Multi Generation In The Workforce: Building Collaboration Summary

America has about five generations that function in our society today, and they are Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and the Millennial. It is interesting the way that an age gap influences the thinking of millions of people in different generations. Different times and situations require that different strategies be put in place for the following generation. Solutions that worked for one generation may be less useful for the next, so sometimes, because of the age gap, these solutions cause disagreements. These various ideologies all have one goal, and that is to be successful. We will discuss the path of the Baby Boomers and Generation X in the workplace environment.

For decades there has been extensive research on generations to better understand characteristics such as personalities, motivations, and work ethics to help current and future employers better understand how to engage targeted demographics. As a result, in recent years there has been a lot of dialogue around Generations X and Y as employers have tried to understand what attracts, retains, and engages these individuals in the workplace. It’s evident that not understanding and respecting these differences can lead to misunderstanding, miscommunications, mixed signals, and possibly the loss of talent within an organization. Over the next couple of paragraphs I will elaborate on each generation and highlight their values as it is important to

Gen X, Baby boomers, and Gen Y are the different generations who work side by side in today’s workplace. According to Ann Hewlett, the President for Work-Life Policy Gen Y and Baby Boomers generations are a large chunk of the workforce, around eighty million each. Whatever those generations value, they have the power to drive to get the results (Hewlett, Sherbin & Sumberg, 2009). Baby boomers and Gen Y have similarities in what they value and there motivates them in the workspace. They tend to share some attitudes and behaviors. At work, Baby Boomers and Gen Y are motivated by not only money and making a pay package. They both desire a bunch of other stuff in life. Along with strong title, recognition, and respect. They are drawn to crave

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

1. The aging labor force affects Human Resources by the department needs to take the time to motivate employees who are older to push themselves, start planning for retirement and manage the cost health care. In today’s society, many older people do not plan on retiring anytime soon or do not have enough money to retire. From this, some older workers are cutting down hours, working on temporary assignments, and or working from home. This allows older generations to mentor younger generations with work ethics and other aspects of the business. While this also gives the younger generations to mentor older generations with the latest technology and new ways of thinking. Human Resource management might run into different issues with the different generations such as the silent generation values job security and income. Baby Boomers value job opportunities and time management. on the other hand, Generation X is self-managed and can be pragmatic and Generation Y is good with technology and respect the hard work of older generations.

Managing a 21st century labor force is becoming more complex as the marketplace becomes increasingly global. It is vital that organizations understand the challenges and benefits of effectively managing a diverse workforce in order to maintain a competitive advantage. While diversity in the workplace can take many forms (race, gender, religion, etc.) this paper specifically examines generational diversity. This is the first time in history where there are four generations employed in the workforce. As such, it is imperative that managers “recognize what motivates each generation to develop effective communication tools to minimize conflict, progressive HR and work-life

How often problems arise due to a multigenerational workplace can vary across different industries. Not all industries would have similar results, but it can be said that at least more than half of the industries have experienced conflicts stemming from multigenerational disagreements. For instance, a study done on organizations with over 500 employees reported that 58% of the managers have experienced conflicts between the diverse generations of workers (Iden, 2016). While another survey done by a career firm found that “60% of organizational leaders reported conflict between employees of different generations”(Patterson, 2014).

Many organizations employ all four. First is the Veterans generation. Members were born before 1946. Next is the Baby Boomers generation. These employees were born from 1946 – 1964. The third generation to discuss is Generation X. These people were born from 1965 through 1980. The fourth generation that is currently comprising the workforce is Generation Y, born from 1981 – 2000. Let’s explore each generation, and what makes it unique. Each generation has a different set of experiences, a different way of approaching their jobs, a different outlook on life, and different strengths and concerns that makes it unique. Managing the differences between the generations and bringing them together to form a strong team can make the difference between the success and failure of an organization, so this information is extremely relevant to today’s workforce managers.

Zemke, Raines, and Filipczak, Generations at work: Managing the clash of veterans, boomers, xers, and nexters in your workplace. (2000, p. 9)

The contrasting values of the generations can impact manangment and human resources in the workplace. Currently, the diverse generational wokplace is a challenge that leadership must face. The genearations contrast in value set can impact the leadership style found in workplaces (Twenge, 2010). Managing Baby Boomers includes earning their respect and communicating with them in person. Because Baby Boomers are the oldest generation in the workplce, they tend to be in higher leadership positions. As a leader they need to keep in mind that the younger geneartions may not value the same things as their generation (Gibson et al., 2009). Workplace leaders need to recognize that Generation X values a work/life balance, so they can offer them flexible scheludes to accomadate their value set. In addition, leaders need to be giving these workers stimulating work, because they value it (Gibson et al., 2009). Unlike, other generations, Millenials favor friendship and working in groups. Leaders should recognize this value and allow their workers socialize in the workplace (Gibson et al., 2009).One way leadership could allow their employees to socialize is through group projects and company parties. It is crucial for leaders to recognize that the generations value many of the same things like health, family security and honesty.

My experience at Oxfam saw me interact with individuals of diverse ages. However, the generation Xers were the majority. The presence of people from diverse age backgrounds played key roles in the development of individual professional skills. Most importantly, the silent in the organization instilled in us a spirit of collaboration. Moreover, an attribute that stands out amongst the silent generation is their concern for communication skills. They also instilled in us the discipline of saving. The Baby Boomers also shaped our approach to critical issues that had an impact on our lives. They were influential in enabling us to resolve conflicts that arose while at work. Finally, a significant number of employees were generation Y. We stood out because of our persistent attachment to technology. The generation Y were the most zealous in their workplace and would spearhead for a common agenda irrespective of the diverse backgrounds that we

As the American economy continues to incorporate the younger generation into the working class, steps must be taken to maximize employee potential. The impact of workers between the ages of 18 and 32, Generation Y or Millennials, is unquestionably an organizational concern for many employers. According to a 2013 Ernst & Young survey, 87% of Millennials have moved into management positions in the last five years. With that level of upward mobility, issues and conflicts are certain to arise due to the vastly different workplace ethics, management styles, etc. held by the new and older generations. For a company to be an innovative competitor in the marketplace, it is important for its employees to be able to work productively while accommodating generational differences. The 2013 Ernst & Young survey also found that more than 69% of respondents said their company had made an effort to alleviate the challenges that arise with a generational blend. Employee cooperation is an important goal for these companies because it is vital for them to thrive in the rapidly evolving workplace.

In comparison to 40years ago the world today is incredibly diverse in all aspects. The workforce is not only gender and racially diverse it is now also age diverse. For there are currently four generations in the workforce. A “multigenerational workforce brings different values and demands to work” (Kupperschimidt, 2000, p.70). The possibility of a younger managers in positions of higher stature than older employees is now an increasing reality (Cogin, 2012). Eisner (2005) claims that “nearly 60% of HR professionals in large companies report conflict between [multigenerational employees]” (p.4). However, with four generations in the workforce values, characteristics and skills greatly differ. The most precedent cases of generational differences in the workplace involves conflict between generations’ views and work values. For :”when managers and co-workers do not understand each other’s generational differences, tension increases and job satisfaction and productivity decreases” (Kupperschimidt, 2000, p.65). A common occurrence in the literature of this topic is the dispute of generational dates and the definition of a generation. For the purpose of this essay Kupperschimidt’s definition of a generation and Meuse and Mlodzik’s interpretation of generational dates will be used. Kupperschimidt (2000) defines a generation as “a group of people or cohorts who share birth years and experiences as they move through time together, influencing and being influenced by a variety of

Nursing Managers need to have an understanding of the intergenerational diversity of their staff. This gives the nurse manager an opportunity to investigate the nature of generational differences so that they can encourage the best that each generation has to offer (cite#2). Considering the age of an individual from one of these cohorts, reveals the influence age has on beliefs and behaviors (cite chapter 18). This is evident by the fact that our childhood experiences can shape how we think, therefore each group will have similar ideals.

The study titled about Generation Gaps: change in the workplace due to Differing Generational Values, so it was conducted by Fredericks Elizabeth, Carbary Kelly and etc. They explained different generation working together in the workplace. The authors discuss how to communicate with different generation, there were different values, goals, idea and ways of getting things done in workplace.