The impact of intergenerational differences on employee engagement in an organization

The relevance of the study is driven by the need to adapt corporate engagement policies to the specifics of the workforce’s age structure, especially in the context of demographic aging and the growing share of employees from Generations Y and Z. The aim of the work is to identify the specifics of how employees of different generations perceive engagement programs, using an industrial enterprise operating in a special economic zone as an example. In the scientific literature, engagement is interpreted as a multidimensional construct encompassing emotional, behavioral, and cognitive components; however, the generational aspect remains understudied. The novelty of the research lies in the empirical comparison of the levels and semantic characteristics of engagement among representatives of Generations X, Y, Z, and older employees, based on the validated international Kincentric model. The empirical base includes the results of a questionnaire survey of 72 employees of “SEZ ‘Titanium Valley”’ JSC conducted in the spring of 2025. An adapted questionnaire was used, comprising 24 statements grouped into four blocks: Engagement, Management, Resources, and Development. Percentage values were calculated based on the number of respondents who answered each question. Methods of descriptive statistics and intergroup analysis were applied. The obtained data indicate the highest level of engagement among Generation Y and a decrease in indicators among employees aged 56 and older. Differences in career expectations and perceptions of the corporate environment were identified. The practical significance of the study lies in the formation of personalized HR strategies for a multi-generational workforce. The limitations of the study are associated with the territorial specifics and the single-organization sample; promising directions for future research include expanding the geographical scope and comparing industry-specific cases.