Transcript The Inter-Generational Workplace

Generations
in the
Workplace
June 2013
Aging Odyssey
Ouida Crozier, M.Ed.
Equal Opportunity & Access Division
MN Department of Human Services
Learning Objectives
• Identify the 4 generations
• Identify the formative experiences and
value systems of each generation
• Understand impact of these experiences
and values on the workplace
• Understand and respect what is important
to each generation
• Identify varying approaches to interacting
with co-workers from each generation
The Generations in Today’s Workplace
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The Veterans/Matures (b. 1922-1943)
The Baby Boomers (b. 1943-1964)
Generation Xers (b. 1960/64-1980)
Gen-Y/Gen-Next/Millennials (b. 1980-2000)
(Generations at Work, Zemke, Raines, Filipczak, c. 2000)
The Veterans/Matures
• Born 1922-1943
• Early memories are of Great Depression
& WWII
• Around 40 million people still living
from this generation
• Includes “The Sandwich/Forgotten
Generation” (b. 1930-1940)
The Baby Boomers
• Born 1943-1964
• Earliest memories are post-WWII
• Around 75 million people still living
from this generation
• Two cohorts:
• Early Boomers (b. 1943-1954)
• Late Boomers (b. 1954-1964)
Generation X
• Born 1960/64-1980
• Earliest memories are post-Boomer
• About 50 million people from this
generation still living
• Also two cohorts:
• Early Gen-X (b. 1960-1970)
• Later Gen-X (b. 1970-1980)
Gen-Y/Millennials
• Born 1980-2000
• Earliest memories include computers
and other digital media
• About 75 million people in this
generation
• Also two cohorts:
• Early Gen-Y (b. 1980-1990)
• Later Gen-Y (b. 1990-2000)
The Veterans:
A Deeper Look
Formative Events: Veterans
• The Dustbowl and the Great Depression
• World War II & Pearl Harbor; the Holocaust;
Hiroshima & Nagasaki
• Created the United States as we have known
it for more than half a century: #1 country in
the world – politically, militarily, industrially
• Built our infrastructure from Interstate
highways to national power grids to a
powerful central government
• Vaccines, the conquering of communicable
diseases, public health infrastructure
• The Korean War
Veteran Values
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Dedication & sacrifice
Hard work can accomplish anything
Conformity & adherence to rules
Respect for authority
Law & order
Patience & delayed rewards
Duty first, pleasure later
Honor
Forgotten/Sandwich Veterans (b. 1930-40)
• Not old enough to serve in WWII
• Korean vets but lack the recognition
of those who served in WWII
• Never had their own President
• Smaller cohort than older Veterans &
much smaller than Boomers
• Suffered the brunt of change in
social mores
• Learned to act as go-betweens &
excelled at mediation
• Many are still in the workforce
Veterans: Cultural Touchstones
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“Down on the farm”
The Shadow, The Lone Ranger
Golden Era of Radio
Tarzan the Ape Man, Flash Gordon
Mickey Mouse, Blondie
JL: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman
Marilyn, Mae West, The “It” Girl
Clark Gable, John Wayne, Gary Cooper
Vinyl records – 33 1/3 rpm
Coats & ties, “nylons,” neatly styled hair
Veterans: Heroes/Role Models
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Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) (1882)
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884)
Helen Keller (1880)
Generals MacArthur, Patton, &
Eisenhower (1880, 1885, 1890)
• Winston Churchill (1874)
• Gary Cooper & Audie Murphy (1901, 1925)
• Babe Ruth & Joe DiMaggio (1895, 1914)
The Baby Boom Generation:
A Deeper Look
The Baby Boomers
• Born 1943-1964
• Earliest memories are post-WWII
• Around 75 million people still living
from this generation
• Two cohorts:
• Early Boomers (b. 1943-1954)
• Late Boomers (b. 1954-1964)
Formative Events: Boomers
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Post-WWII prosperity
McCarthyism
