traditionalist (born 1922 to 1945) baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964) generation x (born 1965 to 1980)...
TRANSCRIPT
AFAIUI (As Far As I Understand It):The Workplace Generation Gap
Workplace Generation Gap Traditionalist (born 1922 to 1945) Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) Generation X (born 1965 to 1980) Generation Y (born 1981 to 2000)
The Generations Each brings strengths Each has challenges They have different:
Views and expectations Work ethics Communication methods Familiarity with technology
Common Generalizations Baby Boomers feel that the Gen X-ers
do not care enough about work
Common Generalizations Gen X-ers feel that Baby Boomers
care too much about work
Common Generalizations Gen Y-ers want to move up the
corporate ladder too quickly without paying respect to the traditional methods of advancement
Common Generalizations Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers would
rather be any other place than work, and they would prefer to work from home
Common Generalizations Baby Boomers want everyone to put
in long hours in the workplace
Common Generalizations Baby Boomers are extremely loyal to
their companies
Common Generalizations Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers are not as
loyal as Baby Boomers to their companies
Common Generalizations These are sweeping generalizations,
but there is some truth
Each generation lived in a different time
Traditionalists
Traditionalists
• Have worked longer than any other generation
• Known as the Silent Generation• Many lived through the Great
Depression and World War II• Lives were very tough at times, and
they worked hard for what they had
Traditionalists
• Usually “live within their means”• Loyal to family, friends, and
employers• Financially conservative• Many are retired or nearing
retirement; many working part time
1940
Earliest Traditionalist would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1940.
In 1940
• Winston Churchill became Britain’s Prime Minister
• Hitler invaded many countries• The first Social Security checks were
paid out• The first McDonald’s opened in
Pasadena, California
In 1940
• The Superman radio show debuted• Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath received
the Pulitzer Prize• The Rh factor in blood was
discovered
1953
Middle Traditionalist would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1953.
In 1953
• Joseph Stalin died• Moscow exploded a hydrogen bomb• Dwight D. Eisenhower became US
President (with Nixon as VP)• The Rosenburgs were executed• TV Guide premiered its first issue
In 1953
• Playboy premiered its first issue• Hemingway’s The Old Man and the
Sea received the Pulitzer Prize• Edmund Hillary reached the top of Mt.
Everest• The first successful open-heart
surgery was performed in Philadelphia
1963
Youngest Traditionalist would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1963.
In 1963
• The Washington to Moscow “hot line” opened
• There were US military “advisors” in South Vietnam
• Martin Luther King Jr.’s held his March on Washington
• President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
In 1963
• Beatlemania hit the UK• Julia Child debuted on TV• Faulkner’s The Reivers received the
Pulitzer Prize• The first liver transplant was
performed• Valium was developed
Traditionalists
• Most companies have a Traditionalist on their Board of Directors
• These are the people who set the tone of the workplace, create the workplace culture, and set the strategic direction
Traditionalists
• Traditionalist were the parents of the Baby Boomers, and while Traditionalists went through difficult economic times, their children did not
Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers
• Were raised to have the things their parents never did
• They are also known as the “Me” generation
• They are generally optimistic• Can be competitive because they
needed to compete with their peers• Work well in team settings
Baby Boomers
• Hard working—Do not mind putting in very long hours
• Post World War II, Cold War, civil rights, women’s rights
• Want acknowledgement for their efforts
• Motto: “Sex, drugs, and rock and roll”
1964
Earliest Baby Boomers would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1964.
In 1964
• Nelson Mandela was imprisoned in South Africa
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize
• China detonated its first atomic bomb• Bob Dylan's protest music became
popular
In 1964
• The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show
• Peyton Place premiered on TV• US Surgeon General affirmed that
cigarette smoking causes cancer
1973
Middle Baby Boomers would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1973.
In 1973
• OPEC hiked oil prices• A ceasefire was signed in the Vietnam
War• Henry Kissinger received the Nobel
Peace Prize• Nixon accepted responsibility for
Watergate
In 1973
• Roe v. Wade• Sacheen Littlefeather stood in for
Marlon Brando and refused his Oscar for The Godfather
• Skylab was launched• Pablo Picasso died
1982
Youngest Baby Boomers would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1982.
