Generations in the Workplace

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Generations in the Workplace

• Dr. Michael Wesson
• February 29, 2012
• HR Liaison Network Meeting

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Todays children love luxury. They have bad
manners, contempt for authority they show
disrespect for their elders, and love to chatter
in place of exercise The contradict their
parents, talk before company, gobble up their
food, and tyrannize their teachers.
Socrates over 2300 years ago
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What is a Generation

• A generation can be defined as a group of people
  born roughly within a twenty year time period
  during the same era in history.

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Why differences between the groups?

• Shared events define and influence a generations
  values who all come of age around the same time.
• Population swings
• Some people dont believe they exist.

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What is a generational difference?
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Generational Timeline

• 1922-1942 (56 million)
• Builders, Traditionals, Veterans, Greatest
  Generation
• 1943-1964 (80 million)
• Baby Boomers
• 1965-1978 (38 million)
• Generation X or Xers
• 1979-1999 (78 million)
• Millennials, Generation Y, Nexters, Echo Boomers

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The Builders (1922-42)

• Descriptors Conservative, disciplined, strong
  sense of obligation, fiscal restraint
• Values private, integrity, formality, respect
  for authority, sacrifice, loyal, risk averse
• Life Events Great depression, World War II

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The Baby Boomers (1943-1964)

• Descriptors Workaholics, willing to fight for a
  cause, pig in a python
• Values Hard-work, optimism, sacrifice,
  self-fulfillment, individualism, material wealth,
  teamwork, loyalty toward an employer,
  conflict-avoidant
• Life Events Vietnam war, civil rights, Kennedy
  and King assassinations, Watergate, sexual
  revolution, freewheeling 60s.

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Generation X (1965-1978)

• Descriptors Baby bust generation Work to live
  not live to work lacking loyalty slackers
• Values Work-life balance, self-reliant and
  autonomy, ruled by accomplishment not the clock,
  skepticism, diversity, career security
• Life Events Latch-key kids, high divorce rates,
  stagnant job market, corporate downsizing, MTV,
  AIDS, global competition, computer and video
  games.

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Millennials (1979-1999)

• Descriptors Internet generation, multi-taskers,
  overly confident, attention-loving,
  task-oriented, feedback hungry
• Values Informality, civic duty, optimistic,
  diversity, work/life balance, adaptability
• Life Events Dramatic technological changes,
  social networking, school shootings, OKC, 9/11,
  Iraq/Afghanistan, you are special parenting,
  political correctness

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(No Transcript)
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Harry Potter describes the differences
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Harry Potter describes the differences
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Harry Potter describes the differences
VS.
Boomers
Millennials
GENERATION X?
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Five Major Workplace Differences

• Need for immediate and continual feedback
• Xers and Millennials are different from Boomers
  who are annoyed when told things more than once
• Respect for Authority
• Boomers used to distance between management and
  subordinates Xers and Millennials dont see
  that difference and are willing to ask questions
  that might viewed as disrespectful.

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Millennials are the first generation who can
access information without an authority figure.
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Five Major Workplace Differences

• Loyalty
• Boomers commit to the company Xers commit to
  people Millennials commit to an idea or cause
• Work-Life Balance
• Xers and Millennials work to live. Boomers
  believe in face time and the fact that hours
  count.
• Motivation
• Millennials need to see the why before the
  what. Boomers more comfortable with authority
  and top-down mgmt.

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Some major NON-differences

• Desire for learning and development
• Millennials do not all want to be taught by a
  computer
• Leadership
• Good leaders are good leaders
• Desire for advancement/promotions
• Desire for a challenging job

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Lessons for Managers

• Adapting
• Willingness to understand that the other
  generations have different backgrounds and
  mindsets What makes you react?
• Communicating
• Boomers will need to reach out because
  Millennials dont know how to.
• Envisioning
• Creating meaning (why) and accountability
  (explicit expectations

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In case you're worried about what's going to
become of the younger generation, it's going to
grow up and start worrying about the younger
generation.
Roger Allen