Managing Multiple Generations in the Work Force

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Managing Multiple Generations in the Work Force

• Terri Manning
• Bobbie Frye

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but it takes a society to raise a generation

• Influencing Factors
• Economic Conditions
• Societal Norms
• Political Events
• Major Crises

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Generations

• Consists of approximately a 20-year span Has a
  unique set of values.
• Reacts to the generation before them.
• Looks at their generation as the standard of
  comparison.
• Looks at the next generation skeptically.
• They are either idealistic, reactive, civic or
  adaptive.
• What you would like for me to tell you is how
  can we make them be like us?
• That will never happen. They look at you as an
  example of what not to do.

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How Generational Births Will Impact Retirements
(Millennials)
(Boomers)
(Xers)
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Generations Living in America in 2010

• Veterans 1925-1942
• 23.8 million living
• Baby Boomer 1943 1965
• 62 million living
• Generation X 1966-1981
• 84 million living
• Millennials 1982 2002
• 110 million living
• Generation Z 2003-2022
• About 29 million so far

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Workplace Characteristics Workplace Characteristics Workplace Characteristics Workplace Characteristics Workplace Characteristics
Veterans Baby Boomers Generation X Millennials
Work ethic and values Hard work Respect authority Sacrifice Duty before fun Adhere to rules Workaholics Work efficiently Crusading causes Personal fulfillment Desire quality Question authority Eliminate the task Self-reliant Want structure and direction Skeptical Whats next Multi-tasking Tenacity Entrepreneurial Tolerant Goal oriented
Work is An obligation An exciting adventure A difficult challenge A contract A means to an end Fulfillment
Leadership Style Directive Command-and-control Consensual Collegial Everyone is the same Challenge others Ask why TBD
Interactive Style Individual Team player Loves to have meetings Entrepreneur Participative
Source Greg Hammill, FDU Magazine,
Winter/Spring 2005
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Workplace Characteristics Workplace Characteristics Workplace Characteristics Workplace Characteristics Workplace Characteristics
Veterans Baby Boomers Generation X Millennials
Communi-cations Formal Memo In person Direct Immediate Email Voice mail
Feedback and Rewards No news is good news Satisfaction in a job well done Dont appreciate it Money Title recognition Sorry to interrupt, but how am I doing? Freedom is the best reward Whenever I want it, at the push of a button Meaningful work
Messages that Motivate Your experience is respected You are valued You are needed Do it your way Forget the rules You will work with other bright creative people
Work and Family Neer the twain shall meet No balance Work to live Balance Balance
Source Greg Hammill, FDU
Magazine, Winter/Spring 2005
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Numbers in the Workforce
24.2
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The Baby Boomers 19431964 (the largest
generation, idealist)

• Divorce reached a low in 1960 of 9
• Families moved due to GI Bill, GI housing and
  industrialization
• First generation to live miles from extended
  family
• Family size smaller (2-3 children)
• Few grandparents in the home
• Moms stayed home, dads carpooled
• Children spent significant time with
• adult role models
• Perception of the world as safe

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Baby Boomers and School
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Boomers Childhood and School Experiences

• Overwhelmed the school system, large class sizes
• Ability grouped (red birds and blue birds)
• Question authority but respect position
• Emphasis on team work (cohort education)
• Need silence to concentrate
• In college were told you are lucky to be here.
• Segregated by race, the battles began for
  desegregation
• No special ed students in school (in most states)
  but honors courses in a few subjects
• Rarely tested and not for school performance
  (PSAT, SAT)

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Values of Boomer Employee

• Majority of employees (age 46-67ish)
• Always share personal experience what has
  happened to me is relevant to you
• Value stability and respect
• Like to see their successes
• Tend to workaholism and have difficulty
  balancing their lives, working 40 hours is
  slack.
• Are competitive
• See themselves as the standard of comparison
• Appreciate technology because of how easy it
  makes their work still fear they might break
  it and may have a back-up plan

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Boomers at Work

• Ethic long hours show commitment
• Team oriented and relationship builders (dont
  like conflict cant we all just get along)
• Not budget minded
• Sensitive to feedback

