Older employees are the most committed, valuable and least costly.
Younger workers have low commitment and satisfaction levels - and the most suspicious ethics.
The younger generation, both black and white, is also less supportive of affirmative action than older co-workers.
These findings are made in the groundbreaking 2003 Kelly Human Capital Satisfaction Survey which used a generational approach to diversity management rather than the traditional race-based focus.
The study shows that staff members don't always become more jaded and apathetic as they get older.
In fact, a 20-year-old newcomer will probably be less enthusiastic when it comes to going the extra mile than someone twice his/her age.
Kelly managing director Tracey Czakan said: What the survey also showed was that business does not always need to throw money at the challenge of employee motivation.
Resolve those burning issues of pay structure, equity and recognition, and you can achieve exciting results.
It was the first time, she said, South Africa had been given a generational breakdown corresponding to the Western age-groups of Matures (born pre-1945), Baby Boomers (born 45-65), Generation X (born 66-80) and Generation Y (born post-1980). These are mirrored among Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDIs) by the Xuma and Luthuli generation and the Uprising and the Liberation generations respectively.
The survey shows white Boomers share many of the attitudes of the Luthuli generation and so on across the generations, said Czakan.
Which is where the surprising insight comes in that both black and white younger generations are much less supportive of affirmative action than older co-workers.
Added Czakan: This will surprise employers who have invested in programmes to sensitise older workers to AA initiatives. The assumption has been that older workers are resentful of ideas challenging the norms with which they grew up. In fact, employers should be targeting younger workers, and could use their older colleagues as AA mentors to the younger groups.
Under remuneration, the survey found South Africans didn't regard pay as the single most important issue. It didn't mean they were totally satisfied with their packages, added Czakan.
They aren't. But they accept linkage between pay and performance and only fret when a large slice of pay is performance-linked. Base pay is the key issue, not perks and not sophisticated incentives like share schemes.
And despite many of us believing that loyalty is dead, most employers are committed and loyal to their staff.
Equally, staff members still believe company loyalty is important.
Other key findings relating to career developments showed self development was a major trend, with 40 percent of employees feeling their development was up to them rather than their employers.
And they wanted a chance to assess their own career potential rather than let the management do it.
Promotion is still popular among those in the prime of their careers or a little younger (aged 24 to 55). Rather surprisingly, the survey showed the younger the employee, the lower the support for mentoring.
The study, presented to a high-powered audience of business decision makers around the country this week, showed, said Czakan, that South Africans are not a nation of laid-back sun worshippers.
We are not slackers. We are task-driven. And indications are that our employees are fully focused on work; on what they do and how they do it. They crave greater challengers, they want to do interesting work that is significant for the company or its clients.
The finding that generational groupings share the same attitudes, regardless of race, will help employers develop programmes to improve employee satisfaction and turbocharge on-the-job performance.
Concluded Czakan: South African employers tend to think of black and white. Perhaps they should think grey a little more often.