“Want to be heard” – The boys are so (un)satisfied with their jobs

Young people do not want to work at all, they prefer to be lazy.” Such phrases make Sophie Haider shake her head. The 20-year-old (see interview below) is one of 1,100 participants in the Chamber of Labour-sponsored YEP study “NewGen@Work” (translated: the new generation at work). Austrians between the ages of 18 and 35 were interviewed because they make up about a third of all employees.

your problem? They feel that they are not heard enough in their company and that they are barely involved in decision-making processes. According to the initiators, this is exactly what the research wants to change.

Home office, participation and the 4-day week
The results are sobering: at 36.8 percent, more than a third of those surveyed say they are dissatisfied with their job. Even more want to change jobs in the coming years – without being offered a job.

There are many reasons for this: half feel that they have little or no say in the workplace. But 86 percent want exactly that – for example when it comes to working and holiday times. The survey shows that a quarter of young people do not know who they can turn to within the company with ideas and concerns. In general, there should be a lack of communication culture. Usually only those who have been with the company for a long time are allowed to speak, young people have nothing to say.

The study is also planned for next year
Not only since the Corona pandemic, it is important for young employees to make their workplace (home office) and working hours (flexitime, 4-day week) more flexible in their own interest. Sophie Haider, for example, works part-time alongside her studies. It is important for the 20-year-old to be able to organize where and when she works. Wage is also an issue, especially age discrimination. The majority of those surveyed wanted “payment based on performance”.

According to the initiators of YEP – Voice of Youth, the research is just the beginning. The intention is to pass these on to companies and to check annually whether working conditions for young people have improved.

Interview: “Want to be heard more”

„krone“:What shocked you about the study?
Sophie Haider (20): That 50 percent think they have something to say. But 86 percent want more employee participation. You see that young people want to be heard even more.

What’s stopping companies from letting guys hear more?
The tradition: The way we’ve always done it will remain. Usually older people, who often think they did it this way, decide that nothing will change for you. If I had to go through it, you have to go through it too.

Would getting younger people into boardrooms help?
More boys and women would go a long way so that those needs would be taken into account.

What is the ideal workplace for young people?
Business ethics are important regardless of the size of the company. To answer questions such as: What is the goal? How do you deal with feedback? What error culture do we have here? There are workshops, companies should pay more attention to them.