Generations in the Workplace

1
Generations in the Workplace
Presented by Alexandra S. Jackiw, CPM, CAPS
2
Objectives

• Identify the generations in todays workforce
• Define each generational personality
• Events that shaped them
• Core values
• On-the-job assets and liabilities
• Recognize generational differences
• Learn about cross-generational communication

3
Why Learn About the Generations?

• Demographics are changing
• Better understand its impact in the workplace
• Increase personal competency in communication and
  management
• Promote teamwork

4
Generations at Work

• The events and conditions each of us experience
  during our formative years help define who we are
  and how we view the world.
• The generation we grow up in is just ONE of the
  influences on adult behavior.

5
Generational Work Performance Expectations

• Every employee should be held to the same
  standard.
• No adaptation should be made that compromises the
  integrity of the job or diminishes the
  effectiveness of your department or property to
  carry out its goals.
• All employees should comply with established
  policies and procedures.

6
Appreciating Many Aspects of Diversity

• Generational differences may influence behavior,
  however this does not mean that generational
  differences determine adult interactions.
• There are a host of other variables which come
  into play that impact behavior and outcomes.
• Generational differences represent only one of
  these factors.

7
Generations in the Workplace

• Veterans (Silent) 1925 1942
• Boomers 1943 1960
• Gen Xers 1961 1981
• Millenials (Gen Y) 1982 1999

8
The Four Generations
9
Veterans 1925-194244 Million People 15 of
Work Force

• 1929 Stock market crashes
• 1930 Great Depression
• 1932 FDR elected
• 1933 The Dust Bowl
• 1934 Social Security System
• 1937 Hindenburg tragedy
• 1937 Hitler invades Austria
• 1941 Pearl Harbor
• 1944 D-Day in Normandy
• 1945 Victory in Europe/Japan
• 1950 Korean War

10
Veterans 1925-1942Core Values

• Dedication/sacrifice
• Hard work
• Conformity
• Law and order
• Respect for authority
• Patience
• Delayed reward
• Duty before pleasure
• Adherence to rules
• Honor

11
Veterans 1925-1942Generational Personality

• Like consistency uniformity.
• Like things on a grand scale.
• Are conformers.
• Believe in logic, not magic.
• Are disciplined.
• Are past-oriented and history absorbed.
• Have always believed in law and order.
• Spending style is conservative.

12
Veterans 1925-1942

• MARKINGS Conservative,
• somewhat dressy clothing
• coats and ties or stockings neatly
• trimmed hair American cars golf
• clubs mixed drinks.
• SPENDING STYLE Save and pay
• cash.
• WHAT THEY READ Readers
• Digest, USA Today, Time, WSJ
• THEIR HUMOR Better Half

13
Veterans on the Job

• ASSETS
• Stable
• Detail-oriented
• Thorough
• Loyal
• Hard-working

• LIABILITIES
• Inept with ambiguity change
• Reluctant to buck the system
• Uncomfortable with conflict.
• Reticent when they disagree.

14
Veterans 1925-1942

• IN A NUTSHELL
• They are the current 62 to 73 year olds.
• They are very hard working, economically
  conscious and trusting of the government.
• They were very optimistic about the future and
  hold a strong set of moral obligations.

15
Veterans as Team Members

• Managing the Veteran
• Earn their trust respect their experience.
• Orientation
• Take plenty of time explain policies.
• Opportunities
• Stress the long haul be aware of gender roles.
• Development
• Train in a non-threatening environment.
  Technology will need to be a focus.
• Motivating
• Personal touch traditional perks.
• Mentoring
• Coach tactfully respectfully. Acknowledge
  background experience.

16
Boomers 1943 196077 Million People 34 of
Workforce

• 1954 McCarthy hearings
• 1955 Rosa Parks
• 1957 Civil Rights Act
• 1960 Birth control pills
• 1960 JFK elected
• 1961 Peace Corps
• 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
• 1962 John Glenn orbits

17
Boomers 1943 1960

• 1963 MLK march on D.C.
• 1963 JFK assassinated
• 1965 US troops to Vietnam
• 1966 NOW founded
• 1968 MLK RFK killed
• 1969 Lunar landing
• 1969 Woodstock
• 1970 Kent State shootings

18
Boomers 1943 1960Core Values

• Optimism
• Team orientation
• Personal gratification
• Health and wellness
• Personal growth
• Youth
• Work
• Involvement

19
Boomers 1943 1960Generational Personality

• Believe in growth expansion.
• Think of themselves as stars of the show.
• Tend to be optimistic.
• Learned about teamwork in school and at home.
• Pursued their own personal gratification without
  compromise, often at a high price to themselves
  and others.
• Searched their souls repeatedly, obsessively,
  and recreationally.
• Have always been cool.

