff icialinformation

sharing


Younger, Manager (n=147) Older, Manager (n=152) Younger, Nonmanager (n=155) Older, Nonmanager (n=146)

Effectiveness of Communication by Management Roles• Managers in the younger cohort rate all types of communication as more effective than nonmanagers in the same age group.

• The same holds true among the older age cohort.

• Younger managers are more likely than their older counterparts to rate performance feedback and unofficial information sharing as highly effective.

Rate how effectively your employer communicates to you in each of the following areas?10=Extremely effective, 0=Not at all effective

Bottom line: Employer communications are rarely considered highly effective, especially among the nonmanagement staff.


Importance by Effectiveness: A Method to Determine Priorities

• By plotting the percentage of employees who think a type of communication is important by the percentage who believe their employer is effective in that area, communication priorities become visually apparent. The chart to the right shows hypothetical items displayed in this way.

• Those items that fall in the upper right quadrant of the chart (Items A and B) are both important to employees and being delivered effectively.

• The items that appear in the lower right quadrant (Items C and F) are also important to employees, but a smaller share of employees believe they are being effectively provided. Item D is an example of an item that is of relatively low importance and low success, and Item E is of low importance and high success.

• Ideally, the level of success achieved by employers in any type of communication would at least equal the level of importance; when success matches importance in this way, an item will appear along the diagonal line in the graph—as Item B does.

• If an item appears below the diagonal line, success is not keeping pace with importance. Conversely, when success exceeds importance, an item appears above the line. The farther away any given point lies from the diagonal, the greater the gap between success and importance. In this example, Items A, C and F are all below the line, but Item C has the largest importance-effectiveness gap.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Importance (percentage rating 8–10)

Suc

cess

(pe

rcen

tage

rat

ing

8–10

)

High Priority

Low Priority

Item E

Item D

Needs Improvement

Strengths

Item A

Item B

Item CItem F


20%

50%

80%

20% 50% 80%Importance (percentage rating 8, 9 or 10)

Effe

ctiv

ene

ss (p

erc

ent

age

ratin

g 8

, 9 o

r 10)

Feedback about job performance

Information through unofficial sources

Importance vs. Effectiveness: Younger Age Cohort

• Comparing the importance and effectiveness ratings for the younger cohort, it appears that employers are not performing at a high level of effectiveness for virtually all types of communication.

• This chart uses the same standard to identify high importance and high effectiveness, i.e., at least 50 percent rating the item as an 8, 9 or 10 on the 0–10 scale.

• The following page shows a close-up view of the lower right part of this chart.

Items in this quadrant include: explaining organization’s goals, interacting with colleagues, recognition for contributions, how work advances company goals, updates on company performance, online employee resources, communication with mentor about career advancement, interesting ways to build teamwork, and information about company policies.

Low Priority for Improvement Needs Improvement

High Priority Strengths


20%

50%

40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Importance (percentage rating 8, 9 or 10)

Effe

ctiv

enes

s (p

erce

ntag

e ra

ting

8, 9

or

10)

Feedback about job performance

Fun ways to build teamwork

How work advances

goals

Mentor

Interact w ith colleagues

Performance recognition

Importance vs. Effectiveness: Younger Age Cohort

• Focusing on the lower quadrant reveals six items with the greatest gaps between importance and effectiveness (shown to the right of the dotted line). These are (listed in descending order by the size of the gap):

•Performance recognition (30).

•Feedback about job performance (26).

•Interact with colleagues (23).

•How work advances goals (22).

•Mentor (21).

•Fun ways to build teamwork (20).

Low Priority Needs Improvement

Leave Alone Strengths

Bottom line: To reach younger workers, communicators must do more to recognize and reward their performance. This age group wants to hear more about how they are performing and how they can help their organizations succeed. At the same time, they want to interact with their colleagues and take part in fun and interesting teambuilding activities.


20%

40%

60%

80%

20% 50% 80%Importance (percentage rating 8, 9 or 10)

Eff

ectiv

enes

s (p

erce

ntag

e ra

ting

8, 9

or

10)

Interesting, fun ways to build

teamwork

Information through unofficial sources

Importance vs. Effectiveness: Older Age Cohort


High Priority Strengths

• As with the younger cohort, the older cohort indicated that for most types of communication, employers are not performing at a high level of effectiveness for virtually all important types of communication.

• This chart uses the same standard to identify high importance and high effectiveness, i.e., at least 50 percent rating the item as an 8, 9 or 10 on the 0–10 scale.

• The following page shows a close-up view of the lower right part of this chart.


20%

40%

60%

40% 50% 60% 70% 80%Importance (percentage rating 8, 9 or 10)

Eff

ectiv

enes

s (p

erce

ntag

e ra

ting

8, 9

or

10)

Information about policies

Recognition for contributions

Feedback about job performanceExplaining how

work advances company goals

Mentor

Interact w ith colleagues

Importance vs. Effectiveness: Older Age Cohort


Leave Alone Strengths

• Compared to the younger cohort, the gaps between importance and effectiveness are wider and more pervasive. None of the items to the left of the dotted line are very close to the diagonal parity line.

• Focusing in on the lower quadrant reveals six items with the greatest gaps between importance and effectiveness (shown to the right of the dotted line). These are (listed in descending order by the size of the gap):

•Feedback about job performance (34).

•Performance recognition (32).

•Interact with colleagues (28).

•How work advances goals (25).

•Mentor (24).

•Information about policies (21).

Bottom line: Like their younger co-workers, the older cohort needs more performance recognition and feedback, and wants to be able to interact more with co-workers.


Preferred Channel for Information Concerning Employ ee Benefits

23%

24%

20%

23%

5%

5%

23%

19%

29%

21%

3%

5%

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

Electronic Messaging (E-Mail, Instant or Text

Messaging)

Printed Materials

Telephone Conversations

No Preference

In-Person Meetings or Discussions

Company Intranet or Web Site

• Overall, there are no significant differences between the age groups concerning the preferred way to gain information about employee benefits.

• Within each age group, about half prefer an electronic mode (messaging or intranet), and about half prefer a traditional mode (in-person or print).

• Regardless of age, those in larger companies (1,000 or more employees) are more likely to prefer the company’s intranet and are less likely to prefer in-person meetings than those in smaller organizations.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to find information concerning employee bene fits?

NOTE: For this series of questions, respondents were told: “For the following questions, please assume that each type of communication method is available in your organization.”

Bottom line: Information about benefits needs to be communicated through multiple channels, including e-mail, intranet, in-person and print.


Preferred Channel for Learning About Company’s Goal s and Performance

21%

32%

21%

17%

3%

7%

21%

16%

31%

24%

1%

8%

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)


Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• Overall, there are no significant differences between the age groups for the preferred way to gain information about the company’s goals and performance.

• The company’s intranet or web site is the most preferred method to learn about organizational goals and performance.

• For the younger cohort, electronic messaging is also a preferred method.

• For the older cohort, in-person discussions and printed materials are the preferred choice for many.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to learn about your company’s goals and perform ance?


Bottom line: For both age groups, company intranet/web site and in-person meetings or discussions are the leading channels to share information about goals and company performance. In addition, the younger workers would like to receive this information through e-messaging, while older employees would prefer to read printed materials.


Preferred Channel for Finding Out About Company Eve nts

39%

26%

13%

14%

4%

5%

14%

37%

24%

16%

1%

8%

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)


Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• The two age groups agree that electronic messaging and the company intranet or web site are their preferred methods for learning about company events.

• Despite the majority preference, it is important to remember that nearly one in three employees prefers another method.

• Electronic messaging is the most preferred communication channel for all education/age groups.

•However, college grads in each cohort are more likely to prefer using the intranet, while the less educated tend to prefer printed materials.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to find out about company events?


Bottom line: Electronic messaging and the company web site/intranet are the two places organizations should start communicating about company events. Nevertheless, to be sure everyone can be included in these important morale and team-building opportunities, the traditional channels are also important.


Preferred Channel for Learning About News Regarding Your Business and Industry

30%

35%

12%

15%

2%

6%

18%

26%

36%

10%

2%

9%

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)


Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• Both age groups prefer to receive business news via the company web site/intranet or electronic messaging.

• About three in 10 of each age cohort prefer traditional communication channels, i.e., printed materials, in-person meetings/discussions or telephone conversations.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to learn about news regarding your bu siness and your

industry?


Bottom line: You can provide business news to most employees by using either the company intranet/web site or electronic messaging. Keep in mind, however, that about one-third of your employees may prefer a more traditional media channel.


Preferred Channel for Getting Project or Team Updat es

38%

11%

34%

7%

3%

6%

10%

29%

16%

33%

2%

9%

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)


Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• Overall, younger employees are more likely to prefer electronic messaging to get project updates, whereas older workers are more likely to prefer the company intranet or web site.

• About one-third of each age group wants to get project updates through in-person meetings.

• Young employees of large organizations are not only more likely to prefer electronic messaging than older workers (regardless of company size), they are also more likely to prefer electronic messaging than those in their same age group who work for smaller companies.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to get project or team updates?


Bottom line: In large organizations, be prepared to use electronic messaging along with in-person channels to share project updates, particularly with young workers. In smaller organizations, in-person communication works well for many in each age group.


Preferred Channel for Interacting with Co-Workers A s a Way to Build Good Working Relationships

22%

6%

59%

7%

6%

8%

17%

5%

63%

7%

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)


Messaging)


No Preference



• The majority in each age group prefer in-person interactions as the best way to build good working relationships with their co-workers.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to interact with your co-workers as a way to build good working

relationships?


Bottom line: Organizations should continue to facilitate in-person interactions among co-workers. At the same time, it would also be smart to facilitate (i.e., not discourage) the use of electronic messaging for this purpose, in order to meet the expectations of one in five workers.


Preferred Channel for Routine Exchanges of Informat ion with Supervisor

37%

45%

12%

6%

8%

30%

50%

13%

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)


Messaging)


No Preference


• In each age group, more employees prefer in-person discussions with their supervisors over other communication modes.

• Young workers, however, are more likely than older ones to prefer electronic messaging when exchanging routine information with their supervisors.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use for routine exchanges of information with your supervisor?


Bottom line: Supervisors should certainly be accessible for in-person discussions with their staffs, but they should also expect to exchange information via e-mail or other electronic messaging, especially with employees in their 20s.


Ratings of Employer Communications by Age Cohort

How do the age cohorts rate employer communications to employees in terms of credibility, relevance, understandability, timeliness, and explanations of the information’s importance?


Employer Communications: Credibility

33%

33%

27%

7%

21%

23%

32%

24%

Rated 9–10 (Credible)

Rated 7–8

Rated 4–6

Rated 0–3(Not credible)

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

• The older age cohort is much more likely to rate their employers’ communications as being low on credibility.

•This is true for both males and females, for those in developed as well as developing economies, and for those working in smaller and larger organizations.

• Conversely, the young workers are more likely to give their employers very high ratings for credibility.

• The credibility gap between the age groups is greatest for public sector employees.

•One in four older employees gives their public sector employer a low credibility rating (25 percent), compared to just 4 percent of younger workers.

•This gap is also found in the consumer/industrial products and items category, where older workers are twice as likely to rate communications as not credible (21 percent versus 10 percent).

Please indicate which word or phrase best describes your employer’s communications to employees.

(Scale of 0 –10, 10=Credible, 0=Not credible)

Bottom line: Communicators, especially those in the public sector or consumer/industrial products industry, should examine their communications to ensure that their older employees will find them believable.


Employer Communications: Relevance

25%

36%

31%

8%

15%

24%

29%

32%

Rated 9–10 (Relevant)

Rated 7–8

Rated 4–6

Rated 0–3(Not relevant)

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

• The older age cohort is more likely to rate their employers’ communications as being not relevant to them.

•This is true for both males and females, and for those in developed as well as developing economies.

•However, this is more of an issue for those in larger organizations (1,000+ employees) than in smaller ones.

• Conversely, young workers are more likely to give their employers somewhat high ratings for communicating information that is relevant to them.

• The industry category with the largest age cohort gap is the public sector; more than twice as many older workers than younger workers find the communications irrelevant (15 percent versus 6 percent).


(Scale of 0 –10, 10=Relevant to me, 0=Not relevant to me)

Bottom line: Larger organizations in particular should be careful to “push” to employees only information that is relevant to them. This will require systems to target different employee audiences. Messages also need to include context that helps employees understand why they should pay attention. In addition, employers should make it easy for their workers to sift through information in order to find what interests them.


Employer Communications: Easy to Understand

29%

37%

29%

5%

13%

26%

31%

30%

Rated 9–10(Easy to

understand)

Rated 7–8

Rated 4–6

Rated 0–3(Difficult to

understand)

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

• The older age cohort is more likely to rate their employers’ communications as being difficult to understand.

•This is true for both males and females, for those in developed as well as developing economies, and those in small as well as large organizations.

• Conversely, the young workers are more likely to give their employers somewhat high ratings for communications that are easy to understand.

• As with other aspects of employer communications, the gap between the cohorts in negative ratings is greatest for public sector employees (18 percent versus 2 percent).


(Scale of 0 –10, 10=Easy to understand, 0=Difficult to understan d)

Bottom line: Ensure that employer communications use language that is accessible to all workers. Employers should also be educating their workers about the important terminology in their industry. Finally, communications should be concise to make it easy for employees to quickly grasp the message.


Employer Communications: Timely

30%

31%

29%

9%

20%

18%

28%

34%

Rated 9–10(Timely)

Rated 7–8

Rated 4–6

Rated 0–3(Not timely)

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)


(Scale of 0 –10, 10=Received in timely manner, 0=Takes a long time to receive)

• The younger age cohort is more likely to rate their employer communications as timely (rated 7–10).

•This is true for both males and females.

•The gap in timely ratings is most pronounced for employees in industrialized nations and in larger companies.

• The difference between the age cohorts in positive ratings (ratings of 7–10) is greatest for the technology, media and telecommunications sectors, where nearly seven in 10 younger employees consider communications to be timely (68 percent) compared to less than half of the older workers (45 percent).

Bottom line: In technology, media and telecommunications companies, communicators may face high expectations from their workers in terms of timely (i.e., nearly instantaneous) information sharing. Nevertheless, by delivering very timely communication, employers have an opening to strengthen their ties to their workers.


Employer Communications: Importance Explained

27%

32%

34%

7%

20%

20%

27%

33%

Rated 9–10(Explains

importance)

Rated 7–8

Rated 4–6

Rated 0–3(Does notexplain

importance)

Ages 20–26 (n=302) Ages 50–59 (n=298)

• As with other attributes, the older age cohort is much more likely to give their employers poor marks for explaining why information is important.

•This is true for both males and females, for those in industrialized as well as non-industrialized countries, and for those in small as well as large organizations.

• The age gap for poor ratings (ratings of 0–3) is greatest in two industry sectors: consumer/industrial products and services (21 percent versus 5 percent), and public sector (23 percent versus 8 percent).


(Scale of 0 –10, 10=Explains why information is important,0=Does not explain importance)

Bottom line: All communications should have a clear purpose, with cues to help employees grasp why they are important to them.


Frequent/Infrequent Users of Technology by Age Cohort

In this section, we explore the following questions:

• How are those who use technology infrequently different from frequent users in terms of communications considered most important and most effectively communicated?

• How differently do these people rate communications on five important dimensions?

• Are preferences for communication channels different depending on the frequency of technology usage and age cohort?


46%

39%37%

35%

28% 27% 28%24%

26%

20%

15%

40%

47%

30% 31% 31% 32%

76%

61%

69%

10%

27%

33%

58%

53%

41%

55%57%57%

54%

62%

68%70%

57%

62%

68%

57%

33%

53%

65%65%69%

65%

69%

Performancefeedback


Opportunitiesto interact w ith

co-w orkers

Companypolicies



goals


teamw ork


performance


goals


Unoff icialinformation

sharing


Younger, Infrequent Users (n=74) Older, Infrequent Users (n=78) Younger, Frequent Users (n=74) Older, Frequent Users (n=49)

Importance of Communication by Frequency/Infrequenc y of Technology Use


• Frequent users of technology, regardless of age, place a high importance on all types of communication.

Bottom line: Workers of any age that are technologically savvy are much more interested in the full range of communication types. If you make it available, they’ll use it. On the other hand, employers should also expect to work harder to reach the less frequent technology users.


50%

42%

55%

49%45%45%

31%

67%

30%

41%39%

72%

80%

74%

80%

68%

74%

69%65%

74%

Credible Relevant Easy to understand Received in a timely manner Explains why information isimportant


Younger, Infrequent Users (n=74) Older, Infrequent Users (n=78) Younger, Frequent Users (n=74) Older, Frequent Users (n=49)

Ratings of Communication by Frequency/Infrequency o f Technology Use

Indicate which word or phrase best describes employ ers’ communications to employees. You may use any nu mber between zero and 10. (10 = word shown, 0 = opposite of word shown)

• Frequent users of technology also give more positive ratings to their employers’ communications than do those in their age group who are less frequent users of technology.

Bottom line: Technology users are generally being reached effectively. Less frequent users feel that employer communications are missing the mark. Don’t fall in love with technology at the expense of other more traditional channel types.


Preferred Channel for Communicating Employee Benefi ts by Frequency/Infrequency of Technology Use

18%

19%

15%

32%

7%

10%

9%

17%

26%

39%

1%

9%

16%

29%

31%

14%

8%

2%

12%

34%

22%

23%

7%

3%

Infrequent Users, Ages 20–26 (n=74) Infrequent Users, Ages 50–59 (n=78)

Frequent Users, Ages 20–26 (n=74) Frequent Users, Ages 50–59 (n=49)


Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• Not surprisingly, infrequent users of technology express a preference for printed information about benefits, whereas frequent users tend to prefer electronic messaging or intranet channels.

