blog entry

Generations in the Workplace, Part 1 Knowing is Half the Battle

Christy

For the first time in history, there are four generations working side-by-side in the workplace. Chances are you bump into some of the working challenges that this interesting situation can present. Our points of view, values, goals (for work and personal life), priorities, and work ethic all differ greatly depending on our generational views and life experiences. These sorts of things tend to be deeply rooted parts of our belief systems, causing emotions to run high when one observes a co-worker in the cubicle next door behaving in a way that seems to be off base.

The more we analyze what make us all tick, the better chance we have at navigating the company politics, our bosses, our co-workers, and/or our customers. In the spirit of world peace (or maybe I just want to see us ALL advance in our respective careers), I thought it would be fun to open up the dialogue among skirt! readers in this series on Generations in the Workplace.  

First, let’s develop a general understanding of what we are dealing with here. The generational groups are typically defined as:

Traditionalists, Matures, or the Silent Generation (born between 1922-1945)
The Traditionalists you encounter in the workplace are those folks who are over age 60. They are typically described as loyal (maybe to a fault), patriotic, and economically conservative. All of this makes sense when you consider they lived through the Great Depression and two World Wars. When it comes to work, Traditionalists are respectful of authority and accept the military chain of command, from the top down way of management in the workplace. It no wonder when you consider that almost half of the men in this generation served our country in the military, and many of Traditionalists can credit America’s GI Bill with helping them to launch their careers in the first place.

Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964)
Boomers are the first generation referred to as the “Me Generation.” They are usually described as distrusting of authority and non-conformists, hard workers (with accomplishment measured in the number of hours they worked), subscribers to the “buy now pay later” economic philosophy. Boomers are also characterized as ultra-competitive (not surprising when you consider that this HUGE generational group has been competing with their peers for years). With the advent of TV, Boomers witnessed the JFK Assassination, Civil Rights Movement, space travel, Vietnam War, Woodstock, and a slew of other VERY important events that dramatically changed the course of our Country’s history. And in the workplace, Boomers challenge the Traditionalists authority rather than submit to their supervision.

Generation X (born between 1965-1976)
Gen Xers, the children of the prosperous and innovative Boomers, grew up alongside some very important technological advancements, including video games, cable TV, cell phones, and of course, the personal computer. This generation watched the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the first Gulf War. Xers are described as independent, skeptics of authority, and more economically conservative. Gen Xers watched their Boomer parents invest decades of energy into dedicated company service and they felt the affects of the Boomers’ “60 hour work weeks” (with the advent of the phrase “Latch Key Kids,” used to describe Xers who were armed with their own house key in order to let themselves into their empty homes after school). Gen Xers grew increasingly skeptical when these same employers seemed to easily dismiss their parents’ hard work and time with layoffs during the economic downturns of the early 90s. As a result, Gen Xers typically value their time, and the balance between work and life above all. Declines in their population numbers and the beginnings of workforce shortages have meant that Gen Xers have not had to compete as fiercely as the previous generation for a place in the workplace. Faced with more choices, and insistent that their work/life balance needs be met, Xers have had the freedom to easily change employers and/or career paths.

Generation Y or Millennials (born between 1977-2000)
The most technologically advanced generation ever, Gen Y does not remember what it was like to live without a computer.  Gen Y is described as highly educated, extremely adept at multi-tasking, tolerant, interested in instant feedback or communication, and economically believes they earn in order to spend. Gen Y grew up among high school shootings, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the Internet boom. And with the Internet effectively bringing people of different cultures and backgrounds together, Gen Y expects a diverse, team-centric, collaborative work environment. Gen Y sees work as a means to an end (a way to earn in order to play), and believes being happy is more important than being successful.

Cuspers
Cuspers are individuals who are close to the beginning or end dates of each of the generational groups. In that case, chances are you can relate to the beliefs or work expectations of the two distinct generational groups you are on the “cusp” of.

The birth date ranges can vary somewhat depending on the researcher, however, the generational stereotypes associated with each group often ring true. Every time I am involved in presentations on this subject, I observe the audience nodding their heads and laughing as they start to see themselves or their friends and family members in some of the descriptions.

If we really think about it, many of the chronological events taking place during our respective generations have GOT to affect the way in which we view the world and work. And while we all have our faults, we have a thing or two we can learn from each other in the workplace as well.

Can you share some examples where you have gotten into generational misunderstandings with your co-workers? How about examples where you collaborated with a person from a different generation, and as a result, enjoyed a better outcome?