What is generational diversity and why do we need to study it? What are the differences in the
four generations? What events have shaped each generation? How do I communicate across the
generation divide? These are the questions I hope to answer for you today.
Before I begin, I want to play a game. I’m going to read a statement and I want you to tell me
which generation each statement would most likely represent.
1. The year I turned 15, the unemployment rate was nearly 25%. Mature, Incredible
double-digit unemployment marked the Great Depression of the 1930’s.
2. I was in high school when Dallas was huge on TV. The “Who shot J.R.” thing was
everywhere. Pretty crazy. Gen Xer, one of the most riveting events of the times was the
March 21, 1980, shooting of Texas oil baron and bad guy J.R. Ewing on the hugely
popular TV series Dallas.
3. You might hear “SexyBack” and think that someone’s back is sexy. I hear it and want to
turn up the radio. Millenial, music maker Justin Timberlake’s song SexyBack was the
longest-running number one single of 2006 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, staying seven
weeks at the top.
4. On my first date we went to see a brand-new movie called Gone with the Wind. It was
pretty good but, my gosh, it was almost four hours long. I was late getting home and my
parents were furious. Mature, released in 1939, Gone with the Wind is still with us.
Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara are cultural icons.
5. I’ll never forget it. I was home from school in the summer. I sat with my mom and dad
and watched as tears came to Walter Cronkite’s eyes as he reported Neil Armstrong
walking on the moon. Boomer, on July 20, 1969, US astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped
off the Eagle lander and uttered the famous words: “One small step for man, one giant
leap for mankind.”
Why should we be concerned with generational diversity in the workplace? This is the first time
in our nation’s history that we have four generations working at the same time. We need to
know how to work with each generation, how to motivate them and basically how to tolerate
each one.
The definition of generation is “a group of people with a shared history, core beliefs and
common biases. As a result of these events and conditions, each generation has adopted its own
“generational personality.”
Let’s start with the oldest generation, the Matures also known as the Greatest Generation.
They were born prior to 1945. One word to describe them is dedicated.
Their career motto is: seek job security.
This is the most affluent generation. They make up 5% of the American workforce.
The Matures witnessed the dawn of the nuclear age, they fought in World War II and Korea, and
grew up during the depression. They built the US into the superpower it is today.
This generation had to make sacrifices, sacrifices that the other generations know nothing about.
Because of these sacrifices they have a mentality of duty and work before fun. They believe in
“paying your dues.”
They are influenced by the wars/military. They have respect for authority.
Their heroes might be groups such as the Army, Navy, etc.
When I think of Matures, I think of my grandfathers…one was the son of Italian immigrants,
who had to quit school before high school to work in the fields to help support his family. He
started his own clothing store 1936 and ran it for over 50 years. My other grandfather fought in
the Battle of the Bulge, and then came home and worked as an Industrial Arts Instructor at a
community college until his retirement. As a child, I often heard about the sacrifices that they
made, and how they had to work their way up, and how they were dedicated to their jobs.
The next generation is the Baby Boomers, also known as the Sandwich Generation…
because they are sandwiched between caring for aging parents and their own children.
They were born between 1946 -1964. They make up 50% of the workforce.
They currently run the show in our country, and are the most influential and most populous
generation. They stick together, usually hiring other Boomers for jobs over other generations.
Their career motto is: hard work + education = success.
Their work ethic is defined by the number of hours they put in at the office and they want you to
know how much time they spend there.
The word “workaholic” was coined in the 70s to describe their work habits.
Their identity is wrapped up in their job title/occupation.
Their heroes are individuals who reflected their values such as JFK and Martin Luther King Jr.
Generation Xers were born between 1965– 1980. They make up 40% of the workforce.
They were the first latchkey kids because both parents were working in order to give their
children more than they’d had.
Generation Xers see hard work as effective output versus spending a lot of time. Money is good,
but control of their time is more important.
They grew up observing their parents roller coaster ride in the workplace, so they want to do
things differently.
In addition, Gen X is outnumbered by Boomers in the workplace, so they have little incentive to
work hard since pushing yields no immediate results. It may be years before the Boomers step
aside or leave. A way to understand the Gen X career outlook is to compare it to England’s
Prince Charles. He has a good job, is a noted figure, but he’s limited to how far he can go until
his mother the Queen steps aside.
They view work as just part of their day, not their life, and they are not defined by their job title.
They see themselves as husbands/wives, fathers/mothers and coaches/troop leaders first before
salesmen or lawyers.
Because they saw role models lie and not do what they said they would (Nixon, Clinton,
companies that are cheating stockholders and employees like Enron) the have a “prove it to me”
attitude. They are loyal to people, not organizations.
Their heroes tend to be people they knew such as family members, coaches or teachers.
They seek a work/life balance, flexibility and informality. They can be described as self-reliant
and their work motto is: Invest in portable career skills.
Okay, I want to try something now, get out your cell phones. I want to see who can text me first?
The Millennials, who were born after 1980, make up 10% of the workforce, and they are the
first technologically savvy generation to enter the workplace: they do not know a time when
calculators weren’t used in class, reports weren’t researched on the Internet, they didn’t have
personal computers, or cell phones, or couldn’t communicate to their friends by text or instant
messaging 24/7.
Like Gen Xers, Millennials have been raised as friends to their parents, so they need role models
in their lives. They want a boss that’s like a coach.
They grew up with doting parents “helicopter parents” and they are the most overscheduled
group of kids.
They have always been rewarded…everyone gets trophies whether they win or lose.
They have a hard time focusing and get bored easily because of all the technology around them.
Think about it…Xbox, DS, cell phones, etc. (Ex. Nick) (Diagnoses of ADHD higher)
Another unique factor about Millennials is that they have been able to extend their adolescence
by 10 years. They are living at home longer, staying in school longer, marrying later, and
starting families later. Many of them think “with the advancements in science that exist, they’re
going to live longer, so why rush to work.”
So because of all the doting, and all of the “stuff” they have been given, they are the most-needy,
entitled, high-maintenance work force, but they will be the most high-performing work force.
Some interesting facts about this generation: ½ of 18-25 year olds have a tattoo and a piercing
somewhere other than the earlobe, 1 in 3 isn’t Caucasian, 1 in 4 comes from a single-parent
home, 3 in 4 has a working mother, 25% with 2 parents spends more time with parents.
Like Gen X, they are loyal to a boss not an organization.
They seek feedback, recognition, advanced technology, fun and stimulation.
And their motto is: Multitask or Die.
What motivates the different generations to work?
For Boomers – they define themselves by their work. (Ex. How they introduce themselves)
Another Boomer goal is to make a difference at work, it’s often a driving focus. And lastly,
Boomers will work out of loyalty to a company.
For Gen Xers – like Boomers, they work to pay the bills, they also work to learn new skills that
will be benefit at a different job, they assume there will be a next job, they work out of loyalty to
people not companies.
For Millennials – they work so the can afford the lifestyle they want, they like the social
interaction among the groups of people they work with, they want the education they can get on
the job, and like Gen Xers, they are loyal to individuals not companies.
Okay, now that we know where these groups are coming from, let’s talk about how to
communicate best with them.
Matures communicate more formally
If younger, you should ask how they would like to be addressed
Have respect for the hierarchy and chain of command
Don’t assume they use technology
Show respect to things they brought to the team
Boomers show respect those older than them
They are good at networking
Prefer “face to face” communication
Get to the point, they are busy people
Gen Xers like straight talk, no surprises
They talk short term (6 months)
Clearly explain expectations
They might ask “Why?” a lot
They are less formal
Don’t call them after hours
Millennials communicate using all forms of technology
Give them short burst of information
Don’t assume, be very direct
Talk short term with them (3-6 months)
When recruiting you need a good company website, they want to know how the company gives
back and any humanitarian efforts, and you need to be clear about expectations. When managing
Millennials, you need to remember they like to work in teams of two and they need guidance
about what is to be done. To retain them, you need to be a leader. They are looking for rolemodeling. You want to keep them challenged, make it fun, be flexible and respect them for their
ideas. And give them lots of feedback.
No matter how much you learn about the different generations, you are still going to have
disparities in how to do things. So I want to share the 4-Step Meet Model with you:
Make time to discuss
Explore differences
Encourage respect
Take responsibility
Information taken from: Motivating the “What’s In It For Me?” Workforce by Cam Marston
and BNET.com