Managing a Multigenerational Workfoce

People naturally like to generalise over a large group, it puts less stress on our brain. One such generalisation is the generations that people talk about, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z. In “Move Over, Millennials, Here Comes Generation Z” Alex Williams discusses a possible outcome of what Gen Z is to be as compared to the Millennials.

largest generation. Due to its large size, the Baby Boom generation has had a significant impact on society, business, and the economy. The impact of the generation has been felt in all areas of consumer spending, from increased sales of baby products when they were young; to rising demand for houses as they set up their own households; to growth in retirement savings vehicles as they prepare for

Since we know what baby boomers are, they are a very huge impact on todays society. To give example, they make impacts economically, Socially, and also Psychologically. There are many different reasons for this, and they are easy to understand exactly the impact they make on our daily lives.

The baby boomer generations started in 1943-1960 after world war two and the traditionalist felt safe they were able to have more babies than any other generation yet. They had so many newborn babies that a baby was born every nineteen seconds. This was the first time that mothers where able to enjoy their children and not have to worry about whether or not they could support them or that war would get in the way of a good living. There is also the idea that the baby boom was the result of the economy wanting to build up the number of its people so that they would be prepared for any war to come (Zemke, 2000).

After World War II, birth rates increased enormously over the whole world. During the baby boom, around 77 million babies were born in the U.S. More people in the country created more consumer demand, which made a big increase in manufacturing and production. The average income among people increased and made the demand greater. The baby boomers made a long-lasting economic growth that raised the standard of living in The United States and the world. The first baby boomers became eligible to retire in 2012 and will be different retirement compared to their parents the greatest generation. The retirement is different in ways like longer retirement, higher expectations, exotic investment options, deregulation, rising instead of declining interest rates, and personal saving instead of pensions.

The “pig in the python” describes the role of the baby boomers generation through time. As the baby boomers creep towards retirement age, a problem comes in being able to provide retirement services for a large population from a comparatively smaller population of workers. The baby boomers were a generation that defined America, contributing much to it’s growth but in return created plenty of problems that we will deal with for years to come.

Baby-boomers have dominated American culture for nearly five decades. Likened by demographers to a pig moving through a python, boomers account for one

The aging of the baby boomers is not just a demographic issue. It has important economic implications. Owen and Griffiths (2010) argue that the baby boomers can best be seen as a generational bulge that occurred between 1946 and 1964. This generational bulge is so large that it drives the economy during each state of the baby boomers lives (p. 76). This suggests that the aging of the baby boomers is a demographic issue with important economic implications.

A generation can be defined as the period, cohort or age of a group of people. Age is seen as the age that the persons were when particular transitions or events in life take place. Period can be defined as the overall experience of a person’s lifetime. Lastly, cohort can be seen as the overall grouping of people who have shared events during their formative years that more than likely contribute to like-minded behavior throughout the duration of their lives. There are currently four generations in United States society: Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X and The Millennials. The silent generation was born between the years of 1930 and 1945. Significant events during this time period include but are not limited to World War II and the Great Depression. The baby boomer generation was born between the years of 1946 and 1964. Significant events for this generation include the substantial growth of the middle class as well as economic prosperity. Generation X is born in the time period of 1965-1979, this generation was brought together by the big energy issue as well as the Vietnam War. Lastly the final generation that is currently in the workforce are the Millennials. This generation was born between the years 1980 and 2001, this group is brought together by the 9/11 terrorist attacks as well as the internet

First of all, “the oldest generation in the work place is the veterans”. (Tanner, 2011) They were born

While the “Greatest Generation” is a title often given to those Americans who lived and died during the era of the Great Depression and World War II, their offspring, the “Baby Boom” generation, significantly shaped and improved the American landscape as well if for no greater reason than the sheer number of people who make up this population (Steinhorn, 2006). Today, based predominantly on that very same reason, the baby boomer population is now making a very different, yet equally as profound impact on American society. More

1. "They are the most threatening and exciting generation since the"Baby Boomers' brought about social revolution, not because they're to take over the 'Establishment' but they're growing up without one." (p.28, 2nd column) -

Nearly 3.7 million American babies born in 1982 were the first members of the new Generation Y, or more affectionately known as millenials (Thompson, par. 1). Many things play into whether a generation is considered to be faring ‘better’ than another one; job opportunities, the state of the environment, whether the U.S. is at peace or at war, income vs. living expenses, the general happiness of the people, and the list goes on. Millenials are part of a special generation because

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.

Each generation has certain characteristics and values with which the members of it can identify. Members of Generation X highly value their job and family time; so they try to find a balance between these two aspects of their lives. Generation X are hardworking people, but they are