If you’re looking to keep younger employees satisfied with their jobs, be sure to give them their due praise. A new study by training and research company Leadership IQ shows that only 30 percent of workers ages 21 to 30 would strongly recommend their workplace to others.

The study surveyed more than 11,000 employees ages 21 to 70 from 872 organizations. Questions were designed to gauge employee satisfaction with their boss, corporate culture and motivation at work. The study found that younger workers attribute their workplace satisfaction to how often their bosses acknowledged or commended them for their accomplishments.

“It’s become a cliché to bemoan younger workers’ need for praise and recognition,” says Leadership IQ Chairman and CEO Mark Murphy. "But what’s disturbing is that six out of 10 younger workers are being actively de-motivated because their boss won’t give them the one thing they really care about. And these results are especially disappointing because praise and recognition don’t really cost anything.”

On the other hand, 47 percent of employees ages 61 to 70 would strongly recommend their workplace. Older workers are more likely to be satisfied with their work if they can assess that they are working at an appropriate performance level and moving in the right direction.--Kevin Manahan