The Workforce Today Encompasses Four Distinct Generations,

Today’s workplace is no different than those of past years, with Traditionals, Generation X and baby boomers all coexisting in the same office. But as more boomers work past retirement age, and tech-savvy millennials continue to graduate and enter the workforce, the stark differences in the values, communication styles and work habits of each generation are becoming more and more pronounced.

I believe that all four of the generations in the work place can work together without having any conflicts. Many professional facilities and companies have people of different age groups working together in the same field. There are many articles written by different people who say that studies show that there are many conflicts between the generations, while working together. The four different types of generations are the veterans, the baby boomers, the generation X, and the generation Y. I will talk of all their important characteristics and compare and contrast their qualities based on work ethics, education, and multi-tasking.

The generation’s project was a very interesting assignment. The project was designed with the intention for students to develop an understanding and expertise in the generations of people in the workforce and how it is important to understand the commonalities and differences between them. There are four generations currently at work in the marketplace. As learned during the research phase of this project the four generations are as follows: the Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Millennials. The generation that my group did our research on was the Baby Boomer group. I learned a lot of valuable information during the research phase of this project as it relates to, personal and professional traits, work ethic

If we take a look at my generation and previous generation one this is unmistakable, each generation possess individual values, attitudes and goals. After reading the article Gen Y in the Workforce by Tamara J. Erickson it became obvious to me that there is a generation gap between the traditionalists and generation Y. I believe a number of things play a role in this gap one of which I believe is the help my generation has received from previous generations.

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 current generations that are predominantly represented in the workplace are Baby Boomers (Boomers), Generation X (Gen X), and Generation Y (Millennials or Gen Y). Differences among the various generations are often portrayed as Boomers having more loyalty to an organization, and generally being more diligent in their work (Wong, Gardiner, Lang, & Coulon, 2008). Gen X are not as likely as Boomers to display loyalty to a particular institution or organization, and are seen as more independent, self-sufficient, and being unimpressed with authority (Wong et al., 2008). Gen Y are said to be more comfortable with change than Boomers, and value skill development, new opportunities, and are more tech savvy than other generations (Wong et al., 2008).

In modern workplace, there are four different generations in total. According to Kapoor and Solomon (2011) there are four different generations in contemporary workplace now: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y (also known as Millennials). Traditionalists were generally given birth between 1925 and 1945, majority of Traditionalists experienced

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).

As indicated by Forbes, the normal work environment now accommodates four generational eras in one place, including Veterans (born in or before 1946), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1979), and Millennials (1980-2000). Today, the old dog and the young pup need to work congruously to reach their end goals. These diverse generational and work perspectives can be advantageous. However, as you can imagine, such perspectives can be slightly hard to explore.

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

The third generation represented is often referred to as “Generation X.” Members of this group are born between 1965 and 1979. Kyles (2005) defines them as individualistic, disloyal, techno literate, and one of the most challenging groups to manage. This can be attributed to the fact that this group grew up in the rebellious years of the sixties and seventies. Marshall (2004) states, “The employer has to provide an opportunity to work and grow, or they are going to leave” (p. 18). This says a lot about the influence of culture on this generation.

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

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.

The workforce today is employed by four generations. Each generation brings its own perspective and values to the job. The purpose of this Qualitative Research was to identify strategies that companies are using to resolve / address generational conflict in the workplace. This research was done by a Qualitative Research Method focusing on case studies. It follows a review of difference on each group generation, literature on generations in the workplace.

Generation X also known as the baby bust generation is categorized for individual who were born from 1961-1979 (Dwyer, 2009). According to Foot and Stoffman (1998, p. 26), generation X is not a separate generation, but rather the concluding stages of the baby boom generation (as cited by Dwyer, 2009). Generation X was pushed toward adulthood at an age earlier than any other recent generation as they suffered the backlash from the world’s focus on Baby Boomers and their worldview was negatively shaped as a result (Teaching Across Generations, 2004). The Generation Xers also are the first generation who grew up with both parents working outside the home. Due to this they are often called the ‘Latchkey kids’ as are more self-reliant