• Although there are some differences between the age cohorts, in many cases, employees are more like those with the same technology usage levels than those in their same age group.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to find information concerning employee bene fits?


Bottom line: Printed materials about employee benefits are especially important for workers who are infrequent users of technology.


Preferred Channel for Communicating Company’s Goals and Performance by Frequency/Infrequency of Technology Use

24%

19%

16%

24%

4%

12%

28%

34%

19%

12%

4%

3%

14%

37%

33%

14%

0%

2%

33%

5%

18%

23%

3%

18%

Infrequent Users, Ages 20–26 (n=74) Infrequent Users, Ages 50–59 (n=78)Frequent Users, Ages 20–26 (n=74) Frequent Users, Ages 50–59 (n=49)


Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• Regardless of age cohort, frequent technology users prefer the company intranet or web site, whereas infrequent users prefer printed materials.

• There is also a difference among frequent users, as those in the younger cohort prefer electronic messaging to get this type of information, and the older cohort is more likely to prefer in-person channels.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to learn about your company’s goals and perform ance?


Bottom line: Don’t assume all young workers want to use the intranet or e-messaging, or that older workers all want to use low-tech channels. Given the importance of having all employees aligned with company goals and aware of how the company is performing, it is essential to use all available channels.


Preferred Channel for Communicating Company Events by Frequency/Infrequency of Technology Use

38%

15%

12%

23%

4%

8%

42%

35%

16%

1%

3%

3%

29%

33%

29%

4%

0%

6%

31%

15%

17%

18%

4%

15%



Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• Infrequent technology users are more likely to prefer to learn about company events through printed materials, while frequent users are more likely to prefer the intranet or company web site.

• However, among the younger generation, infrequent users are similar to the frequent users in their preference for electronic messaging.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to find out about company events?


Bottom line: Despite the popularity of the high-tech channels, there are still some employees who prefer to have something in writing or to hear about company events in person.


Preferred Channel for Communicating News Regarding Your Business and Industry by Frequency of Technology Us e

24%

24%

15%

24%

1%

11%

31%

37%

16%

11%

3%

3%

31%

41%

8%

14%

4%

2%

33%

9%

27%

15%

3%

13%




Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• The frequent technology users within each age cohort prefer intranet or electronic messaging channels to get business news.

• The infrequent users in the older cohort prefer print or intranet channels, while their younger counterparts are split among three channels: electronic messaging, intranet and printed materials.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to learn about news regarding your bu siness and your

industry?


Bottom line: High-tech communication channels should be supplemented with printed materials (e.g., newsletter, bulletin board postings, etc.) to update employees regarding business news.


Preferred Channel for Project or Team Updates by Frequency/Infrequency of Technology Use

35%

5%

32%

11%

8%

8%

49%

12%

31%

3%

4%

1%

25%

31%

29%

10%

2%

4%

22%

10%

8%

41%

3%

17%



Messaging)

Printed Materials


No Preference



• Regardless of the frequency of their technology usage, the younger cohort is more likely to prefer electronic messaging to get project updates.

• Among the frequent users, the older cohort prefers intranet or in-person channels over electronic messaging, while the younger cohort strongly prefers electronic messaging.

• In-person channels are among the top two preferred channels for each segment.

• Printed materials are also an important channel for the infrequent users in the older cohort.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to get project or team updates?


Bottom line: Many young employees are interested in using electronic messaging for updates, even if they are not frequent technology users. Nevertheless, in-person communication is a popular channel for all age and technology usage groups.


Preferred Channel for Interacting with Co-Workers b y Frequency/Infrequency of Technology Use

23%

3%

54%

8%

12%

32%

10%

46%

11%

1%

16%

12%

59%

12%

0%

8%

9%

3%

73%

8%




Messaging)


No Preference



• The majority of all segments prefer in-person channels to build good working relationships with their colleagues.

• For the younger, frequent user, the in-person channel is the most preferred one, although about one in three prefers electronic messaging.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use to interact with your co-workers as a way to build good working

relationships?


Bottom line: In-person interaction is still the preferred way to build good relationships with co-workers. If you employ a lot of young people who use technology frequently, expect that many of them will want to interact via electronic messaging.


Preferred Channel for Routine Exchanges with Superv isor by Frequency/Infrequency of Technology Use

26%

47%

16%

11%

46%

43%

11%

0%

37%

45%

14%

4%

12%

13%

60%

15%

Infrequent Users, Age 20–26 (n=74) Infrequent Users, Age 50–59 (n=78)

Frequent Users, Age 20–26 (n=74) Frequent Users, Age 50–59 (n=49)


Messaging)


No Preference

In-Person Meetings Or Discussions

• Among infrequent users, in-person discussions are clearly the preferred channel for routine exchanges with a supervisor.

• Frequent users of technology are more divided, as many in each age cohort prefer electronic messaging, while similar numbers prefer in-person channels.

Which one of the following communication methods wo uld you prefer to use for routine exchanges of information with your supervisor?


Bottom line: Younger workers are more likely to want to use electronic messaging to exchange information with a supervisor. Employers may want to provide training to all parties to ensure that these exchanges are performed professionally in order to avoid misunderstandings and projecting a poor image.


Usage of Communication Channels by Age Cohort

In this section, we explore the following questions:• How frequently are the major types of workplace communication used by the different age

cohorts?• How much time per day do the age cohorts spend using e-mail, the Internet and mobile phones,

both for work and nonwork-related issues?


Most Frequently Used High-Tech Communication Channe ls

39%

13%

12%

4%

5%

8%

13%

8%

13%

8%

11%24%

30%

24%

39%

49%

64%

68%

16%

20%

17%

15%

16%

16%

42%

14%

49%

46%

48%

31%

24%

16%Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Regularly Occasionally Rarely/Not Used Not Available/Not Familiar

E-mail

Intranet

Instant Messaging

Text Messaging

• Overall, the two age cohorts have a similar and high usage level for e-mail in their jobs.

• However, the younger employees are more likely to be regular users of their organization’s intranet, as well as instant and text messaging.

• More highly educated employees and those who are managers/supervisors are more likely to use each channel.

• Among nonmanagers, there is no difference between the age cohorts in usage of e-mail and text messaging; however, the younger nonmanagers are more likely than their older counterparts to use the intranet and instant messaging.

In the past 12 months, how often, if at all, have y ou used the following communication methods for work-related information? (ages 20–26: n=302; ages 50–59: n=298)

Respondents were given the following definitions: regular = at least once a day, occasionally = at least once a month, rarely = less than once a month.

Bottom line: When communicating to a young and highly educated workforce, as well as to supervisors, expect a strong propensity to use high-tech channels. However, the older and less educated workers are, the less likely they are to use these channels.


25%

14%

6%

3%

39%

43%

23%

19%

15%

9%

52%

62%

63%

69%

4%

5%

5%

8%

11%

11%

17%

19%

8%

9%

15%

24%

17%

22%

28%19%

37%

49%

42%

34%

34%

28%

30%

38%

55%

45%

39%

36%

27%

32%

3%

1%

2%

3%

Regularly Occasionally Rarely/Not used Not Available/Not Familiar

In-person Meetings

One-on-one Meetings

Company Staff Meetings

Printed Materials

Most Frequently Used Traditional Communication Chan nels• The younger age cohort is more likely to be regular or occasional users of the traditional modes of communication, including

printed materials, in-person team meetings, one-on-one meetings with a supervisor and company staff meetings.

Conference Calls

Video-conferences

Ages 20–26Ages 50–59








Bottom line: Young workers are using all types of communication channels more than their older co-workers; therefore, communicators should expect that most channels will reach the young staff members, who are hungry for information. Older workers are less frequent communicators, so they must be carefully targeted.


9%

21%

13%

10%

15%

14%

16%

14%

19%

24%

25%3%

5%

6%

5%

8%

16%

11%

20%

16%

10%

10%

11%

6%

64%

53%

66%

60%

65%

69%

62%

54%Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Regularly Occasionally Rarely/Not used Not Available/Not Familiar

Podcasts

Message Boards

Webcasts/Online Meetings

Blogs

Less Frequently Used High-Tech Communication Channe ls • The younger age cohort is more likely to be regular or occasional users of the other high-tech communication modes, including

webcasts, blogs and podcasts.

•The higher usage of blogs by the younger cohort is due primarily to the differences among managers; there is no difference between the nonmanager age cohorts in usage of this channel.

• However, the majority of each age group rarely, or never, uses these types of communication.



Bottom line: If your organization uses electronic message boards, webcasts, blogs or podcasts, expect that younger workers will be most likely to take advantage of these channels.