20
Boomers 1943 1960

• MARKINGS Designer glasses, cellular phones,
  whatevers trendy, BMWs, designer suits, designer
  bodies, vintage wines.
• SPENDING STYLE Buy now, pay later with
  plastic.
• WHAT THEY READ Business Week, People.
• THEIR HUMOR Doonesbury

21
Boomers on the Job

• ASSETS
• Service-oriented
• Driven
• Willing to go the extra mile
• Good at relationships
• Want to please
• Good team players

• LIABILITIES
• Not budget-minded
• Dislike conflict
• Reluctant to oppose peers
• May put process ahead of result
• Too sensitive to feedback
• Judgmental of those who see things differently
• Self-centered

22
Boomers 1943 - 1960

• IN A NUTSHELL
• They are the current 46 to 63 year olds.
• They have a strong set of ideals and traditions,
  and are very family-oriented.
• They are fearful of the future, politically
  conservative and active, and fairly socially
  liberal.

23
Boomers as Team Members

• Managing the Baby Boomer
• Collaboration and inclusion. Process oriented.
  Dislike conformity and rules. Rebels.
• Orientation
• Spotlight personal fulfillment, meaningful work.
  Connect dots.
• Opportunities
• Sense of purpose. Contribution to clients
  companies.
• Development
• Workaholics. New responsibilities projects.
  Opportunity and visibility.
• Motivating
• Public praise and recognition. Flexibility.
• Mentoring
• Strong need to excel. Overachievers.
  Challenging career paths.

24
Gen Xers 1961 198152 Million People 18 of
Workforce

• 1970 Womens Lib
• 1972 Munich Olympics
• 1973 - Watergate
• 1973 Energy crisis begins
• 1976 Tandy Apple PCs
• 1979 Three Mile Island
• 1979 Corporate lay-offs
• 1979 Iran holds hostages

25
Gen Xers 1961 1981

• 1980 John Lennon killed
• 1980 Reagan inaugurated
• 1986 Challenger disaster
• 1987 Stock market drops
• 1988 Bomb in Lockerbie
• 1988 Exxon Valdiz spill
• 1989 Berlin Wall falls
• 1991 Desert Storm
• 1992 Rodney King/riots
• 1993 OJ Simpson

26
Gen Xers 1961 1981Core Values

• Diversity
• Thinking globally
• Balance
• Technoliteracy
• Fun
• Informality
• Self-reliance
• Pragmatism

27
Gen Xers 1961 1981Generational Personality

• Self-reliant.
• Seeking a sense of family.
• Want balance.
• Have non-traditional orientation about time and
  space.
• Like informality.
• Approach to authority is casual.
• Are skeptical.
• Are attracted to the edge.
• Technologically savvy.

28
Gen Xers 1961 1981

• MARKINGS Nose rings, naval rings, functional
  clothing, tattoos, Japanese cars.
• SPENDING STYLE Cautious, conservative.
• WHAT THEY READ Spin, Wired, chat room dialogue
• THEIR HUMOR Dilbert

29
Gen Xers View of Work
30
Gen Xers on the Job

• ASSETS
• Adaptable
• Technoliterate
• Independent
• Unintimidated by authority
• Creative

• LIABILITIES
• Impatient
• Poor people skills
• Inexperienced
• Cynical

31
Gen Xers 1961 - 1981

• IN A NUTSHELL
• They are the current 26 to 46 year olds.
• They live in the present, like to experiment, and
  are looking for immediate results.
• They are selfish and cynical, and depend a lot on
  their parents.
• They question authority and feel like they carry
  the burden of the previous generations.

32
Gen Xers as Team Members

• Managing the Gen Xer
• Resist micro-managing. Provide constant
  stimulation.
• Orientation
• WIIFM?
• Opportunities
• Job hoppers. Been there, done that. Nine to
  fivers.
• Development
• Output focused outcome oriented. Provide
  continual feedback.
• Motivating
• Provide learning and development opportunities.
  Provide work/life balance.
• Mentoring
• Inclusion. Provide situations for trying new
  things.

