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Exploring generation y employees’ perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives
Dissertation (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2016.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1867613730801451008 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Koekemoer, E. |
| author_browse | Koekemoer, E. |
| author_facet | Koekemoer, E. |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Dissertation (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2016. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/110083 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:40:46.593Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/110083 Exploring generation y employees’ perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives Koekemoer, E. emari.erxleben@gmail.com Erxleben, Emari subjective career success Generation Y work-personal life IT industry perceptions nature of the work Dissertation (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2016. Orientation: Currently the workplace consists of four different generations of employees who have differing opinions and expectations of their work environment. The newest generation to join the workforce, Generation Y (born 1982-2002) will become more prevalent in the next few years. If organisations plan to retain these employees, it is important to understand what is important to them from both a work and personal life perspective. It is thus necessary to consider how these individuals perceive their work environment. This has led to an investigation of Generation Y employees’ perceptions of their career success and the relation between their work and personal lives. Research purpose: The purpose of the present study was to explore the perceptions of Generation Y employees on career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives. Motivation for the Study: Previous studies on Generation Y have focused on their work attitudes and behaviours. To date, no studies have been found that specifically investigated this societal group’s perceptions of career success and how their work and personal lives interact. Previous studies on the topic did indicate that Generation Y employees have extremely high expectations and demands from their work environment. These include being given challenging tasks, receiving opportunities for training and development, and enjoying flexibility and autonomy. Individuals also expect the organisation to be supportive of their personal lives. The present study is, therefore, unique by focusing on Generation Y employees’ perceptions of career success and how their work domain and their personal life interacts. Research design, approach and method: A qualitative research approach was followed and semistructured interviews conducted with 24 Generation Y employees, to answer to the research objectives. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed. The data was processed through thematic analysis to extract the main themes that captured the specific research objectives of this study. Findings: Five main themes were extracted from the data. The first theme focused on the context within which Generation Y operates. This includes important work aspects, nature of the work, and their perceptions of a job versus a career. The second theme focused more specifically on career success, which includes aspects such as a definition of career success, the measurements of career v success, requirements for career success, enablers for and barriers against career success, and outcomes related to career success. The third theme focused on the interaction between employees’ work and personal lives. These entailed aspects such as different views on the interaction between work and personal life, the impact of individuals’ life-stage on their perception of this interaction, and finally, personal strategies used to cope with such an interaction. The fourth theme explored the relationship between career success and an individual’s work and personal life. This theme indicated that for Generation Y employees, the value of career success and interaction between work and personal life is equally important. The fifth and final theme covered the different roleplayers that influence individuals’ work-personal life as well as their career success. The expectations employees held of these role-players was also discussed. Practical/managerial implications: The organisation involved in the study gained valuable insights into how individuals perceive their work and careers and which aspects they deem important. When a company becomes aware of Generation Y employees’ expectations of their work environment and personal lives, it makes it easier for the organisation to attract and retain employees. The study also provides insights into motivating factors that would drive employees to be more productive and engaged in their work. Recommendations for future research: Future research could conduct similar types of research in other industries. Such research also could include other variables related to this topic such as employability of Generation Y, of and other generations’ perception of Generation Y as compared to their self-understanding. It is also suggested that researchers do not explore employees’ careers and personal lives in isolation, but rather consider the impact individuals’ lives outside of work has on their careers, and vice versa. Completing a longitudinal research study is suggested for investigating the impact of time on individual perceptions. Contribution/value-add: The study provided topical insights into Generation Y’s perception of career success as well as the relationship between their work and personal lives. This highlighted the premium that Generation Y employees place both on their career success as well as on their personal lives. It was clear that individuals were not willing to sacrifice happiness in their personal lives in order to achieve success. However, it was still important for them to become successful and enjoy a satisfied personal life as well. Human Resource Management MCom (Industrial Psychology) 2026-05-15T17:26:15Z 2026-05-15T17:26:15Z 17/02/11 2016 Dissertation http://hdl.handle.net/2263/110083 en application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | subjective career success Generation Y work-personal life IT industry perceptions nature of the work Exploring generation y employees’ perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives |
| title | Exploring generation y employees’ perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives |
| title_full | Exploring generation y employees’ perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives |
| title_fullStr | Exploring generation y employees’ perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring generation y employees’ perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives |
| title_short | Exploring generation y employees’ perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives |
| title_sort | exploring generation y employees perceptions of career success and the interaction between their work and personal lives |
| topic | subjective career success Generation Y work-personal life IT industry perceptions nature of the work |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/110083 |