Technology Usage for Work- and Nonwork-Related Matte rs

29%

27%

15%

17%

24%

14%

23%

23%

33%

45%

3%

11%

19%

8%

18%

16%

3%

8%

12%

26%

25%

23%

20%

35%

21%

17%

22%

20%

8%

33%

32%

26%

31%

42%

24%

20%

26% 2%

1%

1%

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Ages 20–26

Ages 50–59

Four or More Hours Two to Three Hours 30 Minutes to One Hour Less Than 30 Minutes Per Day Do Not Use

Internet (nonwork-related)

Internet (work-related)

E-mail

Cell/Smart Phone

• The age groups are most different in their usage of cell or smart phones, as more than half of the younger workers use their mobile phone at least 30 minutes a day, whereas just over one-third of older workers have the same usage level.

During a typical day, how many hours do you spend u sing the following communication media? (ages 20–26: n=302; ages 50–59: n=298)

Bottom line: The two age groups are similar in their usage of e-mail and the Internet for work and nonwork matters. Expect that younger workers will be using their cell/smart phones much more than older workers. Be sure policies regarding cell phone usage are aligned to balance employer needs and young workers’ expectations.


Suggestions for Improvement by Age Cohort

This section answers the following question:• What suggestions does each age cohort offer as ways to improve the work environment and

communications for people in their age group?


Suggestions to Improve Work Environment

Younger cohortImprove communications 16%More fun 16%

Employee development 14%Better facilities 14%Improved compensation package 10%

Communications suggestions include listening to employees, providing information to everyone, having more meetings and using technology more for communications.

Fun suggestions include more fun; more team building events; a comfortable, less boring environment; and more social events outside of work.

Employee development suggestions include more learning/advancement opportunities, giving workers more responsibility, more feedback on performance and designating a mentor.

Better facilities suggestions include updated equipment; environmental issues such as light, temperature and noise; provide a break room—food, coffee, music system; and better furniture.

Compensation package suggestions include higher pay and better benefits/incentives.

Older cohortImprove communications 17%

Better facilities 17%

Improved compensation package 10%

Employee development 10%

Greater employee appreciation 9%

Communications suggestions include listening to employees, providing information to everyone, improving communication and having more meetings.

Better facilities suggestions include better furniture/office layout; environmental issues such as light, temperature and noise; better equipment; and better facilities.

Compensation package suggestions include higher pay and better benefits/incentives.

Employee development suggestions include more learning/advancement opportunities, giving workers more responsibility and more feedback on performance.

Employee appreciation suggestions include recognizing good employees and valuing the experience of employees.

What could your employer do to improve the work env ironment for people in your age group?

• The younger cohort is more likely to suggest more fun activities and more employee development programs; the older cohort is more likely to suggest greater employee appreciation as a way to improve the work environment for people their age.

Results in green are significantly higher than for the older age cohort.Results in blue are significantly higher than for the younger age cohort.

Bottom line: All workers suggest that their workplaces need improved communications. To engage young workers in particular, offer fun, team building activities, and training and development opportunities. Be sure to recognize the contributions of older workers who feel unappreciated and overlooked.


Suggestions to Improve Communication

Response category Younger cohort O lder cohortTechnology 22% 15%

More events/meetings 20% 15%More communication/interaction 8% 11%More respect/honesty 6% 7%Dialogue 4% 5%

Technology suggestions include use web site/intranet/e-mail/text or instant messaging, provide access to the company intranet, use the latest technology, provide more computers, and provide mobile phones/pagers.

Events/meetings suggestions include more activities, having more/regular meetings, more team building events and arranging events for those my age.

Communication/interaction suggestions include better/more communication, set up a communication system and more interaction withemployees.

Respect/honesty suggestions include treat employees with respect, consider employees’ point of view and be honest with employees.Dialogue suggestions include listen to employees more, be accessible, ask for our ideas and encourage employees to speak up.

What could your employer do to improve communicatio n in the workplace for people in your age group?

Results in green are significantly higher than for the older age cohort.

• The two age cohorts give similar patterns of responses to the question about how to improve communication.

• One difference is that younger employees are more likely to suggest an improvement in the organization’s use of technology.

Bottom line: Both age groups, especially the young workers, want their employers to make better use of technology in their workplace communications. For employees that have grown up using high-tech communications, it may be hard to connect strongly to an environment with minimal access to these channels.


Respondent Profiles by Age Cohort

This section answers the following question:• How does each age cohort compare in terms of basic demographics and employment

characteristics?


Respondent Profile by Gender/Education/Children

2211Post-graduate degree completed

37%14%YesHave Children Under 21

4057Completed university

1616Some university

6386No

2117Completed secondary school

2%<1%Did not complete secondary schoolEducation

4344Female

57%56%MaleGender

Older cohort(n=298)

Younger cohort(n=302)

• The older age cohort has a more diverse education history, with higher percentages at both the low and high end of education levels.


Respondent Profile by Union/Employment Type

53Commission

2029Hourly

75%68%SalariedEmployment Type

6276Not union member

38%24%Union memberUnion Member

Older cohort(n=298)


• The older age cohort is more likely to be labor union employees and to have a salaried, rather than hourly position.


Respondent Profile by Employment History

33–20+ years

57%26%OneNumber of Employers Since 2002

2738Two

1329Three or four

37Five or more

(n=298)(n=302)

1476 to 9 years

17<110 to 19 years

17273 to 5 years

12411 to 2 years

7%25%Less than 1 yearLength of Employment

Older cohort(n=298)


• As expected, the younger cohort has a shorter tenure with their employer and is more likely to have worked for other employers since 2002.


Respondent Profile by Income

65Decline to answer

228Top income quintile within country

199Second highest quintile within country

2220Middle income quintile within country

1831Second lowest quintile within country

14%28%Lowest income quintile within country2007 employment income

Older cohort(n=298)


• The older age cohort is more likely to be among the top wage earners in their countries.


Respondent Profile by Type of Work

86Government

83Teacher

2229Clerical, Retail, Service worker

44Production, Manufacturing, Labor

1416Technical

11Other (Craftsperson, Farmer/Rancher/Miner)

2823Executive, Manager, Supervisor

16%18%ProfessionalType of Work

Older cohort(n=298)


• The older age cohort is more likely to be executives, managers or teachers, while the younger cohort is more likely to have clerical, retail or service jobs.


Respondent Profile by Industry and Supervisory Role

813Financial Services

51%49%YesSupervise or manage any employees

1422Technology, Media and Telecommunications

3117Public Sector

4951No

3031Consumer and Industrial Products/ Services

1013Health Care and Life Sciences

7%4%EnergyIndustry

Older cohort(n=298)


• The younger cohort is more likely to work in the financial services and technology/media/telecommunications sectors, while the older cohort is more likely to be employed in the public sector.


Respondent Profile by Hours and Employer Size

222910,000 or more employees

30211,000 to 9,999 employees

1526300 to 999 employees

33%25%26 to 299 employeesEmployer Size

912Less than 30 hours per week

91%88%30+ hours per weekWork Hours

Older cohort(n=298)


• Strong majorities in each age cohort work full-time.

• Employer sizes differ, with younger workers more likely to be employed by the largest organizations and older workers by the smallest.


Industrialized vs. Non-Industrialized Country Results by Age Cohort

This section deals with the following question:• How do the industrialized and non-industrialized countries compare when it comes to age cohort

differences in attitudes about their jobs/employers and communication channel preferences?


75%

47%

47%

53%

49%

55%

33%

33%

33%

40%

65%

71%

68%

53%

59%

57%

66%

47%

49%

40%

Provides schedulingflexibility when

needed

Enjoy attendingemployer-sponsored

events

Employeesrewarded forcontributions

Workplace culture iscreative and fun

Offers competitivesalaries


Younger, Industrialized (n=150) Older, Industrialized (n=150)Younger, Non-Industrialized (n=152) Older, Non-Industrialized (n=148)

Benefits and Environment by Age Cohort and Industri alized/Non-Industrialized Countries

• Several of the benefits issues with generational differences have larger gaps within industrialized than in non-industrialized nations.

•This includes scheduling flexibility, enjoying company events, and having a creative and fun work environment.

• However, the difference in feeling that employees are rewarded for their contributions is found in both types of economies.

• The gap for having competitive salaries is wider in the industrialized nations than in non-industrialized nations.

Result for ages 20–26 is significantly higher than for ages 50–59.

Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

Bottom line: In both industrialized and non-industrialized economies, the older workers feel their contributions are not appreciated.


Most Important Types of Employer Communication: Non -Industrialized Countries by Younger Cohort

72%

66%

58%

56%

56%

54%

54%

Performancefeedback

Employeerecognition

How workadvances

goals


Explaincompany

goals

Fun ways tobuild

teamwork

Interactionwith

colleagues

72%

72%

68%

64%

62%

60%

60%

Employeerecognition

Performancefeedback

Communicationwith mentor


Fun ways tobuild teamwork

Interaction withcolleagues

Companyperformance

updates

52%

44%

44%

42%

42%

39%

37%

Employeerecognition

Companypolicies

How workadvances

goals

Performancefeedback




India Ages 20–26 (n=50)

•In all three countries, the younger workers place great importance on recognition for the exceptional work of employees.

