Introduction In today’s workforce, it is very common to have coworkers in multiple generations. The four generations that are currently in the workforce are the Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. Currently, the Baby Boomers and Generation Y make up the majority of employees in the workforce. There is great diversity between the generations in terms of what motivates them to perform well at work, attitudes about work, causes of conflict in the workplace, and communication in the workplace. Another aspect of the generations that has great diversity is the way in which they learn in the workplace. Because of this, employers have to provide training and development opportunities that cater to each generation. Baby Boomers typically prefer traditional classroom training, while Generation Y prefers online, self-paced training. The reason why each generation prefers a particular type of training is a result of their upbringing and the method of learning used in school as they were growing up. For example, the millennial generation grew up using computers in school settings. Rather than using televisions and VCRs to watch videos as a way to supplement learning, they used computers, as computers and the internet made information available at any time. By 1994, 35% of schools provided access to the Internet. By 2003, close to 100% of teenagers used the Internet for research on school assignments, and about 80 % used the internet for all school work (Schullery, 2013). Additionally, the upbringing of trainers influences how they teach, which in turn influences how students in their courses learn. Baby Boomers grew up with traditional classroom training, so that is the method of training most common, and comfortable... ... middle of paper ... ... Periodicals, 2008. Kapoor, C., Solomon, N., Understanding and Managing Generational Differences in the Workplace, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp 308-318, 2011. Lancaster, L., & Stillman, D. (2010). The m-factor: How the Millennial generation is rocking the workplace. New York, NY: HarperCollins. Schullery, N., Workplace Engagement and Generational Differences in Values, Business Communication Quarterly, 76(2) 252–265. 2013. Spiro, C. (2006), Generation Y in the workplace, Defense AT&L, pp. 16-19. Stevens, R., Managing Human Capital: How to Use Knowledge Management to Transfer Knowledge in Today’s Multi-Generational Workforce, International Business Research Vol. 3, No. 3; July 2010. Tolbize, A., Generational Differences in the Workplace, Research and Training Center on Community Living, University of Minnesota, 2008, pp 1-25.
By 2025, about 75% of the American workforce will be made up of Generation Y workers, said Emily Matchar, author of “Why Your Office Needs More Bratty Millennials.” Generation Y, also known as millennials, are those who were born within the years 1982 and 1999. Time management has become a persistent issue for people in the United States because of the lack of flexibility in the workforce. Work is taking over people’s lives. The current generation of workers tend not to demand because of the fear of unemployment; jobs are scarce these days. Generation Y workers have shown that they will not accept today’s hierarchical workplace, on the contrary, they will begin to change the workplace to their likings.
Baby Boomers have often been portrayed as a generation full of exploration, optimism, and achievement. They did pursue higher education and career interests in the hope of attaining opportunity, stability, and prosperity in their adult lives. While they did enjoy these aspects of life during the 80s and 90s, the workplace at the moment has changed tremendously thanks to globalization and the advent of technology. Most of the Baby Boomers are now in their 50s and 60s and are at the peak of their careers thus they want to be managers. However, the workplace has changed greatly and is adapting very young managers in their twenties who are technology savvy. The Baby Boomers think they are side-lined or underutilized in the workplace. There are several solutions to make this generation of baby boomers feel useful once again.
Harvard Business School “Working Knowledge” Newsletter - April 17, 2006:! “Can you manage different generations?
During Generation Xers formative years, “investigations called into question many major organizations including the U.S. presidency, military, organized religion, and corporations” (Fore, 2013). As a result, this generation generally had little confidence in institutions and instead placed more faith in themselves. At home, Generation Xers became “‘latchkey children’”, who came home from school without a parent or adult supervision, and their mothers now worked outside the home. They were responsible for themselves, and often became dependent on video games and television sets, which resulted in them being characterized as “independent and resourceful” (Fore, 2013). At work, Generation Xers relied on themselves and their peers to accomplish goals, and did not put much hope in companies or organizations. Unlike Veterans, Generation Xers disliked traditional hierarchy, challenged authority, and expected their leaders to demonstrate competence and fairness, as well as embrace a participative and diverse workplace (Fore, 2013). Similar to the Millennial generation, Generation Xers placed a stronger focus on their personal lives much more than the generations before them. “They were likely to stay with one company throughout their career as long as it did not interfere with their private lives” (Gilley & Waddell, 2015). This lack of organizational loyalty is often attributed to
HR and talent management professionals who take the time to educate employees on generational issues will improve intergenerational understanding, multi-generational inclusiveness, respect, and productivity.
Smola, Karen Wey, and Charlotte D. Sutton. "Generational Difference: Revisiting Generational Work Values for the New Millennium." Journal of Organizational Behavior 23 (2002): 363-82. JSTOR. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .
Workers are often pitted against each other in the work place as a form of competition. One division that is commonly seen is gender and race, but there is also a divide concerning age that isn’t discussed as frequently. Baby Boomers are those who was born between 1946-1964, when WWII soldiers came back home, settled down and started the “Baby Boom”. While Millennials are those born around 1981-2000, and have a similar population size as Baby Boomers. In the workplace, Millennials are categorized as being bad workers due to how they were raised in sheltered lifestyles and require a different environment than the previous generation, but that is not accurate. Even though the two generations view work different, sometimes to the point of conflict,
White, M. (2011). Rethinking generation gaps in the workplace: Focus on shared values. Kenan-Flagler Business School. Retrieved from http://www.execdev.unc.edu
Are Millennials ready to replace retiring Baby Boomers in leading organizations worldwide or is the perception of competency holding them back. I believe it is now the time of transition in the workplace and this next generation has the ability and traits to fill leadership roles more effectively than estimated, generation differences may be creating biases directly undermining the performance of this latter generation. Furthermore, certain skills should be and can be learned through proper and frequent trainings to accommodate the needs of a changing
Klobucher, T 2011, Characteristics of Generation 2020: Generations at Work, The Great Workplace Revolution, accessed 11 November 2013, http://www.thegreatworkplacerevolution.com/characteristics-of-generation-2020-generations-at-work/
For the first time in history, there are four generations of people working side by side in the workplace. Think about your place employment and the different people who work there. It is sometimes hard to get your point across to someone in a different age generation. This especially becomes a problem in the supervisor employee relationship. In order to effectively communicate with your peers, you have to understand the context in which they view the world. This problem is a real concern for managers. There has even been a Center for Generational Studies created.
Timm, Bartholomew J. "Cross-Generational Management | U.S. Chamber Magazine." U.S. Chamber Magazine | Business News, Commentary, Opinion, How-To, Policy/Advocacy, Profiles, And Economic Information. 1 Sept. 2007. Web. 23 June 2011. .
Erickson, Tamara J. Plugged In: the Generation Y Guide to Thriving at Work. Boston, MA: Harvard Business, 2008. Print.
Robbins (2013) recognizes that baby boomers have an enormous hard-working attitude with a definitive want to characterize themselves through their expert achievements. Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 value their achievement, ambition, loyalty to career and dislike to authority in competitive workplace (Robbins and Judge, 2017). Gen Xers, born between 1965 and 1977, who are independent-minded like work-life balance, team-oriented, loyalty to relationship and dislike of rules. The generation born between 1978 and later, known as Millennials value flexible hours, teamwork and collaborative culture, career development, loyalty to both self and relationships with employers and dislike the formality of regular meetings if there
Zemke, Ron. (2013). Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Boomers, Gen Xers & Gen Yers in the workplace. Edition #2.