In 1982
• Princess Grace of Monaco died• Leonid Brezhnev died• Israel invaded Lebanon attacking the
PLO• Ronald Reagan was president• John Hinkley was found not guilty of
shooting Reagan because of insanity
In 1982
• Michael Jackson's Thriller was released
• John Belushi died• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
machines were introduced in Britain• The first genetically-engineered plant,
a tomato, was approved for sale
Baby Boomers
• Women were in the workforce• Divorce rates were increasing• Children were being raised in child
care centers, and there were latchkey kids
• Children saw their parents working extremely long hours and sacrificing family time for work
Baby Boomers
• These children saw gasoline rationing and long lines and the pumps
• They witnessed their parents being laid off and downsized during the difficult economic times with double digit inflation
Generation X
Generation X
• Generation X is more economically conservative than their parents
• Have a strong need for family connections and will not sacrifice long work hours and endure stress as their parent’s generation did
• Will not depend on their companies to provide long term security for them
Generation X
• They are very independent• Want a work/life balance• Committed to work, but not committed
to the company• Like technology• Not interested in hierarchical structures• Like collaboration • Have an entrepreneurial spirit
1983
Earliest Gen X-ers would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1983.
In 1983
• A terrorist explosion killed 237 U.S. Marines in Beirut
• A South Korean jetliner was shot down by the Soviets
• Sally Ride was the first U.S. woman astronaut in space
• Compact discs were introduced• Karen Carpenter died from anorexia nervosa
In 1983
• The last episode of M*A*S*H was shown
• "Crack" cocaine was developed in the Bahamas and appeared in the U.S.
• El Nino disrupted global weather patterns
• The FCC authorized testing of cellular phone service in Chicago
1991
Middle Gen X-ers would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1991.
In 1991
• The Soviet Union broke up• A ceasefire ended the Persian Gulf War• Anita Hill accused Clarence Thomas of
sexual harassment• Fox Broadcasting permitted condom
advertising on TV• Paul Reubens was arrested for indecent
exposure
In 1991
• Nirvana released Smells Like Teen Spirit
• Gopher, the first user-friendly internet interface, was created at the University of Minnesota
• The first transpacific hot-air balloon flight was successful
• Theodore Seuss Geisel died
1998
Youngest Gen X-ers would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1998.
In 1998
• India conducted three atomic tests; Pakistan responded with five nuclear tests
• Europeans agreed on the Euro• Iraq ended cooperation with UN arms
inspectors• The Clinton and Lewinsky sex scandal• The Unabomber was sentenced• Matthew Sheppard was fatally beaten
In 1998
• Terry Nichols received a life sentence for the Oklahoma City bombing
• The movie Titanic became the highest grossing film of all time
• The last episode of Seinfeld aired• Frank Sinatra died• The FDA approved Viagra• The Endeavour crew connected the first two
modules of the international space station
Generation X
• Generation X used collaborative education in the classroom
• Gen-Xers are team oriented • This was a transitional generation
with many technological changes
Generation X
• They ushered in the era of video games and personal computers
• Gen-Xers want things to happen quickly and efficiently
Generation Y
Generation Y
• The Gen-Yers were brought up during an affluent time
• They had very supportive parents and teachers
• In school they learned to multi-task because of the pressure to be successful in the classroom and with extra-curricular activities
Generation Y
• They are also called Millennials• They are comfortable using
technology • Social networking is important• Lines between work and life are blurry• Need a structured work setting• They ask a lot of questions• Flexibility is important
1999
Earliest Gen Y-ers would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 1999.
In 1999
• Global fear of the Y2K bug and Armageddon
• The Columbine school shootings• John F. Kennedy, Jr. was lost at sea• The impeachment trial of Clinton• Monica Lewinsky's first TV interview
aired on 20/20 with Barbara Walters
In 1999
• Stanley Kubrick died• The Blair Witch Project emerged• Rev. Jerry Falwell calls Teletubby
Tinky Winkey gay• Melissa and Chernobyl viruses affect
computers worldwide• Worldwide internet use reaches 150
million with over 50% in the U.S.
2008
Middle Gen Y-ers would have turned 18 or graduated from high school in 2008.
In 2008
• Russia invaded Georgia• Castro resigned as Cuba's president• Numerous suicide bombings in the
Middle East• The stock market plunged• Unemployment rates spiked• Barack Obama elected US President
In 2008
• Bill Gates retired from Microsoft• The banking and automobile industries
declined• Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300• Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with brain
cancer• The polar bear designed as threatened• California banned trans fats in restaurants
Youngest Gen Y-ers will turn 18 or graduated from high school in 2018.