•Performance feedback is also a key concern for workers in India and Brazil, but is slightly less important to their counterparts in China.

•Note that the Chinese respondents are much less likely than those in India and Brazil to classify anything as extremely important.

•In all three countries, being able to interact with colleagues to build working relationships and having fun ways to build teamwork are among the most important communications.

Brazil Ages 20–26 (n=50)

China Ages 20–26 (n=52)

Most Important Types of Employer Communication (Rated 9–10 on scale of 0–10)

Bottom line: The types of employer communication that young workers value are constant across the non-industrialized countries in this study. Having fun, team-building activities is more important for this group than for those in industrialized countries.


Most Important Types of Employer Communication: Ind ustrialized Countries by Younger Cohort

58%

46%

40%

40%

40%

38%

36%

Performancefeedback

Employeerecognition


Companyperformance

updates

Companypolicies


How workadvances

goals

62%

58%

56%

48%

42%

40%

34%

Performancefeedback


Employeerecognition


Companyperformance

updates


How workadvances

goals

54%

44%

40%

40%

34%

34%

32%

Performancefeedback

Employeerecognition



Companypolicies

How workadvances

goals


•In all three industrialized countries, the younger workers place the most importance on getting feedback about their job performance.

•Employee recognition is also among the most important types of communication in all three countries.

•In both the U.S. and Canada, as was found in China, only one item is rated as highly important for more than half of the young workers.

•Unlike in the non-industrialized countries, being able to interact with colleagues to build working relationships is more important than having fun ways to build teamwork.

U.K.Ages 20–26 (n=50)

CanadaAges 20–26 (n=50)

U.S.Ages 20–26 (n=50)


Bottom line: The young workers in industrialized countries want to interact with their co-workers; fun team building events are important, but are a slightly lower priority than for young workers in non-industrialized countries.


Most Important Types of Employer Communication: Non -Industrialized Countries by Older Cohort

84%

84%

80%

78%

74%

74%

74%

Performancefeedback

Companypolicies

Explaincompany

goals

How workadvances

goals


Employeerecognition

Interactionwith

colleagues

78%

76%

72%

70%

70%

68%

66%

Performancefeedback



Companypolicies

Employeerecognition

Explaincompany goals

How workadvances

goals

58%

50%

44%

42%

42%

40%

40%

40%

Companypolicies

Employeerecognition



Explaincompany goals

How workadvances

goals

Performancefeedback

Companyperformance

updates

•As with the younger workers in non-industrialized countries, performance feedback is a major concern for older workers in India and Brazil, but is less of a concern in China.

•Note that the older Chinese respondents are much less likely than those in India and Brazil to classify anything as extremely important, as was found with younger workers in China.

•In all three countries, learning about company policies and employee recognition programs are among the most important communications.

India Ages 50–59 (n=50)

Brazil Ages 50–59 (n=50)

China Ages 50–59 (n=48)


Bottom line: Performance feedback for older Chinese workers does not have the importance found in other countries. For this age group and in non-industrialized economies, be sure to effectively communicate policies and have strong recognition programs.


Most Important Types of Employer Communication: Ind ustrialized Countries by Older Cohort

54%

54%

36%

30%

30%

Performancefeedback

Employeerecognition

Companypolicies



56%

48%

42%

38%

32%

32%

Performancefeedback

Employeerecognition


Companyperformance

updates


Companypolicies

58%

46%

44%

44%

40%

40%

Performancefeedback

Employeerecognition

Companypolicies

Interactionwith

colleagues

Companyperformance

updates

Explaincompany

goals

•In industrialized countries, the only communication type rated as highly important by a majority of older workers is performancefeedback.

•Employee recognition is consistently one of the top two types of employer communications.

•Learning about company policies and interacting with colleagues are also important to many older workers in industrialized countries.

U.K.Ages 50–59 (n=50)

CanadaAges 50–59 (n=50)

U.S.Ages 50–59 (n=50)


Bottom line: In industrialized countries, the older workers’ top priorities are to receive performance feedback and recognition for their contributions.


Channel Preferences for Finding Information About B enefits

E-messageE-message, In-person

Print, In-personIntranet

Older cohort, non-industrialized countryLess frequent users of technologyMore frequent users of technology

IntranetPrintIntranet

Older cohort, industrialized countryLess frequent users of technologyMore frequent users of technology

E-messagePrintIntranet

Younger cohort, industrialized countryLess frequent users of technologyMore frequent users of technology

E-message, IntranetIntranet

In-personIn-person, E-message

Younger cohort, non-industrialized countryLess frequent users of technologyMore frequent users of technology

SECONDARY PREFERENCE(S)PRIMARY PREFERENCE(S)

•Employees have different preferences for how they want to find benefits information.

•In industrialized countries (regardless of age), print and the company intranet are preferred by different groups, depending on their use of technology.

•In non-industrialized countries, there are significant segments preferring in-person, e-messaging, print and intranet channels.

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Bottom line: In industrialized countries, the combination of print and intranet channels is best to communicate benefits information. In non-industrialized countries, there should be a broader mix of channels for this type of information.


Preferences for Routine Exchanges with Supervisor

E-message, PhoneE-message

In-personIn-person


E-messageIn-personIn-person


E-messageE-message

In-personIn-person


In-person, PhoneIn-person

E-messageE-message



•In industrialized countries (regardless of age or use of technology), in-person communication is the preferred method for exchanging information with supervisors.

•In non-industrialized countries (regardless of technology use), the younger cohort tends to prefer electronic messaging, while the older cohort prefers in-person communication.

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Bottom line: The combination of in-person and electronic messaging works for most workers. It is important that their supervisors can communicate via electronic messaging, especially for those supervising young workers in non-industrialized countries.


Preferences for Learning About Company Goals and Pe rformance

In-personPrint, In-personIntranet


Print, In-personIntranet


PrintIn-person

IntranetIntranet


IntranetE-message, In-person

In-person, E-messageIntranet



•More frequent users of technology prefer to learn about their organization’s goals and performance through the company’s intranet or web site. This is true for both older and younger workers, and for those in industrialized as well as non-industrialized countries.

•Those less technologically oriented tend to prefer in-person communications or printed materials for this type of communication.

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Bottom line: Technologically-oriented workers of any age in any country expect to find information about their organization’s goals and performance on the company’s web site or intranet. A mix of other channels is required to share this information with the rest of the employees.


Preferences to Learn About Company Events

IntranetE-messageE-message, Intranet


PrintIntranet

E-messageE-message


PrintIntranet

E-messageE-message


IntranetE-messageE-message, Intranet



• There is a widespread preference for using e-mail or other electronic messaging to get information about company events.

• In industrialized countries, more frequent users of technology also are more likely to prefer using the intranet, while some less frequent users prefer to consult printed materials.

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Bottom line: Electronic messaging is the best single channel for publicizing company events. Those who are not very tech-savvy will often prefer to see printed notices.


Preferences to Learn about Business/Industry News

E-messageE-message

IntranetIntranet


E-messagePrintIntranet


Intranet, PrintE-message, Intranet


E-messageE-message

IntranetIntranet



•Intranets and e-messaging are the most preferred channels to learn news about one’s business and industry.

•Less frequent users of technology in industrialized countries sometimes prefer to use printed materials for this news.

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Bottom line: The company intranet/web site is an effective way to share business news with most employees, regardless of type of economy or level of technology usage. However, print is a good secondary channel to use to be sure the less tech-savvy workers can get the information.


Preferences for Getting Project or Team Updates

IntranetE-message, In-personE-message




In-personIn-person, E-messageE-message


E-message, IntranetE-message, In-person



•E-messaging and in-person discussions are the most preferred channels for getting project or team updates.

•As expected, more frequent users of technology tend to prefer e-messaging, while the less frequent users often prefer in-person discussions, although the differences are less pronounced in non-industrialized countries.

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Bottom line: Project and team leaders should be making use of both electronic messaging and in-person channels to keep their teams updated.


Preferences for Interacting with Colleagues and Bui lding WorkingRelationships



In-personIn-person


In-personIn-person


E-messageE-message

In-personIn-person



•Regardless of their age or use of technology, most employees prefer in-person interactions as a way to build good working relationships with their co-workers.

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Bottom line: Both age groups appreciate that in-person interactions are important for building good working relationships, but electronic messaging is another tool that the technology-savvy employees will want to use as well.


Summary of Preferred Communication Channels

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Busi-nessNews

Events

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Company Goals

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Supervisor

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Team Updates

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Older, non-industrialized countryLess freq. users of technologyMore freq. users of technology

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Inter-action

Benefits

•Employees generally agree on the preferred communication channel for learning about company events (e-messaging) and interacting with their co-workers (in-person).

•For other types of communications there is less agreement. Less frequent users of technology tend to prefer printed materials tolearn about benefits and company goals, whereas the frequent technology users prefer the company intranet.

