Workplace fun: the moderating effects of generational differences
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate how generational differences moderate the relationship between workplace fun and individual workplace outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors review and integrate the literatures on workplace fun and generational theory and empirically test the interaction effects of generation membership and workplace fun with job satisfaction, task performance, and OCB using a sample of 701 workers.
Findings
The findings suggest that not only do members of different generational cohorts respond differently to workplace fun, but cohort membership moderates the relationship between workplace fun and some individual workplace outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
Snowball sampling and cross‐sectional data limit the generalisability of the study's findings.
Practical implications
The authors provide managerial implications for promoting workplace fun.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the workplace fun conversation by addressing the overlooked question of “fun for whom?”.
Keywords
Citation
Lamm, E. and Meeks, M.D. (2009), "Workplace fun: the moderating effects of generational differences", Employee Relations, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 613-631. https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450910991767
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited