Paweł Łuczak

In contemporary organizations, representatives of different generations meet. Many publications have been written about the work style, expectations, and needs of representatives of previous generations, but we notice a certain gap concerning the youngest participants of the labor market, i.e., Generation Alpha. The aim of the publication was to find answers to the questions about the requirements for remuneration and well-being at work of young people in Poland, whether these two groups of expectations are causally related, and what is the role of the sense of agency of representatives of Generation Alpha in this causal-effect system. We surveyed 446 respondents aged 19–22, selected on a quota basis. The results of the study confirmed that the expectations of the youngest players in the labor market go in many directions: first, toward earning “good” money, secondly – well-being at work is important. We confirmed that the expectation of young people regarding satisfactory remuneration is related to the expectations (and implicitly also the search for) of an employer who will ensure well-being at work. However, it was not possible to directly confirm the mediating role of the high sense of agency in the relationship between expectations about pay and well-being at work.

The aim of the article is to identify the expectations of the Polish (Z)Alpha generation regarding authentic leadership and assessing whether the fulfilment of these expectations by organisations ensures their recognition as employers of choice. Empirical research was carried out in Poland (N = 446). Quota sampling was used, with respondents being adults aged 19 to 22 years. We validated the Polish version of the Authentic Leadership Integrated Questionnaire (AL-IQ). We built and evaluated a conceptual model in which the construct of authentic leadership was the independent variable, psychological safety, work flexibility, and creativity at work were mediators, and the employer of choice was the dependent variable. The findings have shown that Polish (Z)Alphas expect authentic leaders to provide them with satisfactory working conditions and satisfying work content. The expectations regarding authentic leadership have a significant positive effect on the recognition of an organisation as an employer of choice. The expectations associated with authentic leadership have been shown to have a positive impact on expectations regarding psychological safety, work flexibility, and creativity in the workplace. The expectation regarding psychological safety fully mediates the effect of anticipated authentic leadership on the perception of an employer's attractiveness. Therefore, the employment value proposition for the Polish Generation (Z)Alpha should include authentic leadership, psychological safety, work flexibility, and creative professional tasks. Employers should constantly diagnose young peoples’ expectations related to work and adapt them in the employment value proposition.

The modern labor market is defined by the simultaneous presence of multiple generations, each possessing distinct values, professional objectives, and expectations toward employers. The youngest cohort, known as Generation Alpha, now entering the labor market, is shaped by the forces of digitalization, globalization, and the growing significance of social issues. The current study aimed to identify Generation Alpha expectations about employers' involvement in corporate sustainability practices and the implementation of ICT in the workplace, as well as to determine the relationship between these expectations. The research inquiry posed was: What are the expectations of the youngest cohort entering the labor market with respect to corporate sustainability and the use of ICT in professional settings? Corporate sustainability has been defined as a three‐dimensional construct that encompasses social, ecological, and economic dimensions. The research was carried out in Poland using an online survey methodology with a sample of 446 respondents selected by quota sampling. The findings corroborated that Generation Alpha places significant importance on corporate sustainability across three dimensions: economic, social, and ecological, with a prominent emphasis on economic security as their priority. It is crucial that members of Generation Alpha, who express expectations regarding the economic dimension of corporate sustainability, also anticipate solutions that address the social and ecological aspects. They perceive ICT in the workplace as a tool that supports the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Our study provides an original and innovative contribution to the academic literature and addresses a research gap regarding the expectations of Generation Alpha.

Internetowe narzędzia rozwoju zasobów ludzkich z roku na rok zyskują znaczenie. Stają się łatwiejsze i bardziej intuicyjne w użytkowaniu, są przyjazne dla uczących się i nauczających, pozwalają „uczyć się na życzenie”. W praktyce jednak rozwój zasobów ludzkich nie zawsze dokonuje się na skutek wcześniej planowanych organizacyjnych lub indywidualnych działań. Coraz częściej ma on charakter spontaniczny (a tym samym często nieformalny bądź pozaformalny). Jest rezultatem „surfowania” po sieci w czasie pracy albo w wolnych chwilach, w trakcie których jednostka wzbogaca swoją wiedzę lub umiejętności niejako przez przypadek. Sukcesywnie rośnie również uznawalność wiedzy i umiejętności zdobytych w procesie nieformalnego kształcenia z wykorzystaniem narzędzi internetowych. W prezentowanej monografii autor przedstawia przegląd narzędzi i technik rozwoju zasobów ludzkich z użyciem Internetu z szerokiej perspektywy, obejmującej zarówno zorganizowane formy rozwoju, jak i samodzielne działania pracowników.