Generational differences in workers' expectations: millennials want more of the same things

With the current research we applied the theoretical framework of the psychological contract to the study of generational differences in the workplace with the aim of understanding how Millennials and non-Millennials differ in their expectations at work. We collected data from more than 1,000 workers of a large Italian company, not only assessing several established dimensions of workplace expectations, but also proposing two new ones: feedback and work meaning. We found that Millennial workers generally expect more than their non-Millennial colleagues, but that the importance ranking of the various dimensions is largely similar across generations. The results of the study held even after controlling for age, work experience and job tenure effects. We further compared the Millennials from our organizational sample to more than 150 Millennial workers sampled online and found no meaningful differences. Theoretical and managerial implications follow