Recruiting & Orienting a New Generation

Many employers are challenged with handling the millennial due to the lack of proper understanding of this generation since there is plenty of myths, propagated through anecdotes and assumptions. However the separation of the myths and the facts is important for an organization so as

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).

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.

Over the next decade, it will be a challenge for employers to attract, keep, and develop a skilled work force for numerous different reasons ranging from the evolution of technology to fewer foreign students coming to America for work. Adding to the problem, companies are finding themselves managing four generations of workers. Based on their generation’s life experiences, each group has its own diverse characteristics, standards, and attitudes towards work. The four generations are as follows: Silents (1925-1946), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation Xers (1965-1980), Generation Ys or Millennials (born after 1980). It is up to management to relate and motivate employees of different age groups. The purpose of this paper is to inform readers

The so called millennial generation, also referred to as Generation Y and commonly called the Net generation, due to the effect of the internet, are made up of citizens in the United States born between the years 1978 and 1999. This generation has become very familiar with technology because they have grown up with it. They were raised with this new technology such as e-mail’s, instant messaging, and even cell phones. Not all of these new devices have been helpful. In the workforce specifically things have changed especially with communication. Many business had to change their ways of “running the firm” to adapt to the new generation. Business are struggling to adapt to their technological ways, and the effects

Where will they come from? That is a question that is facing organizations and businesses in the United States as they ponder where the next wave of workers will emerge. Organizational recruitment and retention strategies have been challenged to find replacements for a generation of employees on the brink of retirement. This generation, the Baby Boomers, is a generation numbering 76 to 78 million people (Stendardi, 2005), a staggering number when contrasted with a 2009 Department of Labor figure of an employed civilian workforce of 140 million workers. The Boomers’ imminent retirement, sometimes referred to as the “ demographic tidal wave,” will challenge organizations and Human Resource departments to develop programs and

Human capital itself is one of the biggest competitive advantages in this day and age. Having the right people performing the right job creates a valuable synergy. As the general workforce is changing, organizations that want to sustain a competitive advantage must take different approaches regarding their human capital. “Five generations are going to be working together in the workforce by 2020 – that’s certainly a first” (Fry 2015). Additionally, millennials now make up 25% of this workforce and will make up 50% of the global workforce by 2020 (PwC 2011, 3). Different people, and specifically different generations, have different motivators, both intrinsically and extrinsically. Baby boomers and millennials have significantly different opinions of jobs and careers. Excellent leaders will need to be able to identify and exploit different drivers for their employees in

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).

4. Be transparent. When you are conducting interviews, be clear about what your company stands for and what values it embraces. Millenials will look for a personal fit, a culture that they feel they can prosper in. Don't portray your company in a certain way, just to attract a certain candidate. If you are honest about the company you represent, you will attract people who believe the same things you do. This comfort level will empower millenials to remain with your company as it, and they personally,

Although many millennials are too absorbed in technology to work efficiently, the younger generation is a vital addition to any workplace. The modern society of advancement has raised millennials to believe that a higher education and a successful career are essential early in life. Society expects millennials to complete their education and pursue bigger aspirations, such as a successful career, without taking a pause for more philosophical actions. A fast-paced world has created a societal standard of hard work and long, conventional careers in most of the previous generations. However, the increasingly advancing world around the millennial generation pressures the job-seeking recent college graduates to live at a high societal standard and obtain success through a stable career. Due to the advanced society of high career-oriented standards and the effects it has had on millennials’ aspirations, the younger generation is determined to become successful soon after graduating from college, creating a strong work ethic that is beneficial to any company despite the generation’s saturation in technology and weaker endurance in the cutthroat world of modern business.

As an emerging young professional and proud member of Gen-Y, I find it increasingly important to create a dialogue about a relevant but seemingly obscure topic: corporate/organizational culture. In my exploration of culture, I consistently identified a gap between perception and realty as it pertains to Millennials’ role in shaping the contemporary workforce. Generations that came before us (pre-1980’s) by and large tend to vilify Millennials’ work habits; baby boomers in particular are at a loss in understanding the career goals and professional development interests that shape my generation. Millennials are commonly characterized as “entitled” and “lazy” as a direct result of misinformation, ageism, and biases perpetuated by popular culture.

“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.

As Americans, we spend countless hours at our jobs, working together with people of all different ages, backgrounds, races, and gender. All of which influence each individual’s mentality towards their jobs and their goals. There has been research to show that there are some drastic differences between generations that make working a little more difficult. These differences influence the many aspects of people management including recruitment, training and development, career development, rewards and working arrangements, and management styles as well as having the potential to cause serious conflicts within the workplace (Parry and Urwin, Generational Differences in Work Values: A Review of Theory and Evidence). That being said, it seems that our company has unfortunately discovered a disconnect with the newest generation in the work force, Generation Y.

Many changes are happening in the workforce today. Our labor environment consists of multiple generations, which creates fundamentally differing approaches to everything from work ethics, business management, and co-worker cooperation. The most recent generation, commonly known as “Generation Y” or the “Millennial” generation, is slowly taking over the workforce. Because they bring with them a radically new mindset and opinion of labor, the global business infrastructure should be modified to not only accommodate “Millennials,” but also to remain sympathetic to the business practices characteristic of previous generations. Doing so will provide more harmony and productivity among co-workers of different generational backgrounds.

When it comes to Millennials, there is nothing that screams “business as usual.” Consequently, savvy leaders who want to remain successful in the global business arena, must concede their current method of attracting, engaging, developing and retaining Millennials as future global leaders is ineffective. Therefore, today’s leaders must develop a more compelling strategy to entice Millennials into leadership. Failure to use strategic foresight to recognize trends regarding future organizational trends and take timely actions to change their tried and true, old school philosophy regarding developing and retaining talented employees will result in losing the competitive edge, which is driven by technology-laden Millennial’s who are poised to innovation.