Generations in the Workplace
For awhile now, people have been talking about generations in the workplace. And while, not all interactions with co-workers are influenced by generational differences, often times they play a role in the outcome of the interaction. Employers that pay attention to this aspect of the business and invest in training around this topic have noted increased team synergy and overall production of results. A Look at the Generations Traditionalists (1922 – 1945) Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964) Generation Xers (1965 – 1980) Millennials (1981 – 2000) Bridging the Gap
For the first time we have four generations working side by side in the workplace – Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials. (Graphic 1).
Excerpts from: FDU Magazine Online (Winter/Spring 2005)
Traditionalists are the oldest members of the workforce. They have the most work experiences giving them applied knowledge, standards and often times authority. This generation values dedication, duty, loyalty and conformity. They are sometimes perceived as authoritative and unwilling to accept new ideas or change. Empower this generation as mentors for younger generations.
Baby Boomers make up the largest population within today’s workforce and therefore have a significant impact on workplace culture. A major influencer of this generation, that would forever change workplace culture, was the increasing number of women entering the workforce. The motto of this generation -- ‘Live to Work’. Baby Boomers excel in teams and make decisions by consensus.
Generation Xers, unlike their parents, have a motto of ‘Work to live.’ This generation is self-reliant, unimpressed with authority, and prefer to find their own ways of doing things. Generation Xers like to have clear goals and objectives defined, but then allow them the freedom to determine the most effective way to get the end result. They don’t believe that putting in more hours is necessarily the way to get ahead in their career. They feel that things can be done efficiently and completed in their 40 hour work week.
The newest of the generations, the Millennials, are often tagged with having a false sense of entitlement or cocky. They are intellectually curious and confident. Millennials have grown-up socially integrated with adults since a young age and have had peer-to-peer relationships with all age levels. Because they’ve been involved in so many activities since such a young age, they are great at multi-tasking and can efficiently complete multiple projects at once. Provide feedback to this generation on a regular basis – remember ‘no news is bad news.’
Understanding the differences among the generations and what has shaped them is the first step toward building an effective team and organization. When working in multi-generational teams keep in mind:
While there are definitely steps that can be taken to improve the workplace atmosphere in regards to generational differences, the fact is respect and understanding of the differences can go a long ways. To learn more about the impact of generational differences in the workplace, contact AgCareers.com.