•Among the older workers in industrialized countries who are less frequent users of technology, there is only one type of communication—events—for which the preferred channel is an electronic one. This is the only group that never has intranet/web site as their primary channel preference for any type of communication.

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Country-Specific Results by Age Cohort

This section focuses on the following question:• How are the age cohorts different in each country in terms of job satisfaction, attitudes about their

jobs and communication channel preferences?


Country-Level Results: Satisfaction by Age Cohort

62%58%

60%

52%

35%

42%

64%62%

44%

56%

46%

36%

India U.S. Canada Brazil China U.K.

Younger age cohort Older age cohort

• Among the younger cohort, job satisfaction is highest in India and Canada and lowest in China and the U.K.

• Among the older cohort, satisfaction is highest in India and the U.S. and lowest in the U.K.

• Due to small sample sizes, there are no significant differences (20 percentage points or more) between the age cohorts within any country.

The n size for each country/age cohort is 50, with the exception of China, where there are 52 younger cohort respondents and 48 older cohort respondents.

Overall, how satisfied are you with your current jo b?

(Percentage extremely satisfied or satisfied)

Bottom line: Younger workers in China and the U.K. may not be as positive as those in other countries. In fact, in China, the older workers are more likely to be satisfied than the younger ones.


78%

70%

66%

64%

54%

44%

72%

56%

62%

42%

52%

36%


Person I report to isa good manager


ethical standards


generation


discussion

Trust leaders toconsider employees'

best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=50) Ages 50–59 (n=50)

Busi-ness News

EventsCom-pany Goals

Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

Younger

Inter-ac-tion

Benefits

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Main preferences for communication channels

•In Brazil, there is a significant gap between the age cohorts regarding the opinion that their employer takes full advantage of their generation’s skills; the younger cohort is more likely to agree.

• Electronic messaging and in-person discussions are the most preferred communication channels for nearly all types of communications. Compared to other countries, the intranet is not as widely mentioned.

Country-Level Results: Brazil


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Bottom line: The combination of electronic messaging and in-person communications is effective in reaching both age groups in Brazil, no matter what type of message is being sent.


64%

64%

62%

58%

58%

42%

60%

44%

56%

56%

50%

44%



discussion


ethical standards


generation



best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=52) Ages 50–59 (n=48)

Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

Younger

Inter-ac-tion

Benefits

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•The younger employees in China are more likely than their older counterparts to feel their employer values their opinions and encourages open discussions.

• The intranet or company web site is the preferred channel for most types of communications for the younger cohort, although in-person communications are also preferred for select types of communications. Older workers in China are more likely to prefer different channels for different types of communication, favoring electronic messaging for some types of communication and in-person or intranet channels for others.

Country-Level Results: China


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Bottom line: Older workers in China often feel their opinions are not important to their employers. Both age groups of Chinese workers feel a mix of high-tech and high-touch channels is best.


80%

80%

78%

76%

74%

72%

70%

70%

66%

70%

70%

52%


generation


discussion

Employer fulfills itssocial

responsibilities


ethical standards



best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=50) Ages 50–59 (n=50)

Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

Younger

Inter-ac-tion

Benefits

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• Both age cohorts in India report highly positive views of their employers; however, the younger cohort is more likely to trust their employers than the older cohort is.

• Preferred communication channels are similar for the two age cohorts. The main difference is in getting information about employee benefits and exchanging routine information with one’s supervisor, where the younger employees prefer electronic messaging and the older ones prefer in-person channels.

Country-Level Results: India


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Bottom line: Many older employees in India distrust their employers. While younger Indian workers are happy to use high-tech communications for most types of information, older workers prefer a blend that also includes in-person communication.


76%

74%

64%

62%

56%

56%

52%

52%

50%

38%

46%

30%



ethical standards



discussion


generation


best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=50) Ages 50–59 (n=50)

Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

Younger

Inter-ac-tion

Benefits

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• There are strong differences between the age cohorts in Canada, as the older cohort is more critical of their employers’management in many areas. This includes significantly lower ratings for having a good manager, saying their organization has high ethical standards, saying that it values employees’ opinions, and trusting leaders to consider the interests of employees.

•Canadians expect to use different channels for different types of communication. The age cohorts have similar preferences for communication channels, with one exception: The younger cohort prefers electronic messaging, while the older cohort prefers the intranet when looking for business news.

Country-Level Results: Canada


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Bottom line: The older age group in Canada is less positive in many areas than the younger age group. Canadian companies should reassess their communication practices to ensure that the older workers’ concerns are addressed. Both age cohorts of Canadian workers prefer to use different channels for different types of communications, and the age groups usually express similar channel preferences.


72%

66%

64%

64%

62%

48%

54%

44%

46%

36%

36%

20%


ethical standards




generation


discussion


best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=50) Ages 50–59 (n=50)

Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

Younger

Inter-ac-tion

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•The younger cohort in the U.K. is more positive than the older one on all of the management dimensions.

• The company intranet is a popular communication channel for both age cohorts, but most agree there are also areas in which in-person communication is best. Getting benefits information is the one area where the two cohorts differ: Younger employees tend to prefer printed materials, while the older employees prefer accessing the intranet for benefits information.

Country-Level Results: United Kingdom


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Bottom line: As in Canada, the older age group of U.K. workers appears to have many concerns about their organizations’ management. This group most particularly lacks trust in their leaders. These issues are especially important since other research has shown that many in this age group plan to work past the normal retirement age.


72%

70%

66%

66%

64%

52%

60%

68%

72%

54%

60%

46%




ethical standards


discussion


generation


best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=50) Ages 50–59 (n=50)

Busi-nessNews


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

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Inter-ac-tion

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• The two U.S. generations are similar in their views about management.

• U.S. employees prefer to match communication channels to the type of communication, although the younger employees tend to prefer electronic messaging more than the older employees do.

• The generations differ in channel preferences for two types of communication: business news and team updates. In both cases, the younger cohort prefers electronic messaging.

• The older generation prefers the intranet or printed materials for business news and in-person discussions for team updates.

Country-Level Results: United States


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Bottom line: In the U.S., the age groups have similar attitudes about their management, so age-specific issues are not serious. U.S. organizations should be incorporating electronic messaging in their communication plans not only for events, but also for business news and team updates.


Industry Results by Age Cohort

This section deals with the following question:• How are the age cohorts different by industry in terms of communications considered important,

job attitudes and communication channel preferences?


Consumer and Industrial Products/Services Industry

66%

64%

63%

60%

55%

45%

62%

63%

55%

60%

46%

39%




ethical standards


generation


discussion


best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=94) Ages 50–59 (n=89)

Performance feedback 53%

Employee recognition 53%Company policies 48%

Updates on company performance 48%

Interact with colleagues 47%

Explain company goals 44%


Employee recognition 57%Interact with colleagues 52%

Communicate with mentor 46%

Company policies 45%

Fun ways to build team-

work 45%

Older cohortYounger cohort

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Most important types of communication • Within the consumer and industrial products/services industry, the two age cohorts are similar in attitudes about management and preferences for communication.

• For both age groups, performance feedback and employee recognition are most important. The older workers find it more important to learn about company goals, while the younger employees place more importance on communicating with a mentor.

• In-person channels are especially important in this industry, particularly for the older age cohort.


Public Sector Industry

75%

69%

67%

64%

50%

48%

57%

62%

48%

42%

41%

29%


ethical standards




discussion


generation


best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=52) Ages 50–59 (n=91)


Employee recognition 58%Company policies 57%



Communicate with mentor48%


Employee recognition 42%Interact with colleagues 40%

How work advances goals 40%




Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

Younger

Inter-ac-tion

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Most important types of communication

• There is a significant gap in most of the management ratings between the two age cohorts within the public sector.

• For both age groups, performance feedback and employee recognition are most important.

• Channel preferences differ in three areas, with the younger cohort preferring electronic messaging or printed materials whenthe older cohort prefers intranet or in-person channels.

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Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry

79%

73%

73%

70%

68%

62%

55%

67%

50%

50%

57%

41%


generation



discussion



ethical standards


best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=66) Ages 50–59 (n=42)

Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

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Inter-ac-tion

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• In this industry, the age gap in management ratings is found for most dimensions tested.

• The younger cohort in this industry considers employee recognition to be most important, while the older one rates performance feedback as most important.

• Not surprisingly, the high-tech channels are generally preferred by both age cohorts in this industry. Note that older workers prefer in-person interaction with their supervisors, while younger ones like to use electronic messaging.


Employee recognition 57%


Communicate with mentor 55%Interact with colleagues 52%




Interact with colleagues 53%Fun ways to build teamwork 52%


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Health and Life Sciences Industry

80%

77%

77%

74%

69%

64%

84%

58%

58%

58%

58%

39%


ethical standards




generation


discussion


best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=39) Ages 50–59 (n=31)

Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

Younger

Inter-ac-tion

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• Although the older cohort gives their employers high marks for ethical standards, they are less positive than the younger cohort in several other areas, particularly in trusting leaders to consider employees’ best interests.

