Older Feds Less Likely to Use Strengths at Work

Young federal employees are more likely than older federal employees to use their strengths in the workplace, according to a new study.

Eighty-five percent of feds age 18 to 29 “use their strength to do what they do best every day,” while only 77 percent of workers age 65 and older said the same, according to a new Gallup survey. The opposite trend is true in the private sector, where 86 percent of the 65-and-up group work to their strengths, whereas 82 percent of 18-29-year-olds said the same.

The federal government can use this data as a recruiting tool, Gallup said.

“The fact that younger federal employees are just as likely as those in the private sector to report using their strengths could be a selling point to attract top talent to the government,” the polling organization wrote.

The survey found only 1 percent of employees are disengaged at work when a supervisor focuses on their strengths, while 22 percent are disengaged when forced to work toward their weaknesses.

The study was part of a larger Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which surveyed 115,000 people throughout 2012. 

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