Understanding and Managing Generational Differences Essay

The most prominent change in the workforce affecting human resources at St. Anthony’s is the rise of a multi generational workforce. Providing different human resource needs for various employees is an evolving challenge. Being aware of different workplace standards between generations is taken into consideration to reduce “pain points” (Calvert, 2015). In the interview, Judie grouped Generation X and Millennials into the same group, and focused primarily on the differences between Baby Boomers and Gen X/Millennials. She described the Baby Boomers as

It is important to keep in mind that each generation sees the world through a unique lens that forms as a result of the events that were taking place in the world as these individuals grew up. Brenner focuses on the different events that have shaped their values and their perception of work. For example, the Veterans went through World War II and grew up with a strict regimen. As such, quality, respect and authority are important to them. Baby Boomers embraced the value of having to sacrifice to get ahead. All that sacrifice makes them very loyal. Generation X workers were the latchkey children who watched their Boomer parents forge a new workplace. They were also the first generation to grow up with technology. As such, this generation cares more about productivity and less about the number of hours spent on the job. Millennials are a generation entrenched in technology and therefore urn for instant gratification. They bore easily. Because they best understand how to maximize technology, they value a balance between work and

Every generation is influenced by its period 's economic, political and social events. From the Great Depression to the civil rights and women 's movements to the advent of television and advanced computer technologies. Thus generational background/situation may also affect the way they work. The key is to be able to effectively address and take advantage of the differences in values and expectations of each generation in the workplace. The current work place consists of four different generations; The Baby Boomers (1946-1964) who are slowly retiring and existing the workforce, The Generation X (1965-1976), The Generation Y or millennia (1977-1997), and the Generation Z who are about to or are just entering the work force. Although these different generations tend to want similar things in a workplace their environment/background has shaped their character, values, and expectations (Hahn 2011).

According to the Fort Wayne News Sentinel, the American workforce is now made up of four entirely different generations. The four major groups, as defined in the For the First Time, Four Very Different Generations Make Up the U.S. Workforce article by the Fort Wayne News Sentinel, citing Ginny Carroll, chief executive officer of inGINuity, are Veteran (born 1900-1942), Baby Boomer (1943-1960), Generation X (1961-1981), and Millennial (1982-2000) (Quilligan 1). Throughout this paper, I will use the above names to describe the various generations, though let it be known that some sources state different names for each generation. In an article titled Employers Need to Bridge Generational Gaps in Work Force, Labor Report Says, Michael Silence of the Knoxville News-Sentinel uses the name “Traditionalist” for what Kathleen Quilligan of the Fort Wayne News Sentinel calls the Veteran generation, and calls Millennials “Generation Y” (Silence 1). It is also relevant to note that different sources state different age ranges for each generation. For instance, an article in the American Medical Writers Association Journal (AMWA) states the following dates for each generation: Veteran (1937-1945), Baby Boomer (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1984), and Millennial (1985-2005) (“Top 10 Characteristics Of The Four

They both refer to individuals born between 1965 to 1980 as Generation X and people born in 1981 through 2000 are Millennials. Both assert that both generations have many similarities and interests. Both are independent, tech savvy, favor balance, security, personal responsibility, personal growth and easily adapt to change. However, Bennett suggests that Millennials are multitaskers, idealistic, value diversity, favor teamwork and need constant feedback, while Gen Xers work independently and need extraordinarily little feedback. Dunn’s analysis accounts for four generations, while Bennett’s analysis identifies individuals born after 2000 as “Nexters” and describes this group as tech savvy individuals with low attention spans, minimal interpersonal communication skills, who need constant feedback and favor

Throughout the United States, the workforce has adjusted to fit the many necessities of the employees and the different organizations. It has taken time for these changes to occur, but as shown in the readings, there have been huge changes from the 1950’s to the present.

Understanding the generational traits of the people who work over and under are important to enjoying the work place and productivity. Knowing the people helps build positive relationship at work which will open doors to be an example of God because He is our Master. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters," (Colossians 3:23). In the work force there are many different personalities and traits, we will discuss three generations, the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y (Millennials). Baby Boomers are the elders of the workforce and have many positive traits to contribute, many studies indicate Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1945.

