Multiple Generations in the
Workforce – Can’t We All Just Get
Along?
Terri M. Manning, Ed.D.
Central Piedmont Community College
How Generational Births Will Impact
Retirements
(Millennials)
(Boomers)
(Xers)
Changes in that Workforce
100.0%
White
87.9%
African American
Other Minority
Male
85.0%
Female
73.9%
80.0%
60.0%
54.0%
40.0%
46.0%
20.0%
11.6%
5.0%
16.3%
15.0%
9.8%
0.0%
1900
2000
Who Is Working Today?
Veterans
Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
1,000 die per day
Youngest are 5 years old
14%
33%
Half the size of the generations
on either side of them
10%
43%
7,198 turned 60 every day in 2006
Who Are Those Generations
• How have their early experiences
impacted the workforce?
• What values did they bring to work?
• As generations change – does the
workforce keep pace?
• Let’s look at them…..
The Veterans (also known as the Silent
Generation or the Greatest Generation)
1925–1942 (adaptive)
• Raised by the GI Generation (civic)
• Large families (3-5 children)
• Strong sense of extended family
(same town or home)
• Grandparents in the home
• Average 10-year-old spent 4-6
hours daily with a significant adult
role model
• Rural society
• Apprenticeship businesses and
farming
• Perception of the world as “safe”
Core Values
Dedication
Hard Work
Conformity
Law and Order
Patience
Delayed Reward
Duty before
Pleasure
Adherence to Rules
Honor
Do you remember when smoking wasn’t
hazardous to your health?
Did you ever use one of these???
Veterans - How They Learn
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New is not necessarily better
Not innovative with new ideas
Like structure, schedules and procedures
Brain processes new ideas into old mental
framework
• Some refuse to work with technology (too
overwhelming a learning curve, others jump
in)
• Want clear expectations and guidelines
• Must memorize the basics
School Experiences for Veterans
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Hard work
Respected their elders
Children were to be seen and not heard
Felt an obligation to make the grade
Performance based on individual ability
Little feedback unless negative
More intrinsic reward for good performance
Learned from history (other’s experiences)
Small class size, one curriculum for all
No special ed (students no where in sight)
Virtually never tested with standardized tests – less
comparison to others
Values of Faculty/Staff in this Age Group
• Loyal to employer (company man) and
expect the same in return
• Believe they should be rewarded for
tenure
• Work ethic = efficiency and hard work
• Stable, thorough and detail oriented
• Don’t buck the system but work within it
• Uncomfortable with conflict and
disagreements
• Not change oriented
The Baby Boomers 1943–1964 (the largest
generation, idealist)
• Divorce reached a low in 1960 of 9%
• Families moved due to GI Bill, GI housing
and industrialization
Core Values
• First generation to live miles from
Optimism
extended family
Team Orientation
Personal Gratification
• Family size smaller (2-3 children)
Health and Wellness
• Few grandparents in the home
Personal Growth
Youth
• Moms stayed home, dads carpooled
Work
• Children spent significant time with
Involvement
adult role models
• Perception of the world as “safe”
Plop, plop, fizz, fizz…….
Remember these……
How Boomers Learn
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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
Boomer’s Educational Experiences
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Overwhelmed the school system, large class sizes
Ability grouped (red birds and blue birds)
Question authority but respect position
See life as an adventure (and school)
Emphasis on team work (cohort education)
Need silence to concentrate
Were told “you are lucky to be here, others are standing in
line to get in.”
• Want to feel valued
• No special ed students in school but honors courses in a few
subjects
• Rarely tested and not for school performance (PSAT, SAT)
Boomer Faculty/Staff Values
• Majority of faculty and significant number of students (age
45-66ish)
• 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”
Boomers at Work
• Ethic = long hours show
commitment
• Team oriented and relationship
builders (don’t like conflict –
can’t we all just get along)
• Not budget minded
• Sensitive to feedback
The Gen Xers 1965–1981 - 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
Core Values
Dedication
Hard Work
Conformity
Law and Order
Patience
Delayed reward
Duty before pleasure
Adherence to rules
Honor
Remember these…..
Was this your first video game?
Was this your first calculator and cell
phone?
How Gen Xers Learn
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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
Educational Experiences
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Learned to rely on self (don’t like group work)
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 arose with them
Many latch-key kids
Gen Xers as Faculty/Staff
• Significant number of faculty and significant number of
students (age 28-44ish)
• Cynical and pessimistic
• Want work-life balance
• Think globally and seek independence
• Like technology and want an informal work environment
• Don’t 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
The Echo Boom/Millennials…
 The Millennials are almost as large as the baby boomsome 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
Millennials
Net Generation
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.
This is what they grew up with?