Generation Y
• The Millennials have had cell phones, pages, and personal computers all their lives
• They have high self-esteem and are extremely confident
• They are used to full lives combining school, family, and extracurricular activities
Attitudesin The Workplace
Attitudes A 2008 survey* by Harris Interactive
conducted for Charles Schwab and Age Wave, shows that people have strong positive and negative opinions about the different generations
* Widely Held Attitudes to Different Generations, Financetorial, August 24, 2008, http://financetorial.com/2008/08/24/widely-held-attitudes-to-different-generations/
Generations Identified Generation Y, people aged 13 to 31 Generation X, aged 32 to 43 Baby Boomers, aged 44 to 62 Silent Generation, aged 63 to 83 Greatest Generation, aged 84+
Finding: Baby Boomers (35%) are most widely
viewed as having a positive effect on society, followed by Generation X (25%)
Finding: The Silent Generation (33%) and the
Greatest Generation (30%) are the most widely admired generations, followed by Baby Boomers (22%)
Finding: The Silent Generation (40%) and
Baby Boomers (33%) are widely viewed as the most generous
Finding: The two generations widely seen as
the most productive are Baby Boomers (45%) and Generation X (32%)
Finding: A 53 percent majority (including a
majority of Gen Y itself) believe Generation Y is the most self-indulgent, followed by Generation X (25%)
Finding: Generation X is seen as the most
innovative (41%), followed by Baby Boomers (25%) and Generation Y (22%)
Finding: There is no consensus as to which
generation is most socially conscious, but Baby Boomers (34%) and Generation X (26%) top the list
Finding: Gen Y would like to rename
themselves the “Internet Generation” (32%). They really dislike being called “Generation Y” or “Millennials”
Finding: Gen X would choose to rename
themselves “Generation Tech” (25%). They dislike being called “Generation X”
Finding: Baby Boomers are the only
generation which seems to really like the name given to them (27%)
Finding: The Silent Generation would re-name
themselves the “Responsible Generation” (44%). They strongly dislike being called “Silent” or “Invisible”
Outcomes Two widely-held views are false:
1. America is riddled with ageism
2. Younger people have no respect for older people
Outcomes: The two oldest generations are much
more admired than any other generation
Outcomes: Baby Boomers get higher marks than
any other generation for being socially conscious, being productive, and having a positive effect on society
Working With The Generations
Each Generation… Has a unique history that affects how
they view work
Each Generation… Has learned something from the
previous generations
(That has helped shape them)
Each Generation… Has lived with different and changing
family structures
Each Generation… Has a different communication style
Each Generation… Has values and strengths they bring
into the workplace
(Focus on those)
Each Generation… Has challenges they face and needs
that could make the workplace more attractive
Each Generation… Has a unique approach to work
Each Generation… Has differing views on recognitions
and awards
Consider Your Workplace What is your workplace culture?
Are you goal oriented Do you value teamwork or individuality Do you value your employee’s input Are you flexible with schedules Do you ever have fun Are you consistent throughout the company
Consider Your Workplace What is your organizational structure?
Formal with a complex structure; clear chain of command; fixed duties and relationships; established channels of communication
Decentralized with a relaxed structure; flexible duties and relationships; casual communication
Consider Your Workplace What are your specific job
requirements? How are meetings held and conducted? How do you motivate your employees? How are promotions and awards
conferred?
Know Yourself In which generation are you? What are your values, strengths,
challenges, & needs? What are your expectations for
yourself and others?
Know Others Be aware of the differences Appreciate other’s strengths Interact with others and encourage
them to interact
Tips:Be Respectful Focus on the strengths Acknowledge differences See value in questions See value in experience and
company history Use humor and a positive outlook
Tips:Communicate Appropriately Use face-to-face or written
communication, when necessary Be brief—use bullets Avoid jargon, clichés, and
abbreviations Pay attention when multi-tasking Have brief, efficient meetings
Tips:Be Personable Be available to answer questions Ask questions Communicate the big picture Be a role model
Tips:Support Your Employees Build morale Manage conflict Value diversity Encourage continuing education Seek challenging and creative tasks
Tips:Support Your Employees Provide timely feedback and
acknowledgements Consider community involvement
activities Consider mentoring relationships Be a role model Have fun, as appropriate
