Who Are The Generation Xer : Who Are The Generation Xers?

Skeptical of society and its institutions, Generation Xers are focused. As learners, they don't want to waste time doing quantities of school work; they want their work to be meaningful to them. "They want to know why they must learn something before they take time to learn how" (Caudron 1997, p. 22).

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).

Millenials is the name given to the generation who reached adulthood around the turn of the 21st century, they were born during 1975 and 1995 which was the Cold War era. The millennial is given the nickname as the television or digital age. The popularity of television boomed in their time was a result of the Space Race and America's curiosity of what would have been called the impossible. In the 1940's there was only a few tv's but in the-the 1970's the amount of tv's surged to four million plus. The Millenials grew up in a society when the social norm was for an individual to watch tv five hours a day. The United States victory was largely contributed to great communication technology. An example was in the Civil War when President Lincoln would command the military thousands of miles away. What strengthened the Millenial ideology is communication and getting full

The current generations in the workplace today are Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Each generation brings their own values and mindsets to the mix. Although genetics play a part in a person’s characteristics, the generation in which someone is born into also plays an integral part in shaping their mind, values, goals, and work ethics. People from the same generation share similar experiences, and this can influence how they think politically and socially.

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).

“If you don’t think generation makes a difference, think of this example. When asked to recall how and where Kennedy died, the Veterans and Baby Boomers would say gunshots in Dallas, Texas; Generation X remembers a plane crash near Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.; and Milinials might say, “Kennedy who?” (FDUMagazine Online, p. 2) Each individual generation brings different values and skills to the table, but the pronounced differences can cause conflict within the workplace. Bill Brennan’s “Generational Differences” discusses the generational differences between the four main groups, or generations, of the United States; Veterans (born before 1945), Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Millennials, Gen Y, (born between 1980 and 1994). Through his depiction,

The Baby Boomers: In today’s fast growing workforce, this generation is known to be hard workers as well as excellent teams players. They are loyal workers, exercise self-control and are self-willed due to the fact that quite a few of the early Boomers had to compete for schooling and jobs when they were teenagers. Because of this, they feel a sense of obligation to fit in and dedicate themselves to their position; usually relishing in the accomplishments of their job. Because of this sacrifice, most Boomers view their jobs with a sense of fulfilment that gives them a feeling of self-worth in light of that achievement. This generation was once leaders; however, now they are being led by the younger generation of workers (Phillips, 2016). The computer made its debut during this era. It was mainly found in the business world and in academia. As a matter of fact, many Boomers seemed to be more suspicious of computers and were resistant to this form of technology. Many however were not subjected to operating computers; And, simply avoided them as much as possible.

The experiences and information each generation has can be used as a tool for building rapport and presents an opportunity to learn something new. However, the approach to managing all five generations requires managers to assign tasks based on the actual work behaviors and performance shown by each person, regardless of age and in a manner that uses each person’s strengths. Managers should pair older or younger employees that have limited knowledge about technologically demanding tasks with younger employees (Gen X and Y) who are able to offer assistance or helpful information (to simplify the task). Individuals who favor teamwork (Boomers, Silenters and Nexters) and are interested in advanced technical processes, should collaborate with Nexters. The partnership will potentially provide mentorship for Nexters to improve their interpersonal communication skills and creates learning opportunities for Boomers and Silenters to improve their work performance, skills and show leadership abilities.

Every generation is defined by something. Baby Boomers had a strong work ethic and were morally righteous. Generation X was defined by its skepticism, perhaps resulting from the failures of Enron and the televised challenger explosion. And then we have millennials, a group that is marked by its liberal views and desire for a sense of purpose in their lives. However, millennials are also considered to be infantilized and sensitive. Maybe it’s our concerning answer to whether all forms of speech should be legal. Perhaps it’s our calls for unquestionable inclusion and implicit bias seminars on college campuses that have left students and faculty feeling backed into a corner. At the end of the day, millennials, which include me, are being

I am a member of the Gen X generation. Gen Xers are generally classified as independent, preferring to work alone rather than as part of a team to accomplish our goals. We aren’t lured by small talk, and discussions about popular cultural topics, but desire to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. As a generation, we tend to be aggressive to influence the expediency of accomplishing a task, and have no desire to rest until the work is finished. We have a solid work ethic. I agree with this classification and fit this steroetype. I desire to accomplish a task, accomplish it correctly, and sense appreciation for a job well done. I don’t place as much importance on getting along with people, though I do desire to be an effective

“The third generation in the work place is the generation X”. (Tanner, 2011) They were born somewhere between the 1960’s and the 1980’s. They are sometimes called “Post-Boomers, Twenty-something’s, Xers, and Slackers”. (Tanner, 2011) The Xers are known to be “independent, self-sufficient, and skeptical”. (Tanner, 2011) “They value diversity, work/life balance, technology, and informality”. (Tanner, 2011) They also “view all work as just a job”. (Tanner, 2011) To work well with them it is important to partner them with co-workers that they respect. Also, do not have high expectations. Remember they have a balanced between their life and their job. They will not give a 100% to their job. Another thing is that they do not like to have people watching over their shoulder all day, so give them some space.

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.

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

Gen X was found to be more team oriented than the Boomers in studies conducted by Karp and Sirias (Arnold, 1998). Having fun on the job is meaningful to this group; which has created a leadership style that sets them apart from the older generations.

“Generation X” (“Gen-Xers”), born from about 1960 – 1980, maintained some attributes typical of the “Baby Boomer” generation, but feel that their upbringing was too strict. They added an emphasis on work/life