TITLE:
The Relationship between Work and Home: Examination of White and Blue-Collar Generational Differences in a Large U.S. Organization
AUTHORS:
Sarah Y. Moore, Leon Grunberg, Alan J. Krause
KEYWORDS:
Generational Differences, Occupational Status, Work-Home Conflict, Work-Home Integration
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.15,
October
27,
2014
ABSTRACT: The popular press and
some practitioner and empirical articles have emphasized work-related
generational differences, describing the recent influx of “Gen Y” employees as
being less work-centric, more likely to value work and home, and
more concerned with achieving work-life balance than “Gen X” or “Baby Boomer”
employees. In the current paper, we examine these constructs, focusing on
whether such generational differences, if present, extend equally to “white”
and “bluecollar” employees. Survey data from 3171 white and blue-collar
employees of a large U.S. company revealed that these characterizations were
principally found among the white-collar, Gen Y employees. We discuss possible
reasons for these findings and question the degree to which generational
differences versus workplace experiences shape employee’s work-home
relationship.