Managing a Diverse Workforce : The Influence of Generation Membership and Career Stage on Workaholism

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to investigate how generation membership and career stage influences the incidence of workaholism. Contrary to hypothesis 1, no difference in workaholism was found across the three career stages: establishment, advancement, and maintenance. Hypotheses 2 and 3 were not supported, as workaholism levels did not differ between the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. However, additional results revealed differences on the control measure of the WART, as those in the establishment and advancement career stages had higher levels of control than the maintenance stage and Generation Y had higher levels of control compared to the Baby Boomer generation. A factorial MANOVA revealed that the structure of workaholism for those in Generation Y differed from the other generations in that they reported higher levels of control and lower levels of compulsive tendencies. Practical implications include suggesting organizations establish workaholism awareness and interventions equally across all career stages and generations but provide greater support for those segments of the workforce that were found to be higher on the WART control measure.