Lack of motivation is hindering performance at work for younger staff since the pandemic hit but they shouldn’t be written off as lazy.
Nearly half of workers under 35 (44%) surveyed by management consultancy Lane4 with YouGov said they lacked motivation. Performance of younger workers is twice as likely to be impacted by a lack of motivation than that of 45-54-year olds (22%).
But Adrian Moorhouse, managing director, Lane4 said: “It’s crucial that these findings are not misconstrued as the latest ‘evidence’ in support of the long standing – and deeply flawed –‘lazy millennial’ stereotype. The pandemic has impacted us all, but an increasing number of studies show that younger workers have been some of the hardest hit when it comes to furlough and lockdown loneliness, both of which affect motivation.”
He continued: “There’s a lot of research into the psychology of motivation and what drives it. When considering these drivers, such as belonging and autonomy, in the context of remote working, it’s clear that young people may be disproportionately affected. We know, for example, that there can be a natural tendency during times of crisis for leadership and management teams to become very task focused and take on more responsibilities themselves. This can impact the sense of autonomy, and as a result motivation, of their often-younger colleagues.”
Other key findings included that since the pandemic, face-to-face or virtual conversations with colleagues have dropped to 37% from 56% before the pandemic, according to the study of more than 1,000 UK employees.