Managing Multiple Generations
in the Work Force
Terri Manning
Bobbie Frye
…but it takes a
society to raise a
generation
Influencing Factors
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Economic Conditions
Societal Norms
Political Events
Major Crises
Generations
• Consists of approximately a 20-year span Has a
unique set of values.
• Reacts to the generation before them.
• Looks at their generation as the standard of
comparison.
• Looks at the next generation skeptically.
• They are either idealistic, reactive, civic or
adaptive.
• What you would like for me to tell you is “how
can we make them be like us?”
• That will never happen. They look at you as an
example of “what not to do.”
How Generational Births Will
Impact Retirements
(Millennials)
(Boomers)
(Xers)
Generations Living in America in
2010
• Veterans 1925-1942
– 23.8 million living
• Baby Boomer 1943 – 1965
– 62 million living
• Generation X – 1966-1981
– 84 million living
• Millennials – 1982 – 2002
– 110 million living
• Generation Z 2003-2022
– About 29 million so far
Workplace Characteristics
Veterans Baby Boomers Generation X Millennials
Work ethic
and values
Hard work
Workaholics
Eliminate the task What’s next
Respect
Work efficiently
Self-reliant
Multi-tasking
authority
Crusading causes
Want structure
Tenacity
Sacrifice
Personal fulfillment
and direction
Entrepreneurial
Duty before fun
Desire quality
Skeptical
Tolerant
Adhere to rules Question authority
Goal oriented
Work is…
An obligation
An exciting
adventure
Leadership
Style
Directive
Command-andcontrol
Consensual
Collegial
Interactive
Style
Individual
Team player
Loves to have
meetings
A difficult
challenge
A contract
Everyone is the
same
Challenge others
Ask why
Entrepreneur
Source: Greg Hammill, FDU Magazine, Winter/Spring 2005
A means to an
end
Fulfillment
TBD
Participative
Workplace Characteristics
Veterans
Baby
Generation X
Boomers
In person
Millennials
Communications
Feedback
and
Rewards
Formal
Memo
No news is
good news
Satisfaction in
a job well done
Messages
that
Motivate
Work and
Family
Your
You are valued Do it your way
You will work
experience is
You are
Forget the rules with other bright
respected
needed
creative people
Ne’er the twain No balance
Balance
Balance
shall meet
Work to live
Don’t
appreciate it
Money
Title
recognition
Direct
Email
Immediate
Voice mail
Sorry to
Whenever I
interrupt, but
want it, at the
how am I doing? push of a button
Freedom is the Meaningful work
best reward
Source: Greg Hammill, FDU Magazine, Winter/Spring 2005
Numbers in the Workforce
24.2%
The Baby Boomers 1943–1964 (the
largest generation, idealist)
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Divorce reached a low in 1960 of 9%
Families moved due to GI Bill, GI housing and industrialization
First generation to live miles from extended family
Family size smaller (2-3 children)
Few grandparents in the home
Moms stayed home, dads carpooled
Children spent significant time with
adult role models
• Perception of the world as “safe”
Baby Boomers and School
Boomer’s Childhood and
School Experiences
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Overwhelmed the school system, large class sizes
Ability grouped (red birds and blue birds)
Question authority but respect position
Emphasis on team work (cohort education)
Need silence to concentrate
In college were told “you are lucky to be here.”
Segregated by race, the battles began for desegregation
No special ed students in school (in most states) but honors
courses in a few subjects
• Rarely tested and not for school performance (PSAT, SAT)
Values of Boomer Employee
• Majority of employees (age 46-67ish)
• 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
Remember these……
How Boomers Learn
• 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
Boomers at Work
• Value stability and respect
• Like to see their successes
• Tend to workaholism and have difficulty
balancing their lives
• Are competitive
• See themselves as
the standard of
comparison
Boomers at Work
• Ethic = long hours show commitment
• Tend to workaholism with same
expectations of others (50+ hours wk)
• 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 onlychildren)
• Perception of the world as “unsafe”
• Average 10 year old spent 14 ½ minutes
a day with a significant adult role model
Gen X in School
Gen X Childhood/School Experiences
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Learned to rely on self (less patience with teams)
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 and latch-key kids (high divorce)
Some diversity, began earnest desegregation in schools
Gen Xers as Employees
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Significant number of employees (age 29-45ish)
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)
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
Remember these…..
