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Differences Between The Workforce And The Workplace

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In comparison to 40years ago the world today is incredibly diverse in all aspects. The workforce is not only gender and racially diverse it is now also age diverse. For there are currently four generations in the workforce. A “multigenerational workforce brings different values and demands to work” (Kupperschimidt, 2000, p.70). The possibility of a younger managers in positions of higher stature than older employees is now an increasing reality (Cogin, 2012). Eisner (2005) claims that “nearly 60% of HR professionals in large companies report conflict between [multigenerational employees]” (p.4). However, with four generations in the workforce values, characteristics and skills greatly differ. The most precedent cases of generational differences in the workplace involves conflict between generations’ views and work values. For :”when managers and co-workers do not understand each other’s generational differences, tension increases and job satisfaction and productivity decreases” (Kupperschimidt, 2000, p.65). A common occurrence in the literature of this topic is the dispute of generational dates and the definition of a generation. For the purpose of this essay Kupperschimidt’s definition of a generation and Meuse and Mlodzik’s interpretation of generational dates will be used. Kupperschimidt (2000) defines a generation as “a group of people or cohorts who share birth years and experiences as they move through time together, influencing and being influenced by a variety of

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