Polio vaccine & others become widespread
Civil rights movement & ’64 CR Act
Silent Spring, Peace Corps
Birth control pills, Nuclear reactors
Assassinations of JFK, MLK, RFK
The space program, men on the moon
Vietnam War, protests, & Kent State U
shootings; LBJ declines to run again
• Agnew resigns; Watergate; Nixon resigns
Boomer Values
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Optimism/We can change the world
Team work
Personal gratification/Me-generation
Well-being & personal growth
Youth-oriented
Work defines me
Social involvement
Question authority
Trust no one over 30
Early Boomers (b. 1943-54)
• Idealistic
• Felt a part of the 1960s revolutionary
changes in culture (Hippies)
• Workaholics putting career over family
• More lifetime income and bigger assets
(Yuppies)
Later Boomers (b. 1954-1964)
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More realistic
Environmental movement begins
Family important, career second
Embraced changes in sex roles; shared
parenting
• More cynical; experienced assassinations &
Watergate
• Experienced Reagan recession and downsizing
Boomers: Cultural Touchstones
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Ed Sullivan; Elvis
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Cadillacs, Continentals, Corvettes
Fallout Shelters, Suburbs
Golden era of TV
TV Dinners & Hula hoops
“The Mod Squad” & “Laugh-In”
Peace sign, Love-ins, Woodstock
45s and 8-tracks
Designer jeans/glasses, trendie fashion
Boomers: Heroes/Role Models
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Gandhi (1869)
John F. Kennedy (1917)
Robert Kennedy (1925)
Jacqueline Kennedy (1929)
Gloria Steinem (1934)
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929)
John Glenn (1921)
Golda Meier (1898)
First Two Generations:
Compare & Contrast
Veterans vs. Boomers
Veterans
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Followed tradition (sex roles, culture)
Loyalty (marriage, work, family)
Disciplined approach
Be patient, wait for rewards to come
Play by the rules
Boomers
• Redefined roles; promoted equality
• Left unfulfilling relationships in pursuit of
others that would bring happiness
• Sought immediate gratification
• Changed the rules
On the Job: Veterans
Pluses
Minuses
+ Stable, reliable
- Ambiguity & change are hard
+ Detail oriented
- Hesitant to buck the system
+ Thorough
- Uncomfortable w/ conflict
+ Loyal, team players
- Not likely to speak up when
they disagree
+ Hard-working
- Value Hierarchy
+ Spend wisely
Veterans: Communication Preferences
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Use good grammar & clear enunciation
Discrete, & formal
Link msg to company history
One-to-one
High regard for skills in interpersonal
communication
On the Job: Boomers
Pluses
Minuses
+ Service-oriented
- Not “budget-minded”
+ Driven
- Reluctant to buck peers
+ Willing to go the
extra mile
- Uncomfortable w/ conflict
+ Good at relationships - May value process over
results
+ Want to please
- Not always accepting of
feedback
+ Team-spirit
+ Value quality
- Sometimes self-involved
Boomers: Communication Preferences
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Take time for rapport
In person
Link msg to company vision/mission
“Call me anytime!”
Diplomacy
Motivating Messages: Veterans
• “Your experience is valued/respected here.”
• “Experience is a good teacher!”
• “It’s useful for us to hear what has and hasn’t
worked in the past.”
• “Your perseverance is valued and will be
rewarded.”
• “Quality of work is even more important than
quantity of work.”
Motivating Messages: Boomers
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“You’re important to our success.”
“You're part of the family here.”
“Your contribution is unique and important.”
“We need you here – you can make a
difference.”
• “This work is worthy of what you bring.”
• “There’s room here for personal and
professional growth.”
• “This is a cutting-edge place to work. We are
making history!”