• While performance feedback is considered important for both cohorts, interacting with colleagues is just as important for the older employees.

• In this industry, traditional communication channels are generally preferred, except when getting information about company events or business news.




Employee recognition 45%Explain company goals 45%




Company performance updates 49%



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Financial Services Industry

76%

74%

71%

68%

58%

53%

58%

54%

71%

63%

58%

58%




ethical standards


discussion


generation


best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=38) Ages 50–59 (n=24)

Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

Older

Younger

Inter-ac-tion

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• Attitudes about management are similar for the two age cohorts within the financial services industry. Small sample sizes require caution when interpreting these results, but it does appear that, unlike some other industries, the older cohort is at least equally positive, if not more positive, about high ethical standards, taking advantage of generational skills and trusting leaders.

• High-tech channels are popular for most types of communication, regardless of age cohort.




Interact with colleagues 50%Communicate with mentor 50%






Interact with colleagues 55%How work advances goals 50%

Fun ways to build team-

work 45%


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Energy Industry

69%

69%

62%

62%

54%

39%

62%

43%

67%

57%

48%

43%


discussion


generation


ethical standards




best interests


Ages 20–26 (n=13) Ages 50–59 (n=21)

Busi-ness News


Super-visor

Team Updates

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Most important types of communication • The small sample sizes for this industry make it difficult to draw conclusions about the age cohort differences.

• The older age cohort rates many forms of communication as more important, with seven items rated higher than the highest rating for the younger cohort.

• Both cohorts appear to prefer a mix of channels.Employee recognition 76%Performance feedback 71%




Explain company goals 57%Company performance

updates 57%

Performance feedback 54%Interact with colleagues 46%

Company performance

updates 46%




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Recommendations


Recommendations

• This study’s findings provide support for the idea that there are differences in the attitudes, needs and preferences of younger and older workers globally. Therefore, business communicators must have (or develop) the capacity to effectively address each group.

• As with most demographic segments, neither age group is homogeneous. Those with management roles in each age group have important differences from those in the same age group who are not managers. In addition, technology usage levels also vary within age groups, resulting in different preferences for communication channels, even within the age group. Therefore, most organizations should utilize multiple channels when trying to reach a broad employee base, especially if the employees are not all technologically adept.

• To be most effective with young workers, employers should be aware of their strong appetites for information and their willingness to use all available channels to feed their interest in gaining more information. This age group is interested in fun, team building activities, especially in the non-industrialized countries. They are more likely than others to take advantage of new channels, such as blogs, electronic message boards and podcasts. Their two priorities are: give us lots of information through as many vehicles as possible and make information interactive and fun.

• The older workers (outside of the U.S.) are less positive than their younger co-workers. They need to feel more appreciated, they need to be convinced that their employers are trustworthy, and they are not as likely to seek out and use new communication channels. This group presents a huge challenge to the business communicator—to reach out to older workers of all education levels and technological know-how to present information that is relevant, understandable, timely and credible.


Recommendations (continued)

• Employee retention for the younger age group is another challenge. Many young people expect to make numerous job changes over their working lives, regardless of their satisfaction with any individual employer. Nevertheless, employers should be aiming to help their young workers feel a sense of belonging. This can be achieved in part by employing a significant number of young workers and by providing opportunities for them to interact frequently. In addition, employers should accept rather than fight these workers’ lifelong habits of using communication technology. Organizations without Internet and e-mail access for all workers may not feel comfortable or natural to them. If policies discourage Internet and e-mail use unnecessarily, this may also work against their feeling of “belonging.”

• Performance feedback and employee recognition are nearly universally important, yet both age groups display relatively low levels of satisfaction in these areas. Workers of all ages want more opportunities to learn and grow, preferably under the guidance of a mentor. In these areas, there are few differences between the age groups. It would be a mistake to focus training and mentoring programs on the youngest workers exclusively.


Appendix ADiagnostic Tool


Tool to Calculate Cross-Generational Communication Effectiveness

• An employer or group of employers can compare their cross-generational communication effectiveness by creating an index composed of the questions shown on the right.

• These questions should be included in a self-administered survey in which employees are assured of anonymity.

• Employees should also be asked to report their age group, including 20–26 through 50–59. (Although other age groups can be included, this tool will only use the data from the two age groups included in this survey.)

• Step 1: For each of the two age groups, calculate the mean response for each of the five questions (A through E).

• Step 2: For each of the five questions, subtract the 50–59 mean from the 20–26 mean.

• Step 3: Sum the 10 mean scores to create a Communication Quality(CQ) score.

• Step 4: Sum the five difference scores to create a Generational Difference (GD) score.

• Compare your results to the chart below to see if your organization is below average, average or above average.

QuestionsPlease mark one number for each item to show which word or phrase best describes your employer’s communications to employees . You may use any number between zero and 10.

A. Credible Not credible

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0B. Relevant to me Not relevant to me

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0C. Easy to understand Difficult to understand

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0D. Received in timely manner Takes a long time to receive

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0E. Explains why information Does not explain whyis important information is important

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Below 3.53.5–5.0Above 5.0GD score

Above 7060–70Below 60CQ score

Above average

AverageBelow average

Example: (Study results)--------Means --------

20–26 50–59 DifferenceA. 7.2 6.2 1.0B. 6.9 6.3 0.6C. 7.2 6.6 0.6D. 7.0 5.0 1.1E. 6.9 6.0 0.9

Sum 35.2 30.1 4.235.2 + 30.1 = 65.3

The number shown in green is the CQ score; the number shown in blue is the GD score.


Appendix BSurvey Questionnaire


Introduction

We are conducting an important multi-nation study on workplace communication on behalf of theInternational Association of Business Communicators and Deloitte Consulting. The results will bemade available to help employers understand the communication needs and preferences of theworkforce. All of your responses will be completely confidential and will be reported only incombination with the opinions of others.

The survey should only take about 10–12 minutes of your time. Thank you in advance for yourfeedback.


Screening and Background

S1. Which of the following best describes your current employment status? Employed, working 30+ hours per week 1

Employed, working less than 30 hours per week 2Not employed 3

S2. In what year were you born? _____

S3. What is your gender? Male 1

Female 2

S4. Approximately how many employees work for your employer? Please include employees working at all of your employer’s locations.

Less than 25 1

26 to 299 2300 to 999 31,000 to 9,999 410,000 or more 5


Employee Engagement

EE1. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the followingstatements regarding general feelings about your work.

Strongly Agree Neither Disagree Strongly

agree agree nor disagreedisagree

A. I support the goals set by my employer. 5 4 3 2 1

B. I feel a sense of belonging with my employer. 5 4 3 2 1C. I feel I am an important part of the organization 5 4 3 2 1

I work for. D. I am proud to work for my employer. 5 4 3 2 1E. If needed, I am willing to go beyond my normal 5 4 3 2 1

job responsibilities.F. I have opportunities to grow and learn at my 5 4 3 2 1

organization.G. The work I do for my organization is interesting 5 4 3 2 1

to me.


Employee Engagement (continued)

EE2. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the followingstatements regarding general feelings about employee benefits.



A. My employer rewards employees for their 5 4 3 2 1

contributions.B. My employer’s workplace culture is creative and 5 4 3 2 1

fun. C. I am happy with the work space provided by my 5 4 3 2 1

employer. D. My employer offers competitive salaries. 5 4 3 2 1E. My employer offers excellent benefits. 5 4 3 2 1F. My employer provides scheduling flexibility when 5 4 3 2 1

I need it.G. I enjoy attending events sponsored by my 5 4 3 2 1

employer.



EE3. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the followingstatements regarding general feelings about employee benefits.



A. The person I report to is a good manager. 5 4 3 2 1

B. I trust the organization’s leaders to take the 5 4 3 2 1employees’ best interests into account.

C. The organization I work for maintains high 5 4 3 2 1ethical standards.

D. My employer fulfills its social responsibilities. 5 4 3 2 1E. My employer values my opinion and 5 4 3 2 1

encourages open discussion.F. My employer takes full advantage of the skills 5 4 3 2 1

my generation has to offer.



EE4. Overall, how satisfied are you with your current job?Extremely satisfied 7Satisfied 6Somewhat satisfied 5Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 4Somewhat dissatisfied 3Dissatisfied 2Extremely dissatisfied 1

EE5. In 2010, do you plan to be working full-time? Yes 1No 2

EE6. How likely are you to be working for your current employer in 2010?

Definitely will 1Probably will 2Probably will not 3Definitely will not 4

EE7. Would you recommend your employer to someone looking for employment?

Definitely would recommend 1Probably would recommend 2Probably would not recommend 3Definitely would not recommend 4


Usage of Business Communication Channels

UB1. In the past 12 months, how often, if at all, have you used the following communication methodsfor work-related information?

