This cross-sectional study reports the similarities and differences between three age cohorts of public employees—Generation X, Baby Boomers and Matures—on 15 motivational factors. While substantial differences are broadly observed between the generations outside the public sector organizational context, these age-based categories of public employees are nearly identical in the governmental workplace. The few differences found can be ascribed to life and career stages as opposed to cohort-specific sociological influences. The principal implications for recruiting, motivation, training, retention, and human resource processes are discussed.
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