Managing Millennials Today 's Workforce

Kyles (2005) defines them as competitive, political, hardworking, and nonconformists. “Known for their workaholic ethic, Boomers will do whatever it takes to get the job done and get ahead, and they expect to be rewarded. They outnumber all generations and hold a majority of management-level positions. They are also approaching retirement and are heavily concerned with financial and job security” (Kyles, 2005, p. 54). This group is very hard working and also offers a lot of wisdom that can be beneficial to those of the younger generations.

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

As generation Y, the first group to come of age in the new millennium, grows and matures, they have entered the workforce at an increasingly high rate, making them the fastest growing segment of the United States workforce (Dorsey, 2010, pg. 15). These “youngsters” are typically in their early 20’s to early 30’s, still in the early and formative stages of their careers (Wain, 2013, pg. 308). Joining these Millennials in the workforce are those known as Generation X, consisting of the middle generation born from around 1965-1984 (Wain, 2013, pg. 308). At the far end of the age-workforce spectrum sit the Baby Boomers – those born between the years of 1946 and 1964 (Kaifi, Nafei, Khanfar & Kaifi, 2012, pg. 89). And finally, the oldest generation still trying to eke out their last paychecks before retirement is the Traditionalists, born between the years of 1937 and 1945 (American Medical Writers, 2012).

Replacing Millennials with baby boomers is a problem because they do not want to take on the traditional style of work and life balance. Because of this, Millennials are more than likely to resign from their high-paying positions. Graen & Grace (2014) used the word “traditional” to describe the work life Millennials try to avoid. “Traditional” means repetitiveness of tasks performed at home and work. Millennials leave their high-paying positions because their daily routines of going to work and coming home each day seems boring to them. In the work setting, Millennials become uninterested in their work routine since they have already acquired all of the skills and knowledge required for their positions. Millennials have the urge to work outside

The four generations presented in this paper are: The Veterans, The Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Millennias. The Veterans, also known as seniors or traditionalist, were born between 1925 and 1945 (Andrews & Boyle 2016). These individuals lived through the world wars, overcame economic hardship, and have chosen to continue to work past the common retirement age. This group of individuals believe they work out of

In this article, Wisenberg discusses how the Millenials are changing the work environment through developing technology. Because the Millennials are starting to dominate the workforce, the environment has gone through drastic changes. Just as much as technology, Wisenberg notes how the Millennials are bringing more focus to a more practical, more community-oriented family and workplace as well as demanding heavier technology to fulfill these preferences. They wish to fulfill a work-life balance and to become well-rounded people who want to work for a job they love instead of for a job with good pay.

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.

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

Over the past 100 years, many analysts can see evident a rise and decline of the United States population. Looking further into the demographics there are currently 73 million millennials aging from 18 to 34 that will soon account for one in three adults by 2020 (Catalyst, 2012). However, despite the increase of millennials, the overall U.S population continues to grow older. Retirement is a subject of the past in this decade and many over the age of 65 are living and working longer thanks to better health and stability in jobs. In fact, the population of older Americans is expected to more than double by 2060 (Catalyst, 2012). Looking at these statistics overall, we are seeing an increase in both generations meaning they are most likely going to have meet face to face within the workplace. This in result, has made it possible to have five generations in the workplace simultaneously. This is truly remarkable and can have a great effect on a business. Looking in the past at how much has changed in the few years, there was only 10.8% of the 65 year old crowd still working in 1985. Presently, thanks to the U.S Bureau Labor Statistics predicts for the year 2020 will comprise of 22.6% of 65 year olds still working (Ganett Company, 2014).

The Baby Boomer Generation, born from 1946 to 1963, are called a generation of workaholics. This was a time of social reform in civil rights, exploration into outer space and the Cold War with communist regime. Society adopted a more relaxed attitude towards sex and they experienced a period of political assassinations. They are optimists who value teamwork and a strong work ethic. (Hartnett and Matan)

The general assumption is that the Silent Generation consists of those individuals born between 1925-1945, the Baby Boomers are born between 1946-1964, Generation X are individuals born between 1965-1981 and Generation Y are those born between 1982-1999 (Twenge et al., 2010). However, there are some date variations on the exact cut-off dates for each generation. In their review of theory and evidence on generational differences in work values, Parry and Urwin found that all the studies to date use different cut-off dates for each individual generation and argue that the fact that different scholars have defined each generation differently, can to some extent explain why there is no consistent evidence for the existence and nature of generational differences in work values (Parry and Urwin, 2011). Further complicating the grouping of generations, is the argument by several scholars, who imply, that those individuals, who are close to the cut-off dates of a generation might not necessarily belong to either one, but more form a blend of two generations. Hence, the argument is formed, that only those who fit into the middle of a generation actually depict this generations values and attitudes and share common experiences (Parry & Urwin, 2011).

Arpon (2008) argues that the exit of baby boomers and entry of millennials into the workforce has altered the general work scape, since millennials do not see their lives revolving around work. Rather, personal life takes center stage and work has to revolve around it. A good example to highlight how this works is the work environment designed by American technology giant and one company known for its innovative talent management, Google

Generation X refers to the population cohort following the Baby Boomers. Sources differ as to the exact years during which this cohort was born. Coupland (1991) suggests 1960 to 1970; Bradford and Raines (1992) propose 1965 to 1975; and Howe and Strauss (1993) suggest 1961 to 1981. Whatever the birth years, it is their common life experiences that give this cohort an identity. Individuals born in Generation X are reputedly more global, technologically oriented, and culturally diverse than the generations before them. Coming of age when the linear career path no longer exists, where average income is falling, and where continuous change is the norm, does this generation have different values, work