Work Design: Expectations of Gen Y and Gen Z University Students 

With Generation Z already penetrating the job market and ready to take over from Generation Y as the dominant workforce, it has become necessary to understand what their expectations of work are. Managing a multigenerational workplace has always posed a big challenge for HRM experts. In this quantitative study, the main purpose is to identify the differences in job expectations between Generations Z and Y. Furthermore, the study explores how demographic factors like gender, educational level, work experience, student status, and country of study affects the work expectations of students. A group of Generation Y and Z university students (n = 617) across the world participated in the study. Work design was operationalized by using constructs of Morgeson and Humphrey’s Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ). T-test analysis indicated that there are significant differences in the job expectations between Generation Y and Generation Z. From multiple linear regressions, it was disclosed that generation and some demographic factors have a statistically significant effect on Job characteristics. It was discovered that besides gender which proved effective only against one work design construct (Autonomy), all the other demographic factors proved to be effective predictors of job characteristics. This study contributes to empirical research on both generation theory and work design. HRM experts may find practical application from the result of this research. The findings from this study will help managers to improve and adjust job design strategies to increase both the employees’ motivation and the productivity of the organization.