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Remember these
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How Boomers Learn

• Want things to fit into the big picture
• Want recognition for how well they have done
• Team oriented, work well in groups
• Like to explore and analyze, look at different
  views
• Follow instructions well
• Good with content

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Boomers at Work

• Value stability and respect
• Like to see their successes
• Tend to workaholism and have difficulty balancing
  their lives
• Are competitive
• See themselves as
  the standard of
  comparison

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Boomers at Work

• Ethic long hours show commitment
• Tend to workaholism with same expectations of
  others (50 hours wk)
• Team oriented and relationship
  builders (dont like conflict
  cant we all just get along)
• Not budget minded
• Sensitive to feedback

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The Gen Xers 19651981 - A Lost Generation A
Nomadic Generation.. Half the
Size of the Baby Boom (reactive)

• Divorce reached an all-time high
• Single-parent families became the norm
• Latch-key kids were a major issue of the time
• Children not as valued looked at as a hardship
• Families spread out (miles apart)
• Family size 1.7 children (many only-children)
• Perception of the world as unsafe
• Average 10 year old spent 14 ½ minutes a day with
  a significant adult role model

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Gen X in School
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Gen X Childhood/School Experiences

• Learned to rely on self (less patience with
  teams)
• Distrust authority
• Seek challenging environment (career education
  emphasis)
• Want feedback on progress
• Want to do things their way like no rules and
  freedom on assignments
• Had special ed classrooms in school but separated
• Had honors programs
• Funding cut to education
• Testing mania began with them
• First daycare centers and latch-key kids (high
  divorce)
• Some diversity, began earnest desegregation in
  schools

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Gen Xers as Employees

• Significant number of employees (age 29-45ish)
• Cynical and pessimistic
• Want work-life balance
• Think globally and seek independence
• Like technology and want an informal work
  environment
• Dont want the boomers work ethic
• Communication is important and talk to adults as
  friends/peers (not impressed with authority)
• Reward should be based on productivity not hours
  worked
• Want control of self, time and future
• Loyalty to people not a company
• Impatient with poorer people skills

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Remember these..
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Was this your first video game?
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Was this your first calculator and cell phone?
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How Gen Xers Learn

• Task oriented like to learn new skills
• Speed is important
• Self-paced learning, independent learning
• Want to have fun while they learn
• Informal learning environments are best
• Hate group work
• Want feedback from teacher

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Gen Xers at Work

• Cynical and pessimistic
• Want work-life balance
• Think globally and seek independence
• Like technology and want an informal work
  environment
• Dont want the boomers work ethic
• Communication is important and talk to adults as
  friends/peers (not impressed with authority)
• Believe reward should be based on productivity
  not hours worked
• Want control of self, time and future
• Loyalty to people not a company
• Impatient with poorer people skills

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The Echo Boom/Millennials

• The Millennials are almost as large as the baby
  boom-some say larger - depending on how you
  measure them (approx. 81M).
• The Millennials are the children born between
  1982 and 2002 (peaked in 1990), a cohort called
  by various names

Echo Boom
Generation Y
Net Generation
Millennials
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Things Began to Change for This Generation

• Abortion rates peaked in 1980 and began a slow
  decline.
• Poverty rate for children peaked in 1983 and
  began a slow decline (Medicaid began).
• US divorce rate peaked in 1981 and began a
  decline.
• Homicide rate against children peaked in 1982 and
  began a decline.
• They were born into a better world, a more
  optimistic world than the generation before them.

