Intergenerational Workplace: A Case Study

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).

First off, retention for all generations starts on day one of employment (Martin, 2006, pg. 118). Beginning in orientation, it is a good idea to ask workers what their ideal career path would be and what can be offered throughout each stage of their career.

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.

First and foremost, to understand how the Multigenerational Workforce works, we must know the driving forces behind the current four generations and where they stand today.

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 most prominent change in the workforce affecting human resources is the rise of a multi generational workforce. Providing different human resource needs to various employees is an emerging challenge for Judie. Being aware of different workplace standards between these generations is taken into consideration to reduce “pain points” (Calvert, 2015). In the interview, she 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 skilled in their jobs and maintaining the implicit

In the book Connecting Generations, Claire Raines provides the following helpful insights on managing generations.

Age discrimination has long been present in society due to the rapid development happening around us. According to Farney, Aday & Breault (2006), this era of ageism is defined as "discrimination against any age group", but it often is pointed to age discrimination among adults which is slowly causing a negative effect for them in the workplace. In the workplace, adults with more experience and longer history behind them are targets of this ageism belief that companies and employers tend to have (Farney, Aday, & Breault, 2006). They are shunned and even fired in favor of accepting new and fresh faces for the company they have worked for. Unknown to most companies and employers, this notion of favoring the young and banishing the old can

Most Americans are very opinionated on all topics i.e. religion, politics, sports, etc. It has been made pretty clear that the Baby Boomers think that they are always right compared to what they consider the future generation, Millennials. We are now in the year 2014 and what they used to consider the future generation has become the current generation that is taking over. “By 2025, Millennials will account for three out of every four workers globally (Zent).” As the Millennials start taking over the work force it is important for the Baby Boomers to accept them and show them how to successfully do their jobs without judgment. The other generations look at Millennials and

A generational perspective is also vital in explaining changing patterns of identification according to Duffy (2013). Studies have also revealed that the Veterans may be the only generation that may realize the full benefits of their different pension plans and social security benefits. As noted by Willetts (2011) widespread support across cohorts can be maintained only if younger generations believe that a similar contract will remain in place when they’re old. This factual recognition is no cause for alarm but this is just a sign of the times as noted by this researcher. Zemke, Raines, and Filipczak, (2013) stated in their later version of the text that this is the generation whose vision and hard work served to build the foundation of the world today as we know it.

To take a case in point, when discussing diversity in the workplace the main topics discussed are culture, gender, and race. Consequently, the topic of generational diversity in the workplace mostly becomes a forgotten type of diversity to discuss. During the course of LMM328-17: Diversity and Intergenerational Effectiveness, Ms. Sams construes that generational diversity does not focus solely on how each of the four generations’ (Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Millennials) diverse experiences and characteristics influences the manner of how generations apply themselves in the workplace.

Every work environment is teeming with people from various generations. Though, the majority of people wish for a healthy work environment this is not the easiest to come by. People from these different generations have different ways of looking at the world. They were raised differently and though theoretically want the same things they want to reach these goals in different ways. Rising to leadership, the understanding of technology, adapting in the workplace, and communication are the four criteria you need to know to understand how the people of Generation X and Millennials function together in the workplace.

The workplace of today involves interactions among people from four different generations often causing much conflict for leaders and organizations. Each generation represented has its own set of different values and beliefs. These differences can easily lead to conflicting barriers within the workplace. This can pose a significant problem for those in leadership. In order to combat this issue, leaders and organizations can effectively deal with these issues by offering different programs such as executive mentoring, town hall meetings, and leadership seminars for those in leadership.

The world’s labor force primarily consists of three major generations: the “Baby Boomers,” “Generation X,” and “Generation Y.” The “Baby Boomers” were born during and after the 2nd World War (1940 to 1960). This generation has a legacy of expertise, “old-fashioned” autocratic management, and healthy productivity. “Boomers” are known to work hard, remain loyal to their employers, and receive promotions on the basis of hard work and high skill. Technology was rather limited (Hewitt and Ukpere, 2012).

SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE “UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE WORK PLACE” ( Cited from Kapoor and Solomon 2011)