Making the Most of Generational Differences in the Work Place

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Making the Most of Generational Differences in
the Work Place
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Who are these Workplace Generations?
Generation X
Generation Y
Baby Boomers
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Baby Boomer
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Generation X
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Generation Y
Digital Generation
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World events shaping Baby Boomers
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Baby Boomer Media Influence
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Baby Boomer Work Heroes

• Bill Gates
• Oprah Winfrey
• Hillary Rodham Clinton
• Pat Schroeder
• Nancy Pelosi

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World events shaping Generation X
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Generation X Media Influence
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Generation X Work Heroes
Jerry Yang and David Filo co-creators of
Yahoo.com
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World events shaping Generation Y
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Generation Y Media Influence
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Generation Y Work Heroes
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Baby Boomers Political and Cultural Influence
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Boomer Music
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Generation X Political and Cultural Influence
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Generation X Music
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Generation Y Political and Cultural Influence
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Generation Y Music
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Characteristics of Baby Boomers

• Re-evaluate in midlife
• Tend to want to regulate personal behavior
• Unusually protective of children
• Idealists with strong passions for personal and
  social improvements.

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Characteristics of Generation X

• More tolerant
• Delay marriage
• Recognize the need to be individually competitive
• Willing to change projects and/or companies
• Display self pride

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Characteristics of Generation Y

• Easily adapts to contemporary technology
• Non-participation in politics
• Places low value on ideology and formalism
• Look to imported beliefs and value systems from
  abroad
• Cynical world view

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Prominent Baby Boomers

• Bill Clinton president of the USA
• George Bush president of the USA
• Dolly Parton country singer and songwriter,
  actress
• Donald Trump entrepreneur, real estate
  developer
• Steven Spielberg pre-eminent American film
  director
• Stephen King author

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Prominent Generation Xers

• Jeff Bezos founder, amazon.com
• Nicolas Cage - actor
• Michael Dell founder, Dell, Inc.
• Ben Stiller - actor
• Mike Tyson boxer, undisputed heavyweight
  champion
• Julia Roberts - actress
• Timothy McVeigh - Oklahoma City bomber
• Sammy Sosa MLB player, Chicago Cubs

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Prominent Generation Y

• Kelly Clarkson, pop star
• Prince William, future King of England,
• Kyle Busch, NASCAR driver
• Ashley Olsen and Mary Kate Olsen, twin sisters,
  actresses
• Freddie Adu, soccer player

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Driving Factors forBaby Boomers

• Preoccupied with financial and employment
  security.
• Likely to extend midlife well into what used to
  be considered "old age.
• Likely to enjoy good health and remain "actively
  engaged" longer than previous generations.
• Economic inequalities are likely to become more
  important as the boomers age.

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Baby Boomer Work Themes

• Involvement
• Workaholism
• Personal gratification and goal attainment
• Promotion of equality
• Redefining everything
• Desire to please
• Workarounds to meet their needs
• Social consciousness

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Work Place Driving Factors for Generation X

• Looking for a good 401(k) plan" -- not salary --
  number one on their list of financial concerns.
• Value flexibility and freedom, especially when it
  comes to work
• Looking for learning opportunities, up-to-date
  technology, workforce diversity, and flexibility.

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Generation X Work Themes

• Self-reliance
• Focused on building skill-portfolio
• Work to live, dont live to work
• Non-traditional orientation about time and
  space
• Unimpressed by authority/hierarchy
• Skepticism
• Live for adventure
• Tech savvy

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Work Place Driving Factors for Generation Y

• Want material comfort and the good life.
• When working with co-workers and supervisors they
  typically demand respect first, reserving the
  right to prove themselves later.
• Demands flexibility at work.
• Has the pack mentality.

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Generation Y Work Themes

• Re-emerging social consciousness
• Life-long learning/intellectual curiosity
• Smart work/problem solving
• Team work
• Uninhibited communication
• Emotional literacy
• Holistic lifestyle
• Technology dependence

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Impact on Employers

• 76,000,000 baby boomers are set to retire by the
  end of the decade
• Only about 44 million Generation X'ers available
  to pick up the slack.
• The talent crunch soon will be felt in technical
  and scientific fields

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Work environments that attract or repel Gen. X

• Traditional Workplace
• Security from the institution
• Promotions based on longevity
• Loyalty to the organization
• Wait to be told what to do
• Respect based on position/title

• New Generation Workplace
• Security from within
• Promotions based on performance
• Loyalty to the team
• Challenge authority
• You must earn respect

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Tips For Improving Generation X Retention and
Productivity

• Be approachable
• Take time to be personal
• Encourage employee growth
• Performance based promotions and rewards
• Help employees see the big picture
• Build morale

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Work environments that attract or repel Gen. Y

• Seek intellectual challenge and thrill from work
• They desire work that fits comfortably into what
  they want out of their lives
• Do not want their work to seem menial or mundane

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Training the Generations to meet the upcoming
Demand

• What types of materials are available?
• What types of training materials are suited for
  each group?
• What learning environment is effective for each?

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Types of Training Materials

• Tech Manuals
• Training Materials (Hard Copy)
• Video Based Training
• Training Materials (on Intranet)
• Computer Based Training (interactive)
• PowerPoint Presentations (interactive)

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What types of training materials are suitable for
each group?
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What learning environment is effective for each?