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Millennials in School
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Millennial Childhood/School Experiences

• Many private schools, charter schools, magnet
  schools all to meet the needs of the individual
  child many, many choices
• School uniforms, child safety, high performance
  standards, character education, cooperative
  learning and community service
• Goal oriented outcome based education (whats
  in it for me)
• Interactive, participatory and engaging are
  consulted by adults
• Everything 24/7 and available electronically

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This is what they grew up with?
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How Millennials Learn

• Try it their way always looking for better,
  faster way of doing things
• Prefer graphics before text, reading of excerpts
• Like small and fast processing technology best
  when networked
• Want instant
  gratification and
  frequent rewards
• (spot)

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How Millennials Learn

• Focus on skill development not memorization of
  what they
  perceive they dont need to
  know
• Productivity is key not
  attendance so make it
  worthwhile or they wont come
• Have different critical thinking
  skills based on their high tech
  world not thought processing (need help here)
• Rely on teacher to facilitate learning
• Group think and interaction

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Millennials - Not Very Hardy

• Our parents told us when the going gets tough,
  the tough get going and if at first you dont
  succeed, try, try again.
• Their philosophy when the going gets tough, it
  means you should try another route and if at
  first you dont succeed, maybe you shouldnt be
  here.
• They have trouble staying
  in rigid and non-flexible
  environments.

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Emerging Adults

• Ambitious yet aimless characterizes this
  generation
• They work for a while until they save enough
  money to live for a while, then quite play for
  several months and then look for work again.
• They know at the age of 21 that they may have to
  work until they are 70 75. So why hurry into a
  career job now.
• They have the same attitude
  with school.
• They stop out regularly and
  see if things work out.
  They
  appear to be in no hurry.
• They swirl.

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Salary Expectations

• Realistically, what do you expect your starting
  salary will be when you begin working?
• Millennials
• 15-20K 7.7
• 21-30K 29.3
• 31-40K 27.0
• 41-50K 15.9
• 50K 7.0
• Not sure 12.5

Approximately 65 felt they would earn 40K or
less
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Jobs in Lifetime

• How many jobs do you
  think you will hold in
  your lifetime?
• 1-3 35.7
• 4-6 41.5
• 7-10 16.5
• Over 10 6.2
• 64 expect to have 4 or more jobs

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Importance of Career Components

• Items thought to be very important
• Respected on the Job
• Opportunity for Professional Development
• Ability to Have an Impact on the World

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Importance of Job Benefits

• Benefits thought to be very important
• Health Insurance
• Salary Growth
• Plans like 401K
• Life Insurance
• Bonuses
• Employer-paid Retirement
• Benefits thought to be unimportant
• Stock Options
• Profit Sharing

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Older Generations Make Assumptions

• That younger generations will measure success
  just as we have.
• Young worker must pay their dues and follow the
  same paths to success as previous generations.
• The company ladder will remain intact.
• Workers go where the jobs are.

Marston, Cam, Motivating the Whats In It for
Me Workforce Managing Across the Generational
Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
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What Millennials Want

• Ability to work whenever
  and wherever they want.
• Variation on the job
• Continual feedback from supervisors
• Opportunities to learn, retool and reinvent
  themselves
• Challenge, new problems to solve
• To be in charge of their lives and
  future

Marston, Cam, Motivating the Whats In It for
Me Workforce Managing Across the Generational
Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
42
What They Are Not Interested In

• Time-honored traditions
• Doing things the way they
  have always been done
• Paying their dues
• How their managers got to where they are (rank)
• A work ethic that requires a 10 hour day
• Unquestioning loyalty to a company

Marston, Cam, Motivating the Whats In It for
Me Workforce Managing Across the Generational
Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
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Change in Values

• Two youngest generations
• Define success differently
• Their time is equal in value
  to money
• Will pursue other rewards for their work
• The company/corporate ladder has become
  irrelevant
• View their predecessors experience as a warning,
  not a road map
• Dont value the rules of management, motivation
  and reward

Marston, Cam, Motivating the Whats In It for
Me Workforce Managing Across the Generational
Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
44
Skepticism

• The two younger generations
• Have been given ample reason to question
  authority
• Dont believe their leaders tell
  the truth
• Question the motives and
  truthfulness of institutions
  across the board
• Invest their loyalty and trust in individuals and
  therefore, the right boss is critical (otherwise
  they change jobs, 1 reason they quit)

Marston, Cam, Motivating the Whats In It for
Me Workforce Managing Across the Generational
Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
45
What Will It Take for All Generations to Work
Well Together

• A new understanding of what employees want from
  their jobs, bosses and workplace experience
• A new understanding of loyalty and how to develop
  it (not through pay, promotions and benefits)
• A new definition of self young employees define
  themselves by what they do outside the job, not
  what they do for a living

