Millennials and Work-life Balance: Comparisons Across Generations

The entrance of Millennials into the workforce has sparked the interest of many researchers in understanding what this generation values within the workplace, how to attract them to jobs and organizations, and how to retain their employment. This unique generation, who has been characterized as one of the most high-maintenance within the workforce, prone to job-hopping, and highly educated, has made it clear that their perspective on work is much different from generations before them. Work-life balance, specifically, has been a determining factor for Millennials when choosing a job and deciding how long to stay there. This study seeks to better understand how Millennials experience, perceive, and are affected by issues of work-life balance, compared to other generations. Using a sample of 421 participants from four generations (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z) in a survey study, comparisons were made for the levels of work-life balance and the perceived importance of work-life balance. Additionally, the relationship between work-life balance and the psychological well-being of Millennials was explored. A Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman\u27s Correlation were used to analyze the data. Findings suggest that there is a statistically significant difference in work-life balance and the perceived importance of work-life balance of Millennials, compared to other generations. It was also found that work-life balance and psychological well-being are positively correlated for the millennial generation. This study contributes in deepening the theoretical understanding of Millennials’ experience and perception of work-life balance, and what that means for the workforce as a whole. Implications for practice and recommendations are also provided in order to help organizations better support not only millennial employees but other generations of employees as well