Upon reflecting on the three main generations that comprise the workplace today, a few differences emerge. “Baby Boomers” grew up in a time when movements were prominent, the Vietnam War occurred, key figures were assassinated, the Watergate Scandal occurred, and television was introduced (Twenge et al., 2010; Schullery, 2013). Overall, “Baby Boomers” seem to exhibit a distrust of authority, value hard work, and want to enjoy their achievements (Robbins & Judge, 2015; Twenge et al., 2010). As such, they are results driven and give their utmost effort (Robbins & Judge, 2015). “Generation X” grew up in a time of computers, divorce, two career parents, MTV, and economic uncertainty (Twenge et al., 2010; Robbins & Judge, 2015). For the most part, they seem to exhibit the workplace behaviors of independence and a lack of commitment to employers (Twenge et al., 2010). They value a balance between work and life and place more focus on extrinsic rewards such as monetary compensation (Twenge et al., 2010). “Millennials” grew up in prosperous times with technology dominating the era and over-protective parents (Robbins & Judge, 2015; Schullery, 2013). Generally, they seem to place a greater value on employee benefits, leisure time, teamwork, and open communication (Society of Human Resource Management, 2004; Twenge, 2010; Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010). In addition, they have also been given the labels of “self-centered” and “entitled” (Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010).

“The number of employees over the age of 55 has increased by 30 percent; however, the number of 25- to 54-year-olds has only increased by 1 percent” (Claire, 2009). In 2008 the eldest of the 77 million baby-boomers turned 62. Estimates are that by the end of the decade about 40 percent of the work force will be eligible to retire. As people begin to reach the age of retirement there may be not be enough new employees to fill the gap (Clare, 2009). Companies need to find ways to attract Boomers and Millennials. Companies that want to attract Boomers and Millennials need to be creative in their culture, HR policies and work environments.

Generations in the Workplace Informative Outline Introduction 1. Have you ever noticed your co-workers age groups? a. You will notice each age group has different characteristics. 2. This is because you work with different generations at work.

Different communications styles and expectations between different generations can also cause conflict in today's generationally diverse workplace and can create a motivational challenge for managers. According to Staff Leader (2004), older generations believe in a positive and direct approach, and they prefer direct orders and a process-oriented approach to communications and problem solving, while younger generations feel they are not being heard, and want to be listened to more. (p. 2-3)

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

Measuring employee engagement by generation like other areas is another way to heighten employee engagement strategies to best fit an organization. Traditionalist are the highest engaged individuals than all generations within the workforce at 41% engagement levels. However, the workforce includes a total of five generations (Gallup Inc., 2013). Yet, the three biggest age cohorts are baby boomers, generation X, and Millennials: out of 59 million Americans in the workforce, the highest age concentration of management, professional, and related occupations range from age 25-64 years, totaling 51 million baby boomers, generation X, and millennials (Bureau of Labor Statistics,

Research has shown that this is the first time in American history that we have had four different generations working together in the workplace. This has caused employee engagement issues in the workplace. As the Millennial Generation or Generation Y, abbreviated to Gen Y) are the demographic between Generation X and Generation Z. There are no precise dates for when the generation starts and ends (history.com). The term baby boomer a person born in the years following World War II, when there was a temporary marked increase in the birth rate it is also used in a cultural context, so it is difficult to achieve broad agreement on a precise date definition (businessdictionary.com). Some of the challenges that are arising in our workforce are different mindsets, communicating, and technologies. These issues are affecting the workplace and are causing difficulties for the HRM.

The nature of work force varies across generations and this drives the organizations to change as well. As an example, the new generation workers have better education, which in some cases leads to questioning the manager’s authority. Since they are working in diversity teams there are stronger emphasis on human values. (Chitale, Mohanty and Dubey, 2013). According to Erskine (2013), the workforce also becomes more diverse (more women and older people are involved). Their research also shows that the younger workers tend to be more loyal to themselves, rather than the company they are working for. This forces organizations to adapt to the rapid workforce turnover and change their promotional policies.