Yes, used Yes, used Yes, used No,not Notregularly occasionally rarely (less used available(at least (at least once than once or notonce a a month) a month) familiarmonth)

A. E-mail 1 2 3 4 5 B. Intranet 1 2 3 4 5 C. In-person team meetings 1 2 3 4 5 D. One-on-one meetings with my 1 2 3 4 5

supervisor.E. Company staff meetings, such as 1 2 3 4 5

town hall meetingsF. Printed materials, such as a news- 1 2 3 4 5

letter, brochure, posted notice or signG. Podcasts 1 2 3 4 5 H. Videoconference 1 2 3 4 5 I. Conference calls 1 2 3 4 5 J. Blogs 1 2 3 4 5 K. Electronic forums or message 1 2 3 4 5

boardsL. Webcasts or online meetings 1 2 3 4 5 M. Instant messaging 1 2 3 4 5 N. Text messaging 1 2 3 4 5 O. Other (specify) 1 2 3 4 5 ________________


Usage of Business Communication Channels (continued )

For the following questions, please assume that each type of communication method is available inyour organization.

UB2. Which one of the following communication methods would you prefer to use to find informationconcerning employee benefits? Electronic messaging (e-mail, instant messaging, text messages) 1Company intranet or web site 2In-person meetings or discussions 3Printed materials 4Telephone conversations 5No preference 6

UB3. Which one of the following communication methods would you prefer to use to learn about your

company’s goals and performance?Electronic messaging (e-mail, instant messaging, text messages) 1Company intranet or web site 2In-person meetings or discussions 3Printed materials 4Telephone conversations 5No preference 6



UB4. Which one of the following communication methods would you prefer to use to find out about

company events?

Electronic messaging (e-mail, instant messaging, text messages) 1

Company intranet or web site 2In-person meetings or discussions 3Printed materials 4Telephone conversations 5No preference 6

UB5. Which one of the following communication methods would you prefer to use to learn about news regarding your business and your industry? Electronic messaging (e-mail, instant messaging, text messages) 1Company intranet or web site 2In-person meetings or discussions 3Printed materials 4Telephone conversations 5No preference 6



UB6. Which one of the following communication methods would you prefer to use to get project or team updates? Electronic messaging (e-mail, instant messaging, text messages) 1Company intranet or web site 2In-person meetings or discussions 3Printed materials 4Telephone conversations 5No preference 6

UB7. Which one of the following communication methods would you prefer to use to interact with your co-workers as a

way to build good working relationships?

Electronic messaging (e-mail, instant messaging, text messages) 1Company intranet or web site 2In-person meetings or discussions 3Telephone conversations 4No preference 5

UB8. Which one of the following communication methods would you prefer to use for routine exchanges of informationwith your supervisor? Electronic messaging (e-mail, instant messaging, text messages) 1In-person meetings or discussions 2Telephone conversations 3No preference 4


Importance of Employer Communication

IC1. How important is each of the following types of employer communication to you?

Extremely Not at all

important importantA. Explanations of the organization’s goals 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0B. Explanations of how your work advances company goals 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0C. Information about company policies 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0D. Feedback about your job performance 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0E. Communication with a mentor about your career and 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

opportunities for advancementF. Opportunities to interact with your colleagues in order to 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

build good working relationshipsG. Updates from senior management about the company’s 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

performanceH. Online resources to learn about the company 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0I. Information shared through unofficial sources (blogs, bulletin 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

boards, etc.)J. Interesting, fun ways to build teamwork (competitions, games, 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

workshops, etc.)K. Recognition for employees who make exceptional 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

contributions


Rating of Employer Communication

RC1. Please rate how effectively your employer communicates to you in each of the following areas.

Extremely Not at all

important importantA. Explanations of the organization’s goals 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0B. Explanations of how your work advances company goals 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0C. Information about company policies 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0D. Feedback about your job performance 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0E. Communication with a mentor about your career and 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

opportunities for advancementF. Opportunities to interact with your colleagues in order to 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

build good working relationshipsG. Updates from senior management about the company’s 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

performanceH. Online resources to learn about the company 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0I. Information shared through unofficial sources (blogs, bulletin 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

boards, etc.)J. Interesting, fun ways to build teamwork (competitions, games, 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

workshops, etc.)K. Recognition for employees who make exceptional 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

contributions


Rating of Employer Communication (continued)

RC2. Please mark one number for each item to show which word or phrase best describes youremployer’s communications to employees. You may use any number between zero and 10.

A. Credible Not credible10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

B. Relevant Not relevant to me to me10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

C. Easy to Difficult tounderstand understand10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

D. Received in a Takes atimely manner long time

to receive10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

E. Explains why Does notinformation is explain why important information is

important10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0


Suggestions

SG1. What could your employer do to improve the work environment for people in your age group?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SG2. What could your employer do to improve communication in the workplace for people in your agegroup?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Technology Usage

TC1. During a typical day, how many hours do you spend on the Internet for nonwork-related matters (excluding e-mail)? Please include both your work and your nonwork time.Do not use the Internet outside of work 1Less than 30 minutes per day 230 minutes to one hour 3Two to three hours 4Four or more hours 5

TC2. During a typical work day, how many hours do you spend on the Internet for work-related matters (excluding e-mail)?Do not use the Internet for work 1Less than 30 minutes per work day 230 minutes to one hour 3Two to three hours 4Four or more hours 5

TC3. During a typical day, how many hours do you spend using e-mail? Please include both your workand your nonwork time.Do not use e-mail 1Less than 30 minutes per day 230 minutes to one hour 3Two to three hours 4Four or more hours 5


Technology Usage (continued)

TC4. During a typical day, how many hours do you spend on your cell phone or smart phone? Pleaseinclude both your work and your nonwork time spent on any of the functions of the cell phone orsmart phone.Do not use a cell phone or smart phone 1Less than 30 minutes per day 230 minutes to one hour 3Two to three hours 4Four or more hours 5


About You

AY1. Which of the following best describes your education?Did not complete secondary school 1Completed secondary school 2Some university but did not complete 3Completed university 4Completed post-graduate degree program 5

AY2. Do you have any children under age 21? Yes 1No 2

AY3. Are you a member of a labor union?Yes 1No 2

AY4. What type of employment do you currently have?Salaried 1Hourly 2Commission 3


About You (continued)

AY5. How many years have you worked for your current employer? (If you have more than one job,please respond concerning the employer you have worked for longest.)Less than 1 year 11–2 years 23–5 years 36–9 years 410–19 years 520+ years 6

AY6. Which of the following best describes the work you currently do? Professional 1

Executive 2Manager/supervisor 3Technical 4Clerical 5Entrepreneur/business owner 6Sales/retail /service worker 7Government worker/military 8Teacher 9Production/manufacturing/labor/factory 10Craftsperson 11Farmer/rancher/miner 12



AY7. Which of the following best describes the industry in which you work? Energy (oil and gas, mining, water and waste management, power, 1etc.)

Financial services (banking, insurance, securities, investments, etc.) 2

Health care and life sciences (hospitals and health systems, managed 3care organizations, insurers, biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, etc.)

Consumer and industrial products and services (automotive, industrial 4manufacturing, aerospace, chemical manufacturing, consumer products, retailing, wholesaling, tourism and hospitality, consumer and professional services, etc.)

Public sector (nonprofit, local and national government, education, etc.) 5

Technology, media and telecommunications (software companies, 6Internet services, computer manufacturing or service, satellite broad-casting, advertising, publishing, film, entertainment, wireless services, etc.)



AY8. Since 2002, how many different employers have you worked for?One, current employer is only one you have worked for 1

Two, current employer plus one other 2Three or four 3Five or more 4

AY9. Do you supervise or manage any employees in your organization? Yes 1No 2

AY10. What was your gross annual income (before taxes) from your job in 2007? Please include allbonuses, commissions or incentive payments, as well as salary.

(U.S.) (Canada)

Less than $35,000 1 Less than $25,000 1$35,000 to $54,999 2 $25,000 to $37,499 2$55,000 to $84,999 3 $37,500 to $49,999 3$85,000 to $129,999 4 $50,000 to $74,999 4$130,000 or more 5 $75,000 or more 5Decline to answer 6 Decline to answer 6



(U.K.) (India)Less than £16,000 1 Less than 120,000 1£16,000 to £27,999 2 120,000 to 209,999 2£28,000 to £44,999 3 210,000 to 299,999 3£45,000 to £69,999 4 300,000 to 374,999 4£70,000 or more 5 375,000 or more 5Decline to answer 6 Decline to answer 6

(Brazil) (China)

Less than 6,000 1 Less than 6,000 16,000 to 11,999 2 6,000 to 12,999 212,000 to 29,999 3 13,000 to 21,999 330,000 to 49,999 4 22,000 to 34,999 450,000 or more 5 35,000 or more 5Decline to answer 6 Decline to answer 6

Final question: Please provide any comments regarding this survey below.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you very much for participating in this survey.

survey of generational communications differences around the globe

Marketing