Work Motivation Variances Influence on the Three Major Generations in Federal Student Aid

Public service motivation (PSM) is a characteristic that is exhibited through employees\u27 desire to serve in the interest of the communities they serve. In keeping up with the current times and technology advances in the workplace, federal agencies are continually introducing new and innovative ways to complete goals in these environments. Government agencies across the United States are repeatedly asking Commissioners and Secretaries to do more work with fewer workers. In addition to fewer public servants in government, the Baby Boomers looking to retire within the next ten years, and the transfer of knowledge to Generation X and Millennials needs to be fluid and consistent. The blueprint of working for a single employer for 30 years and retiring has changed. Loyalty is appreciated in the workplace; however, public servants of each generation have needs that have shown to be met differently. Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials as civil servants all have unique perspectives on what motivates them to work in the industry of government. The objective of this study was to apply a work extrinsic, intrinsic, motivational scale (WEIMS) survey to examine how the work motivations of Federal Student Aid employees are a contributing factor in how generational differences between public servants are wired to work in a bureaucratic environment. The U.S. Department of Education specifically, Federal Student Aid (FSA), is the organization that will be reviewed in how the identification of work motivations of each generation assist to achieve the organization\u27s goals