Gen Z has recently been and will continue to be the primary workforce in society. A generation that, unlike past generations, brings new energy, is more open-minded, and seeks a “happy” life. From my point of view, while income is an important aspect in the workplace, there are also more positive motivators to keep people nowadays.
On the one hand, people work to accumulate wealth, material goods, and earnings in order to meet their basic living necessities. It is not incorrect to suggest that salaries motivate individuals to work because without money, life would be difficult, and they would be unable to meet their basic demands, lowering their quality of life. This will have a negative impact on both the physical and emotional well-being. Therefore, in order to pay for personal satisfactions such as shopping, entertainment, education, and so on, individuals must labour to achieve the desired income level. It also implies that when people earn more money, they would feel recognised, have more “power,” and have more “voice” in the eyes of those around them. In contrast, no matter how much pressure colleagues and superiors put on them at work, they still try to endure to have the opportunity to advance in their work.
On the other hand, today’s young generation is a generation with many ambitions, they seek to be “happier” even in their work, so when the working environment makes them uncomfortable or under too much pressure, they are willing to leave that job even if they get a higher salary. Because above all, they understand that when they are in a negative and stressful environment for a long time, one thing is certain, their physical and mental health will decline. More seriously, even having a lot of money cannot buy back health. So to keep them in the job, what is more important than money is that the company should create a positive and united working environment. Where everyone can freely express their views and opinions regardless of their position, a working environment where individual respect is put first. More than anything, we humans often want to be recognized for our own abilities, to be praised, not criticized. From there, it can make them stick with a long-term sustainable job and I believe that the human factor is the most important thing for a company to become successful.
In conclusion, I agree that salary is one of the factors that can keep a workforce in the workplace, but considering individual respect, focussing on creating an open, positive environment in which individuals are recognised will be a more sustainable solution for a company’s success, where people can be proud and want their name associated with the company in the long run.