What We Know
• 35% are non-White
• 1 in 5 has at least one
parent who is an immigrant
• Have the best educated mothers in history
• Have better educated parents
• Came out of the infertility era – were very
wanted as children
• Grew up during a monumental financial boom
• Safest generation we have seen
What We Know
• Born to older parents and raised in smaller families
(lots of only children) – many have never shared a
room
• Been plugged in since they
were babies
• Expect technology to be free
• Think it is cool to be smart
• Have had cell phones since they were children
• Expect to have 4 or more jobs in their lifetime
• Are as interested in where they live as what they
do – so cities are working to attract them
Influenced by Customer Service Movement
• Expect what they paid for
• Everyone should be concerned that they are
satisfied and happy
• If they are not happy with your answer, they
will go over your head
• Expect colleges to bend over backwards to
please them
• Not the way it works in higher education
• Savvy consumers and will stay under your
radar as long as possible
Millennial 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 (what’s in it for
me)
• School is a means to an end – one must endure until the
next level
• Interactive, participatory and engaging – are consulted by
adults
• Everything 24/7 and available electronically
Millennial School Experiences
• No “grunt work” - must do “meaningful work”, participate in
decisions
• International flavor, celebrate diversity, different is okay
• Motivated by working with bright, motivated and moral
people
• Student makes judgments about truth and believability of
what is taught
• Classroom mainstreamed – multiple levels based on ability
and interest
• Constantly tested and compared to peers (learned to take
tests so now of little use for college admissions)
• Feel pressure for high achievement
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)
How Millennials Learn
• Focus on skill development – not memorization of
what they perceive they don’t need to know
• Productivity is key – not attendance – so make
class worthwhile or they won’t 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
Millennials - Not Very Hardy
• Our parents told us “when the going gets
tough, the tough get going” and “if at first
you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
• Their philosophy “when the going gets
tough, it means you should try another
route” and “if at first you don’t succeed,
maybe you shouldn’t be here.”
• They have trouble staying in
classes with rigid teachers
who offer them no flexibility
or encouragement.
Millennials - Not Very Hardy
• Seems like the tougher you are, the quicker
they quit
• Have no preconceived ideas about
expectations
• See a lack of consistency among bosses
• Have to tell them more than the generation
before them and we resent it
Focus on Retention
• “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….
They Want to Experience Life
• 25 years old, college graduate – moved to
Charleston to live at the beach (working in
whatever to live).
• Graduated in pre-med in May 08 (23 years
old) – moved to Hawaii …. surfing.
Business Today…
• Lives in a world created
by generations who are
(mostly, 95%) no longer
working.
• They were influenced by the military
and created a workplace reflecting a
hierarchy with a clear chain of
command.
• Employees worked hard to receive
raises, bonuses and higher ranks.
Higher rank (with the higher salary)
was valued and envied by employees
on their way up and held in high
esteem by those at the top.
Will We Have a Workforce Shortage?
• Will the Boomers retire in droves?
• Could see a 4-10 million worker
shortage by 2010.
• We don’t have enough well-prepared
young workers.
• Greatest needs in fields with advanced
education such as nursing and
education.
• Also industries with mostly older
workers such as the oil and gas
industry.
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 “What’s In It for Me” Workforce: Managing
Across the Generational Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
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 “What’s In It for Me” Workforce: Managing
Across the Generational Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
Millennials Were Asked….
• What are the top five things
that make you respect a
company?
Top Five
1. Give back to their community.
2. Have fair labor practices.
3. Have products and services that do
what they promise to do.
4. Having products and services that
truly help people in need.
5. Being “green” or “eco-friendly.”
(Just Kid Inc. KID Formation Series, July 2008, “Meet the Millennial
Generation: An Explosive New Consumer Force.”)
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 “What’s In It for Me” Workforce: Managing
Across the Generational Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
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 predecessor’s experience as a
warning, not a road map
– Don’t value the rules of management,
motivation and reward
Marston, Cam, Motivating the “What’s In It for Me” Workforce: Managing
Across the Generational Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
Skepticism
The two younger generations:
– Have been given ample reason to question
authority
– Don’t 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 “What’s In It for Me” Workforce: Managing
Across the Generational Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
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 “What’s In It for Me” Workforce: Managing
Across the Generational Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
What Will It Take
• New behavior from leaders who realize
younger workers enter the workforce
seeking self-fulfillment and aren’t 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 “What’s In It for Me” Workforce: Managing Across
the Generational Divide and Increasing Profits, 2007
How The Younger Generations Will Push
Us…
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More independence in the workforce
Consumer-based fairness
Better technology
Enhanced professional development
Get rid of “that’s the way we’ve always
done it”
• Have more life balance
• Re-establish priorities
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!
Copy of Presentation:
• http://www1.cpcc.edu/millennial
• Click on presentations and workshops
• It is under “keynotes for higher
education”
• Title: “Teaching Strategies for Diverse
Generations”