Characteristics Of Generational Differences In Nursing Workforce

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).

Today, the workforce is made up of many different generations, which is affecting and effectively changing the workplace culture as a whole. The major generational differences between millennials and baby boomers can be either positive or negative depending on whom you ask. Boomers may categorize millennials as lazy and entitled, while millennials may call themselves innovative. No matter what they call themselves or each other, they all have to work together now as simply as that. This topic has sparked a lot of discussion as to how it’s best for each generation to act and deal with their other generational coworkers.

In my work setting, they come with a few years experience already. The millennials have tremendous enthusiasm and thirst to learn. This generation is quick with any change and is easy to adapt; this helps within the emergency room. The Millenials readily ask for more help or demand longer orientation. I have not seen the other generations take care of themselves as well as the Mellenials, not sure if this is a bad thing but it occasionally stops me in my tracks; I could never have done that or talked that way to my manager as a new nurse. They appear more empowered to seek justice and aren't happy with just doing something because that is the way it always has been done. The younger generation challenges me to grow and look at situations or procedures with fresh eyes. Technology comes as second nature to this group. Technology can be a hindrance as well, the phones appear to be an issue, but often they are using this technology at their fingertips for work, looking up drugs, calculating doses, and looking up a condition. The seasoned nurses assume they are slacking off or finished all their work and are sitting there and that is frustrating and builds contention. I find they do not look to apologize for being viewed this way; they know their work is up to par and won’t apologize for having some time. As a manager, I have been reflecting upon this quite a bit lately, the families become annoyed, yet when asked

The current generations in the workplace today are Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Each generation brings their own values and mindsets to the mix. Although genetics play a part in a person’s characteristics, the generation in which someone is born into also plays an integral part in shaping their mind, values, goals, and work ethics. People from the same generation share similar experiences, and this can influence how they think politically and socially.

Work-focused. Often cited as workaholics, the stereotypical Baby Boomer is extremely work focused. Sally Kane in her article, Baby Boomers, states “position, perks and prestige” are great motivators for Baby Boomers. Because they believe they have put in the long hours and self-sacrifice required to get where they are today, they feel the incoming generations should do the same. They find it difficult to understand the younger generations’ desire to constantly challenge work day hours and their insistence on off-site work options. They are independent and challenge authority, yet are loyal to the team. They are goal oriented and they want to make a difference.

In Kathryn Tyler’s article “The Tethered Generation,” in Society of Human Resources Magazine, she asserts that people born between 1978 and 1999, also known as the Millennial Generation, would bring challenges to the workplace, attributing early access to technology and a “perpetual connection to parents” as causes. The article’s central tenet is that through technology, this generation’s “tethered” relationship with peers and parents has shaped communication, decision making, and need for connectivity. Tyler identifies the following Millennial traits as challenges to organizations: “unrealistic expectations with respect to goal-setting and planning;” “only adequate professionalism and work ethic, creativity and innovation, and critical thinking and problem solving;” and lack of autonomy and “sense of self-reliance.” The article ends by recommending that human resource management prepare for the Millennial’s “high maintenance” and their parent’s “helicoptering” with policies and training programs (Tyler, 2007).

As graduation approaches and the job search begins, I have become much more alert of my environments. Seeing the age difference and styles of speaking to individuals in the hospital setting has set a challenge for me. Reading this book has allowed me to break down the different generations and find the best way to work with each. George Orwin states, “there is a problem in the workplace, a problem of values, ambitions, mindsets, demographics, generations at conflict” (chapter 2). I am now able to learn the styles of each generation can bring and how to best work with them. As I break down the Generations from the Traditionalist to Generation Y, I will discuss what I have learned and some things I may not completely agree with. Finally setting

Traditionalists, from an era of despair and limited means due to world wars and economic crisis, are known for their loyalty to their employer, willingness to work hard and opposition to waste. Their positions in nursing often rose to managerial levels due to seniority and experience. The Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers strive for autonomy within the profession. Both groupings display independence to their assignments while responsibly using their critical thinking tools and proficiently displaying clinical skills when rendering care. Generation X’ers, who are descendants of dual working parents or divorced/blended families carry the memories of adults focusing on their careers in order to maintain job stability and quite possibly avoid layoffs. Generation Y’s main objective is the fragile art of balancing a career as a part of their life, while focusing primarily on salary, personal time off and equivalent flexibility within staff scheduling. They are typically the result of older parents and have been considered valued contributors within the family

In a work environment everybody wants to climb the totem pole. For Millennials, they want to rise to leadership without working too hard for it. They are trying to reach the leadership positions as fast as they can and at times they are unprepared for the position they enter because they have not experienced enough along the way. Where Millennials are too fast to rise to leadership, people considered to be Generation X, who are known for their hard work ethic and experience are often complacent in the workplace. Though they gained their experience (unlike Millennials) by working their way up the chain of command and gradually paying their dues and though they also do not expect to be handed a higher position, like Millennials who feel entitled to higher positions in the workplace, they are also not as motivated as Millennials. (Bresman)

The generations that are in the work place currently are the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. The Silent Generation were born 1930-1945, the Baby Boomers were 1946-1964, Generation X was 1965-1979 and Generation Y or the Millennials were born from 1980-2000. (Devaney, 2015). Each generation has different traits attributed to them based on the differences of the environment they were raised in and what the work force was like when they entered it. Generation grew up with Vietnam whereas Baby Boomers grew up with economic success. (Devaney, 2015). These differences nurtured different traits which worked into different working values. For example, the Baby Boomers are generally thought to be workaholics whereas Millennials

OBJECTIVE: to examine generational, gender and professional differences in the perception of the importance of organizational values among nurses and physicians working in both hospital and community settings.

Unsatisfied employees may be more likely to work less efficiently, and demonstrate less loyalty to their organizations. Aspects of entitlement from Millennials may also engage intergenerational disagreement if members of management are from older generations, resulting in workplace conflict. Senior workers may begin rebelling against Millennials as they argue it is the younger generation’s turn to make the same sacrifices required by the older generations, and accept responsibility for performance outcomes (Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010) rather than abandoning their position when the work gets tough. Millennials do not wish to pay the same dues as their parents did with longer office hours, fewer promotions, and no work-life balance; as parental generations feel offended by the demands of Millennials, Millennials feel mistreated if they are required to accept any of the realities their parents had to

“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.

The upcoming generation, millennials, are a new type of generation. They have proven to be the most educated generation, despite the hard times in the economy. Yet they still face criticism from their elders on their work ethic. Although they seem to all be lazy and not interested in working, not all millennials are like that. They just have different values in life, and balance work life with free time. Millennials have faced a lot of criticism on their work ethic, which has many questioning do millennials have a strong work ethic. They are said to be lazy narcissistic tech addicts, who don’t take any job seriously and slack off. What most don’t know is that the economy hasn’t been in the greatest of shape, this makes work ethic hard to

Generation Y or “Millennials” seek value through contribution, and teamwork. Often driving by autonomy, this generation understands the 24/7 work environment, so they are resistant to rigid traditional office hours and time behind a desk. “Millennials are focused on making meaning, not just making money” (Asghar, 2014). A “work-to-live” mentality is their motto (Nelson, 2013).