Work-Related Attributes and Retention: Comparing Millennials and Other Generations

Supervising Professor: Rosemary Maellaro, Ph.D. Employers need to fill a widening gap within the U.S. workforce as a result of older generations aging out and retiring. Millennial employees, the fastest growing generational cohort, are the primary worker group that employers must rely upon to close this gap. However, Millennialsâ expectations regarding work-related attributes are different from previous generations. Therefore, companies need to understand what Millennials expect from their employers and become proactive in meeting those expectations, so they can retain millennial workers. This study surveyed three generations of workers currently employed by a health care company headquartered in the southwestern part of the U.S. to identify which combination of work-related attributes is most effective in influencing them to stay. The results indicate that job security, having a say, career advancement, and work/life balance were the most significant work-related attributes to influence