Marston, Cam, Motivating the Whats In It for
Me Workforce Managing Across the Generational
Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
46
What Will It Take

• New behavior from leaders who realize younger
  workers enter the workforce seeking
  self-fulfillment and arent interested in paying
  their dues for an unspecified amount of time for
  a vague reward
• Because young people are doing
  everything later staying
  in
  school, living at home, getting
  married, having kids this
  impacts their
  commitment to work

Marston, Cam, Motivating the Whats In It for
Me Workforce Managing Across the Generational
Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
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Reasons US Workers Change Jobs

• In 2006, 21 of US workers made voluntary
• job changes for the following reasons
• Growth and earnings potential (30)
• Time and flexibility (23)
• Financial compensation (22)
• Culture and work environment
  (22)
• Benefits (12)
• Supervisor relationship (10)
• Travel and development (9)
• Management climate (9)

Benefit News
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Changing Workforce

• Workers are demanding the ability to balance
  their work and personal responsibilities.
• Workers are not afraid of changing jobs.
• The idea that the best way to grow financially
  and otherwise is to stay with one employer has
  been eroding to the point of extinction.
• Younger workers and those earning 15,000 or less
  were the most likely to change jobs.
• The cost of turnovers range from 7,000 for
  hourly employees to 30,000 for mid-level
  managers and 80,000 for technical or senior
  level management (Center for Workforce Learning).

Charlotte Biz, March 2007
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How They Will Push Us

• More independence in the workforce
• Consumer-based fairness
• Better technology
• Enhanced professional
  development
• Get rid of thats the way
  weve always done it
• Have more life balance
• Re-establish priorities

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What We Know

• Times are changing in business and society
• So leadership must change
• The younger generations are working in a
  different economy and business world
• They have different values and goals
• THEY WILL NEVER BE LIKE US!

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Messages that Motivate

• Veterans
• Your experience is respected here
• What has and hasnt worked in the past is
  relevant
• Perseverance is valued
• Boomers
• You are important to our success
• Your contribution is unique and important
• We need you

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Messages that Motivate

• Gen Xers
• Do it your way
• There arent a lot of rules here
• Were not very corporate
• Millennials
• You will work with other bright, creative people
• You can help turn this company around
• You can be a hero here
• We value independent workers
• Your boss will help you succeed

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Eleven Tips for Millennial Management

1. Provide structure reports, deadlines, clear
   goals, expectations. Frequent communication
   about the rules and structured career path
2. Provide leadership and guidance they want to
   look up to and admire you. They want in on the
   whole picture. Teach, coach and give them your
   best investment of time. They expect a
   relationship with their boss and are more
   trusting of authority figures.

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Tips, continued

• Encourage the millennials self-assuredness,
  can-do attitude, and positive personal
  self-image encourage them, dont squash or
  contain them. Want to express their opinion.
• Take advantage of their comfort with teams.
  Encourage them to join they believe teams can
  accomplish more and better things. Mentor, coach
  and train them as a team use multi-generational
  teams.

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Tips, continued

1. Listen to the millennial employee they had
   loving parents who listened to them and dont
   like being ignored. Expect mentoring want to
   feel like they matter.
2. Millennial employees are up for a challenge and
   change boring is bad. They seek change and
   challenge, the next thing. Want to know how
   their work is going to help the company.

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Tips, continued

1. Millennials are multi-taskers want different
   tasks and goals to pursue weekly if not they
   get bored.
2. Take advantage of their computer, cell phone and
   electronic literacy the world is wide but not
   too deep for millennials.
3. Capitalize on their affinity for networking
   like to network around the world electronically.
   Are loyal but will keep their options open.

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Tips, continued

1. Provide a life-work balance in the workplace
   they work hard but are not into 60 hour work
   weeks. Home, family, children and friends are
   their life. Get them involved in community
   service.
2. Provide a fun, employee-centered workplace they
   want to enjoy their work, make friends at work.
   Help long-term employees make room for them.
   Worry if they are not laughing, planning office
   events, going out to lunch with workmates, etc.

