Generation Y Most Negative Towards Older Staff - as published on HR Grapevine

Generation Y are most likely to discriminate against older colleagues and those who work flexibly, according to a new report.

The findings from employment law solicitors Doyle Clayton interviewed 1,000 employees across a range of organisations and found millennials are also most likely to feel they have suffered sex discrimination.

16.3% believed that workers over 60 were less valuable than other colleagues, more than twice as many as any other age group.

Over a quarter (27.4%) of 25-34 year olds thought that part time workers were less committed, rising to nearly a third (31.1%) when asked about full time staff working from home two or more days a week.

Overall less than one in five staff (18.6%) felt part timers were less committed with 35-44-year-olds being the most open minded to part-time work (14.2%)

Tina Wisener, a partner at Doyle Clayton said: "Our research found that Generation Y employees are the most negative of all age groups towards older workers, part-timers and home workers.

"It is surprising that Generation Y has the most negative attitude towards flexible working and are most likely to see older colleagues and those who work from home or part-time as less committed to their jobs.

“Generation Y are characterised as needing to be treated with kid gloves, on the other hand they are the very people whose attitudes make them likely to object to, and perhaps even thwart, initiatives to include working mums and older workers - the people who most appreciate being able to work flexibly.”

The survey found that 13.2% of millennial men thought they were discriminated rising to 15.8% of millennial women.

This article, featuring comment from Tina Wisener, was originally published on HR Grapevine at http://www.hrgrapevine.com/markets/hr/article/2014-09-03-generation-y-most-negative-towards-older-staff#.VA1wmaN2GHs