33
Gen Yers (Nexters) 1982 199977 Million
People 33 in Workforce

• September 11, 2001
• Oklahoma City bombing
• Columbine massacre
• Threat of renegade nuclear countries
• Respect for environment
• Immigration restricted
• ADD era
• National epidemics Ebola, AIDS, etc.
• Clinton/Lewinsky

34
Gen Yers 1982 2003Core Values

• Optimism
• Civic duty
• Confidence
• Achievement
• Sociability
• Morality
• Street smarts
• Diversity

35
Gen Yers 1982 2003

• MARKINGS Polyester, pagers, retro.
• SPENDING STYLE Spend your parents money as
  fast as you can.
• WHAT THEY READ Series Goosebumps, Baby
  Sitters Club, Matt Christopher, American Girls,
  Chat Room Conversation
• THEIR HUMOR Calvin and Hobbes

36
Gen Yers on the Job

• ASSETS
• Collective action
• Optimism
• Tenacity
• Heroic spirit
• Multi-tasking capabilities
• Techno-savvy

• LIABILITIES
• Need for supervision and structure
• Inexperience, particularly with handling
  difficult people issues

37
Gen Yers 1982 - 2003

• IN A NUTSHELL
• They are currently age 25 and younger.
• They are very materialistic, selfish and
  disrespectful.
• They are very aware of the world and very
  technologically literate.
• They are trying to grow up too fast and have no
  good role models to look towards.

38
Millenials as Team Members

• Managing the Millenial
• Need supervision structure. Readily accept
  older leadership.
• Orientation
• Looking for careers stability.
• Opportunities
• Make their work interactive and group oriented.
• Development
• Be clear about goals expectations. Communicate
  frequently.
• Motivating
• Honor their optimism and welcome and nurture
  them.
• Mentoring
• Cross-training is a great retention strategy.

39
Generational Differences

• Veterans 1925 to 1942
• Uncomfortable with ambiguity
• Slow to embrace technology
• Stable, detail-oriented, thorough, loyal,
  hard-working
• Wont speak up if they disagree

• Baby Boomers 1943 to 1960
• Service-oriented
• Driven
• Good team players
• Not budget-minded
• More process than results oriented
• Workaholics
• Work ethic worth ethic

40
Generational Differences

• Generation X 1961 to 1981
• Adaptable
• Technoliterate
• Not intimidated by authority
• Just tell me if this is going to be on the test
• Cynical and impatient
• Poor people skills

• Millenials 1982 to 1999
• Optimistic
• Tenacious
• Heroic spirit
• Multi-taskers
• Need supervision and structure
• Huge conflict between Gen Xers and Gen Yers
• Rattled by in-your-face conflict

41
Cross Generational Communication
42
Generational Interaction

• Veterans and Boomers may have a tendency not to
  question or challenge authority or the status
  quo. This may cause confusion and resentment
  among the Xers and Millenials who have been
  taught to speak up.

43
Generational Interaction

• Xers and Millenials who have had different life
  experiences and communicate with people
  differently, may fail to actively listen to
  Boomers and Veterans, thereby missing valuable
  information and guidance.

44
When Generations Fail to Communicate

• May impact turnover rates
• May impact tangible costs (i.e., recruitment,
  hiring, training, retention)
• May impact intangible costs (i.e., morale)
• May impact grievances and complaints
• May impact perceptions of fairness and equity

45
Generational Feedback

• Feedback style and form can be impacted by
  generation differences.

46
GENERATIONAL FEEDBACK

• VETERANS No news is good news.
• BOOMERS Feedback once a year and lots of
  documentation.
• XERS Sorry to interrupt but how am I doing?
• MILLENIALS Feedback whenever I want it at the
  push of a button

47
Feedback Style and Impact

• Feedback styles that may appear informative and
  helpful to one generation might seem formal and
  preachy to another.
• Feedback an Xer thinks is immediate and honest
  can seem hasty or even inappropriate to other
  generations.
• Some older generations have been told that there
  is a time and place for feedback. Younger
  generations havent necessarily been taught this
  rule.

48
Generational Meaning of Feedback

• Veterans seek no applause but appreciate a subtle
  acknowledgement that they have made a difference.
• Boomers are often giving feedback to others but
  seldom receiving, especially positive feedback.
• Xers need positive feedback to let them know
  theyre on the right track.
• Millenials are used to praise and may mistake
  silence for disapproval. They need to know what
  theyre doing right and what theyre doing wrong.

49
(No Transcript)
50
Valuing Differences

• Information flows in all directions in a company
  or property. The most successful leaders find a
  way to let every generation be heard. They
  recognize that no one has all the answers. This
  appreciation of diversity allows each group to
  contribute and be a part of the growth and
  success of your company or property.