The Changing Face of the Workforce Kay Dunkley, Director VA Tech Roanoke Center June 28, 2013-VACCE Types of Diversity Demographic (Age, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Geographic etc.) Education Backgrounds and experience Socio-Economic Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Learning Styles Generations The Generations Census Total Birth Years % of 2010 Workforce Traditionalists 57 Million 1920-1945 7% Baby Boomers 76 Million 1946-1961 38% Generation X 46 Million 1962-1979 30% Millennials 1980-2000 25% 75 Million Remember, dates are positioning points, not definers. Each point is on a continuum, flowing from one generation to the next. Traditionalist Significant Event: December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor Technology: Radio Key Descriptor: Loyal Stabilizers Civic pride, loyalty, respect Gray flannel suit crowd Institutional loyalty White, male, seniority driven Mixing of generations rare Great team players and get along with others Traditionalist Character Shaping Events Great Depression Dust Bowl President FDR New Deal Golden age of radio and Hollywood Pearl Harbor and World War II D-Day Death of FDR Hiroshima, Nagasaki Birth of Nuclear Age American grit/power win World War II G.I. Bill Traditionalist Traditionalist Communication Tips Show respect for their length of service and experience Watch your language – no cursing allowed Hard working and loyal Do your homework; prepare to be tested Less tech savvy than younger generations Interact face to face Say “thank you” and “please” Don’t rush or pressure them Serve and honor them Table Top Discussion 1. What frustrates or irritates me about Traditionalists? 2. What do I admire, appreciate and/or could really stand to learn from Traditionalists? Baby Boomer Significant Event: President John F. Kennedy Assassination Technology: Television Key Descriptor: Idealistic Yuppies, Boomers End of rural, agrarian lifestyle Babies every 17 minutes for 20 years Child rearing – hobby and pleasure Confident, expectant generation Redefining period between midlife and old age Baby Boomer Plan Korean War Red Scare Sputnik Cold War Kennedys & Camelot Civil Rights Movement Vietnam Character Shaping Events Marshall Kent State Protests and marches JFK, RFK & King assassinations Feminist movement Woodstock Moon landing Baby Boomer Baby Boomer Communication Honor their experience and ask for Tips their advice Loyal, work centric and cynical Value the “people side” of business Speak in an open, personal style Offer to partner and get the job done; don’t wait to be asked Support them; make them look good Don’t call them “older.” Use descriptors like “mature”, “experienced” or “prime” Center your conversation around forming business relationships Table Top Discussion 1. What frustrates or irritates me about Baby Boomers? 2. What do I admire, appreciate and/or could really stand to learn from Baby Boomers? Generation X Significant Event: Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion Technology: Personal Computer Key Descriptor: Skeptical Latchkey kids Anti-institution Segmented – fragmented family “Family values” redefined Strong entrepreneurial spirit 24/7 MTV Generation X Oil Embargo Watergate Nixon resignation Three-Mile Island John Lennon shot Challenger explosion Iranian hostage crisis Reagan election and assassination attempt Character Shaping Events Fall of Berlin wall Worst recession and job market since Great Depression Generation X Generation X Talk Communication Tips with them, not to them Listen to them. You might learn something! Use hands-off supervision When delegating, describe outcomes, but leave results to them Don’t waste their time Provide immediate answers and feedback Value their need to keep learning in order for them to be marketable Communicate their desire for a worklife balance Table Top Discussion 1. What frustrates or irritates me about Gen Xers? 2. What do I admire, appreciate and/or could really stand to learn from Gen Xers? Millennial Significant Event: Columbine High School Tragedy Technology: Internet Key Descriptor: Hopeful Internet generation Most protected children 1 in 3 not Caucasian 2 in 4 live in single parent home 4 in 5 have working mothers 1/3 teens work 20+ hrs/wk. WORK is a four-letter word Millennial Internet Booming Globalization Columbine killings Oklahoma City Bombing Clinton impeached by House, acquitted by Senate September Character Shaping Events 11, 2001 market economy & job US invades Afghanistan & Iraq 2008 World Recession Barack Obama, Pres. Millennial Millennial Communication Tips Answer their constant “why” questions or ignore them to your own peril Give them your web address and be prepared for a website critique Emphasize positives of doing right rather than negatives of doing wrong Be positive, simple, rational, factual and friendly Respond quickly - “instant gratification” Mentor them and be realistic Be prepared to offer flexible scheduling Understand they listen to iPod, surf the Net, and text at the same time Table Top Discussion 1. What frustrates or irritates me about Millennials? 2. What do I admire, appreciate and/or could really stand to learn from Millennials? Things to ponder… Which generations do I work with the most? The least? How can my awareness of each generation help me plan more effective meetings? What can I stop doing/keep doing/start doing to better interact with each of the generations? Narrow the gap… Be aware Be enlightening Be open Be a good example Be creative Listen to ALL employees and co-workers to create a positive and productive work environment References Murray, R.M. & Rutledge, H. (2009). Generations: Bridging the gap with type. PowerPoint Presentation. Norman, OK: Performance Consulting Publishers. Rutledge, H. (2011). Boomers, Blackberries, and Tweets. Training Workshop. Fairfax, VA: Otto Kroeger Associates. References Susan A. Murphy, PhD, Claire Raines Associates (2007). Leading a Multigenerational Workforce. AARP publication. Melissa P. Reese and Tiffany A. Sharpley. Four Generations-One Workplace-Can We All Work Together? Inside Indiana Business News. Thank you for being here today… Questions?