The Next Generation:
Gen-X
Generation X
• Born 1960/64-1980
• Earliest memories are post-Boomer
• About 50 million people from this
generation still living
• Also two cohorts:
• Early Gen-X (b. 1960/64-1970)
• Later Gen-X (b. 1970-1980)
Formative Events: Gen-X
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Women’s Rights Movement; education opens doors
Watergate; Nixon resigns
Oil crisis of 1970s
Personal computers introduced
Jonestown
Three Mile Island
Iran hostage crisis
John Lennon assassinated
Massive corporate layoffs; recession of the ’80s
“Ride, Sally Ride”; Challenger disaster
Fall of Berlin Wall; end of Cold War
First Iraq War
Gen-X Values
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Work-Life balance
Technological literacy
Informality
Self-reliance
Pragmatic
Fun
Think globally
Be skeptical
Diversity is good
Early Xers (b. 1960/64-1970)
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Cynical, pessimistic
Don’t trust “the Fortune 500”
Huge debt from college education
Experience is the best teacher
Self-reliant latch-key kids
But still were stuck living at home
Later Xers (b. 1970-1980)
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“dot.com” boom  better job opportunities
Skills in demand
Commanded high starting salaries
Changed the workplace – flexibility
Entrepreneurship is good
More economic independence
Gen-X: Cultural Touchstones
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“The Brady Bunch”
“Dynasty”
“ET”
The Ninja Turtles – the cartoon
Pac-Man
Cassette tapes
Cabbage Patch Dolls
Disco, John Travolta, platform shoes
Gas “wars” of the 1970s
“Friends”
Playing on the “edge” – extreme sports
Nirvana, Grunge scene
Nose-rings, naval-rings, functional clothing, tats
Gen-X: Heroes/Role Models
• This generation rejects the notion of shared
heroes and role models;
• they heard about or lived through the
assassinations of the 1960s,
• and witnessed Watergate, Jonestown,
Three Mile Island, the Iran hostage crisis,
and the Challenger disaster.
• Any heroes they have are personal and no
one else’s business.
The Boomers & Xers:
Compare & Contrast
Boomers vs. Gen-X
Boomers
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Challenged authority
Center of media attention
Defined and excited by work; live to work!
Politically active socially & at work
Gen-X
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Go around authority; ignore social position
“Don’t let them label you!”
Work to live; “Get a life!”
Politics never solved anything – usually makes
it worse; don’t waste time on that at work
On the Job: Gen-Xers
Pluses
Minuses
+ Adaptable
- Impatient, want it now
+ Technoliterate
- Poorer people skills
+ Independent
- Self-interested
+ Unimpressed by
authority
- Cynical, jaded
+ Creative
- Lack attachment to a specific
job
+/- Conservative spenders
Gen-X: Communication Preferences
• Get to the point!
• Avoid buzz-words, clichés, and
hyperbole
• Lighten up! Don’t take things so
seriously
• Often prefer e-mail or texting
• “Call me at work, not at home!”
Motivating Messages: Gen-X
• “We’ve got the newest hardware & software.”
• “There aren’t a lot of rules to follow. You’ll have lots
of choices.”
• “We’re not very ‘corporate’ here.”
• “There’s plenty of opportunity to do it your way.”
• “We offer a lot of flexibility in work-scheduling.”
• “There’s plenty of opportunity for advancement here.”
• “You can tele-commute a fair amount.”
The Newest Generation:
Gen-Y/Millennials
Gen-Y/Millennials
• Born 1980-2000
• Earliest memories include computers and
other digital media
• The fawned-over offspring of the most
age-diverse set of parents in U.S. history
(teens, Xers, Boomers)
• About 75 million people in this generation
• Also two cohorts:
• Early Gen-Y (b. 1980-1990)
• Later Gen-Y (b. 1990-2000)
Formative Events: Gen-Y
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InterNet is ubiquitous
Attempted assassination of Reagan
Challenger disaster
“Black Friday” (10/87); “dot.com” boom (mid-90s)
Fall of Berlin Wall; end of Cold War
First Iraq War
Oklahoma City bombing; abortion clinic bombings;
Columbine shootings
Princess Diana killed; Mother Teresa died
President Clinton impeached
U.S. experiences new wave of immigration from
“new” countries in Africa, Asia, & Latin America
9/11
Gen-Y/Millennial Values
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Passionate optimism
Civic duty & morality
Confidence
Achievement
Immediate, honest, frequent feedback
Sociability; Loyalty towards others
Call to collective action/We can change the world
Street smarts, protect yourself
“Old” is good – music, clothes, entertainment
Diversity & tolerance
Gender equality, racial equality
Early Millennials (b. 1980-1990)
• Video games: Nintendo, Sega
• Families are “in” again
• CDs are where it’s at for music, VCRs for
video
• AOL, Hotmail, home computers
• Buy now, pay later – for everything
• End of cold war
• Recession
Later Millennials (b. 1990-2000)
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Video games: Xbox, Wii
iPods and DVRs/ Laptops and cell-phones
Facebook, YouTube, High-speed InterNet
Columbine & other school shootings
Terrorism is a daily fact of life
Kids integrated into adult activities
“Nuclear” family becomes minority model
Global electronic pen-pals
Boom-times economically
News as entertainment
Millennials: Cultural Touchstones
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Barney, Nickelodeon
The Ninja Turtles – the movies
Virtual pets
Beanie Babies, American Girl dolls
Oprah, Rosie, Ellen, Britney
Michael Jordan, Shaq, Koby, Kirby, Sammy Sosa
Kerri Strug, Mia Hamm, Venus & Serena
Michael Jackson, The Spice Girls, ‘N Synch
CDs & MP3 players, video games, e-mail, personal
computers/RWCDs
• Casual style, fondness for “retro,” mix-n-match
Millennials: Heroes/Role Models
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Princess Diana (1961)
Mother Teresa (1910)
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs (both 1955)
Mia Hamm, Tiger Woods (1972, 1975)
Christopher Reeve (1952)
First responders
Their parents
Barack Obama (1961)
“Instant” celebrities
The Xers & Millennials:
Compare & Contrast
Gen-X vs. Millennials
Gen-X
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Go around authority; ignore social position
“Don’t let them label you!”
Work to live; “Get a life!”
Politics never solved anything – usually makes it
worse; don’t waste time on that at work
Millennials
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Embraced by authority; value wisdom/experience
Center of attention
We’re used to being busy – we can multi-task!
We are all in this together – and together we can
make a difference
On the Job: Millennials
Pluses
Minuses
+ Optimistic
- May need supervision & structure
+ Tenacious & goal-oriented - Lack experience in dealing with
interpersonal issues
+ Multi-tasking
- Prefer e-communication to face-toface or telephone
+ Techno-savvy
- Lavish spenders of other’s
money
+ Confident & demand
respect
- Impatient; “Let’s try something
new!”
+ Value the collective welfare - Unrealistic expectations
Millennials:
Communication Preferences
• E-mail
• Texting, instant messaging
• Voice mail
• Polite
• Social networking
Motivating Messages:
Millennials
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“You can help turn things around.”
“You’ll be working with other bright, creative people.”
“Your boss has been here a long time.”
“Most of our work is team work.”
“You can make a difference here.”
“There is a lot of flexibility here.”
“You will be treated respectfully and paid well.”
“We expect you to speak up, ask for what you need.”
In Summary
At Work:
• Veterans are in search of Quality
• Boomers seek to retain Control
• Gen-Xers are in search of Truth
• Millennials seek Identity
In Summary, cont.
• It matters less the exact year a
generation is said to begin than the
formative events a generation
experiences collectively, and which
events and generational values an
individual identifies with
• Knowing which generational context
a person comes from is important for
working with and managing other
employees
In Summary, cont.
• Generational differences tend to
manifest in behaviors – i.e., the ways
in which values are demonstrated
• Friction between individuals of
differing generations is most likely
due to the behaviors through which
one’s values are manifested – not to
differing values
Looking Forward
• Size does matter – it impacts the current
workplace where Boomers are holding
spots that Xers want, but which will most
likely be filled by Millennials when
Boomers retire
• Motivate with messages tailored to each
generation, but keep in mind the desires
that are universal:
• being valued
• recognition
• appreciation
Forward, cont.
• Create safe environments for direct,
honest communication, & teach
employees how to communicate
through dialogue and active listening
• Taking time to tailor your approach
to working with others – in recruiting,
hiring, collaborating, and managing –
is well worth the investment & will
pay off with improved performance &
productivity!
Forward, cont.
• In recruiting, employ mission-based
hiring
• In training, advance leadership
development, skills training, problem
solving, team building, and
communication skills for members of
all generations
Forward, cont.
• In your environment, foster dialogue
and efforts to understand differing
ways of demonstrating the same
underlying values
• Organizationally, be attuned to the
behavior of all employees, and adjust
policies, benefits, and operational
culture to best serve the overall
goals and operation of the
organization
Discussion
• Implications in your workforce?
• Generational selling points when
recruiting?
• Retention of Xers and Millennials?