Proceedings of the 34th International Academic Conference, Florence

A CROSS-GENERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF WORKERS’ EXPECTATIONS IN THE CANADIAN PUBLIC SERVICE SECTOR

DANIEL PELLETIER

Abstract:

The public service sector is faced with sharp demographic shifts which have an effect on employees’ perspectives on job satisfaction. Relationships between workers belonging to different age groups are perceived as uneasy, especially since the “mentoring” approach, aimed at bridging the gap between younger and older staff, yielded mixed results. This problem is compounded by gender related differential expectations regarding work. The aim of this research was to study the individual and combined effects of gender and age on work-related expectations and overall job satisfaction. The sample included 182 165 public service employees from various government agencies representing approximately 70% of the entire canadian federal work force. Data was collected using the PSES (Public Service Employee Survey), a questionnaire measuring a variety of constructs such as job satisfaction, social support, stress, harassment, fairness, social climate, demands, control and so forth. The sample took part in the study in 2009 and 2014. Participants were included in a 3 X 2 factorial design (age groups X gender) with various indicators of work perception used as dependent variables. MANOVAs and ANOVAs were computed and significant effects were decomposed using Scheffé post hoc tests. A significant multivariate effect of the factors was found [F(multi) = 16.56 ; p. <.0001]. Subsequent univariate and post hoc tests indicated that expectancies gradually shift from being centered on task related variables to more social and interactive variables from the younger age group to the older. No significant interaction effects with gender were observed. Implications of these results on the career outlook of public service employees are discussed.

Keywords: generations – work – expectations – satisfaction - public sector - gender

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2017.034.040

PDF: Download



Copyright © 2024 The International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences, www.iises.net