Was this your first video
game?
Was this your first calculator
and cell phone?
How Gen Xers Learn
• 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
Gen Xers at Work
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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 boom-some 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.
Millennials in School
Millennial Childhood/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)
• Interactive, participatory and engaging – are consulted by
adults
• Everything 24/7 and available electronically
This is what they grew up with?
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 it
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 rigid and non-flexible
environments.
Emerging Adults
• “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….
Salary Expectations
• Realistically, what do you expect your starting
salary will be when you begin working?
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$15-20K
$21-30K
$31-40K
$41-50K
$50K+
Not sure
Millennials
7.7%
29.3%
27.0%
15.9%
7.0%
12.5%
Approximately 65% felt they would earn $40K or less
Jobs in Lifetime
How many jobs do you
think you will hold in
your lifetime?
– 1-3
35.7%
– 4-6
41.5%
– 7-10
16.5%
– Over 10
6.2%
64% expect to have 4 or more jobs
Importance of Career Components
Items thought to be very important:
• Respected on the Job
• Opportunity for Professional Development
• Ability to Have an Impact on the World
Importance of Job Benefits
Benefits thought to be very important:
Health Insurance
Salary Growth
Plans like 401K
Life Insurance
Bonuses
Employer-paid Retirement
Benefits thought to be unimportant:
Stock Options
Profit Sharing
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
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
Reasons US Workers Change Jobs
In 2006, 21% of US workers made voluntary
job changes for the following reasons:
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Growth and earnings potential (30%)
Time and flexibility (23%)
Financial compensation (22%)
Culture and work environment
(22%)
Benefits (12%)
Supervisor relationship (10%)
Travel and development (9%)
Management climate (9%)
Benefit News
Changing Workforce
• Workers are demanding the ability to balance their
work and personal responsibilities.
• Workers are not afraid of changing jobs.
• The idea that the best way to grow financially and
otherwise is to stay with one employer has been
eroding to the point of extinction.
• Younger workers and those earning $15,000 or less
were the most likely to change jobs.
• The cost of turnovers range from $7,000 for hourly
employees to $30,000 for mid-level managers and
$80,000 for technical or senior level management
(Center for Workforce Learning).
Charlotte Biz, March 2007
How They 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!
Messages that Motivate
• Veterans
– Your experience is respected here
– What has and hasn’t worked in the past is
relevant
– Perseverance is valued
• Boomers
– You are important to our success
– Your contribution is unique and important
– We need you
Messages that Motivate
• Gen Xers
– Do it your way
– There aren’t a lot of rules here
– We’re not very corporate
• Millennials
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You will work with other bright, creative people
You can help turn this company around
You can be a hero here
We value independent workers
Your boss will help you succeed
Eleven Tips for Millennial
Management
1. Provide structure – reports, deadlines, clear
goals, expectations. Frequent communication
about the rules and structured career path
2. Provide leadership and guidance – they want to
look up to and admire you. They want in on
the “whole” picture. Teach, coach and give
them your best investment of time. They
expect a relationship with their boss and are
more trusting of authority figures.
Tips, continued
3. Encourage the millennials’ self-assuredness,
“can-do” attitude, and positive personal selfimage – encourage them, don’t squash or
contain them. Want to express their opinion.
4. Take advantage of their comfort with teams.
Encourage them to join – they believe teams
can accomplish more and better things.
Mentor, coach and train them as a team use
multi-generational teams.
Tips, continued
5. Listen to the millennial employee – they had
loving parents who listened to them and don’t
like being ignored. Expect mentoring – want to
feel like they matter.
6. Millennial employees are up for a challenge
and change – boring is bad. They seek change
and challenge, the next thing…. Want to know
how their work is going to help the company.
Tips, continued
7. Millennials are multi-taskers – want different
tasks and goals to pursue weekly – if not they
get bored.
8. Take advantage of their computer, cell phone
and electronic literacy – the world is wide but
not too deep for millennials.
9. Capitalize on their affinity for networking – like
to network around the world electronically. Are
loyal but will keep their options open.