Source Susan Heathfield, About.com, Managing
Millennials Eleven Tips for Managing
Millennials, http//humanresources.about.com/od/ma
nagementtips/a/millennials.htm
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So Who is Next
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Generation Z (2001-2020)

• First born into a digital world
• Small families, older parents, mothers work
• Scheduled and bubble-wrapped
• Traditional values, old-fashioned notions in
  parents
• Incredible achievers, huge capacity to absorb
  information
• Will value social justice, tech savvy and
  innovative thinkers
• Realistic and balanced
• Not as much disposable income

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Generation Z

• Will be raised on technology, they will not be
  scared of anything, they will be open to new
  ideas.
• They will be into truth and loyalty and they will
  not be not afraid to voice their opinion.
• They will be flexible and open to change.
• They will be fearless and fun.
• They will be the new hope for our own future.
• Their great-grandparents belong mostly to
  the veterans and the Baby
  boomers form the core
  of their grandparents.
• Their parents are seen as being roughly
  evenly divided between
  Generation X and
  Generation Y.

http//www.generationzbaby.com/generation-z.html
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Gen Z in School
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Some New Trends for Z

1. Interactive devices as classroom learning tools
2. More homeschooling
3. Collaborative online projects
4. Focus on visual learning
5. Treating learning as a game
6. Focus on critical thinking and
   problem solving rather than
   information memorization
7. A return to occupation-based training rather than
   college
8. Learning in smaller bites

Source Best College Online
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Each Generation is Influenced and Molded by the
Society that Raised Them

• Youre a child of the 50s if
• You wore a poodle skirt
• You know what paste tastes like
• Your sneakers were made of canvas and
  came in black or white
• Your family only had one phone (and it
  was black) and one
  phone number
• Gas stations pumped your gas, cleaned your
  windows and gave you green stamps (and gas was
  .19 a gallon)
• Your jeans were called dungarees
• You never heard of McDonalds (unless you lived in
  Des Plaines, IL)

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Youre a child of the 60s if..

• You owned several pieces of tie-dyed clothing
• Someone asked you to join the revolution you
  actually knew what that was
• You wore bellbottoms and head bands
• You slept with an attic fan
• You had a collections of 45s
• You rode in cars without seatbelts
• You tracked John Glenns orbit around
  the world in grade school (the
  first time)
• You ate in a McDonalds with in-door
  seating (a new thing for hamburger
  stands)

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Youre a child of the 70s if..

• You had to get off the couch to change the TV
• You wore leg warmers
• You ever asked to be gagged with a spoon
• You recognize the phrase my name is Charlie and
  they work for me
• You have at least one school picture
  with the collar turned
  up
• You know the words to Weird
  Al Yankovics songs
• This was your first calculator
• You went to McDonalds for the
  brand new breakfast item the
  Egg McMuffin)

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Youre a child of the 80s if..

• You know who shot JR
• You know the philosophical meaning of wax on,
  wax off
• There was nothing questionable about Bert and
  Ernie living together
• The feeling in your thumb is just now returning
  after holding down the Atari joystick
• You needed a grocery cart to
  carry your first portable stereo
• You went to McDonalds for the
  Happy Meals (started 1979)

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Youre a child of the 90s if..

• You know the Macarena
• You had a trapper keeper
• You know where Waldo is
• You can name the Spice Girls
• You owned a razor scooter
• You used to end sentences with
  not or psych
• You watched Real World on MTV
• You learned to roller-blade, not roller-skate
• You went to McDonalds to play in the Play Space

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If you are a child of the 2000s

• You are still a child and have quite a life ahead
  of you
• You cut your teeth on your
  mothers cell
• You Skype with your grandmother
• Youve been working on
  computers since you were
  born
• And your mother probably wont
  let you eat at McDonalds
  
  unless you get the apple slices and low
  fat milk while she has a Cappuccino at the
  McCafe

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For a copy of this presentation http//www.cpcc.ed
u/millennial Click on
presentations and workshops Contact terri.manni
ng_at_cpcc.edu