Tips, continued
10.Provide a life-work balance in the workplace –
they work hard but are not into 60 hour work
weeks. Home, family, children and friends are
their life. Get them involved in community
service.
11.Provide a fun, employee-centered workplace –
they want to enjoy their work, make friends at
work. Help long-term employees make room for
them. Worry if they are not laughing, planning
office events, going out to lunch with
workmates, etc.
Source: Susan Heathfield, About.com, Managing Millennials: Eleven Tips for Managing Millennials,
http://humanresources.about.com/od/managementtips/a/millennials.htm
So Who is Next
Generation Z (2001-2020)
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First born into a digital world
Small families, older parents, mothers work
Scheduled and bubble-wrapped
Traditional values, old-fashioned notions in parents
Incredible achievers, huge capacity to absorb
information
• Will value social justice, tech savvy and innovative
thinkers
• Realistic and balanced
• Not as much disposable income
Generation Z
• Will be raised on technology, they will not be scared
of anything, they will be open to new ideas.
• They will be into truth and loyalty and they will not
be not afraid to voice their opinion.
• They will be flexible and open to change.
• They will be fearless and fun.
• They will be the ‘new’ hope for our own future.
• Their great-grandparents belong mostly to
the veterans and the Baby boomers form
the core of their grandparents.
• Their parents are seen as being roughly
evenly divided between Generation X
and Generation Y.
http://www.generationzbaby.com/generation-z.html
Gen Z in School
Some New Trends for Z
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Interactive devices as classroom learning tools
More homeschooling
Collaborative online projects
Focus on visual learning
Treating learning as a game
Focus on critical thinking and
problem solving rather than information memorization
7. A return to occupation-based training rather than
college
8. Learning in smaller bites
Source: Best College Online
Each Generation is Influenced and Molded by the
Society that Raised Them
• You’re a child of the 50s if
– You wore a poodle skirt
– You know what paste tastes like
– Your sneakers were made of canvas and
came in black or white
– Your family only had one phone (and it
was black) and one phone number
– Gas stations pumped your gas, cleaned your windows and
gave you green stamps (and gas was $.19 a gallon)
– Your jeans were called dungarees
– You never heard of McDonalds (unless you lived in Des
Plaines, IL)
You’re a child of the 60s if…..
• You owned several pieces of tie-dyed clothing
• Someone asked you to join the revolution – you actually
knew what that was
• You wore bellbottoms and head bands
• You slept with an attic fan
• You had a collections of 45s
• You rode in cars without seatbelts
• You tracked John Glenn’s orbit around
the world in grade school (the first time)
• You ate in a McDonalds with in-door
seating (a new thing for hamburger stands)
You’re a child of the 70s if…..
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You had to get off the couch to change the TV
You wore leg warmers
You ever asked to be “gagged with a spoon”
You recognize the phrase “my name is Charlie and they
work for me”
You have at least one school picture
with the collar turned up
You know the words to Weird
Al
Yankovic’s songs
This was your first calculator
You went to McDonalds for the
brand new breakfast item “the Egg McMuffin)
You’re a child of the 80s if…..
• You know who shot JR
• You know the philosophical meaning of “wax on,
wax off”
• There was nothing questionable about Bert and
Ernie living together
• The feeling in your thumb is just now returning
after holding down the Atari joystick
• You needed a grocery cart to
carry your first portable stereo
• You went to McDonalds for the
Happy Meals (started 1979)
You’re a child of the 90s if…..
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You know the Macarena
You had a trapper keeper
You know where Waldo is
You can name the Spice Girls
You owned a razor scooter
You used to end sentences with
“not” or “psych”
• You watched Real World on MTV
• You learned to roller-blade, not roller-skate
• You went to McDonalds to play in the “Play Space”
If you are a child of the 2000s
• You are still a child and have quite a life ahead of you
• You cut your teeth on your
mother’s cell
• You Skype with your grandmother
• You’ve been working on
computers since you were born
• And your mother probably won’t
let you eat at McDonalds –
unless you get the apple slices and low fat milk – while she
has a Cappuccino at the McCafe
For a copy of this presentation:
http//www.cpcc.edu/millennial
Click on: “presentations and workshops”
Contact:
terri.manning@cpcc.edu