Kids These Days
Written by Pat Perry
President, ERC
“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.”
Though you might believe this statement is true today, it dates back to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod (700 BCE).
In present time, we have a unique anomaly occurring - four distinct generations working together;
Veterans – there are 52 million people in this classification born between 1922 and 1943 (63-84 year-olds). In general, Veterans, want respect for their experience, they prefer handwritten communication or in-person dialogue rather than email. This group of workers appreciates recognition of their hard work and dedication with plaques and other symbolic records of achievement.
Baby Boomers – 77 million Americans are in this class born between 1943 and 1960 (47-63 year-olds). Boomers appreciate being asked for their input and getting their consensus. They like plenty of public recognition and a knowledge that they are important to organizational success. Baby Boomers are known for their long hours and work ethic which could explain many Boomers’ disdain for Gen X and Y for their perceived lack of work ethic.
Generation X – a very cool label applied to approximately 46 million people in this country born between 1960 and 1980 (26-46 year-olds). The Gen X group enjoys multitasking and appreciate constant constructive feedback. This is the first generation to never have known life without a PC and expects their organizations to be technologically current. They want to pursue other interests outside of work and expect to be supported by their organizations. And, they want to work to be fun.
Millennials, also know as “Generation Y”, “Nexters”, “Generation Next”, “Echo Boomers”, “iGeneration”, and “Net Generation” – whew! There are 72 million people born between 1980 and 2000 that make up this group (6-26 year-olds). We are still learning about this group as a good number of them have yet to enter the workforce. But the preliminary research shows that Millennials in many ways reflect Gen X characteristics. They are “wired”, seek immediate gratification, desire alignment between their personal and organizational goals, insist that job opportunities be available to all regardless of gender, and desire non-traditional approaches to professional development.
If you have an organization where a few or all of these groups are represented, you know their generational differences can cause a few raised eyebrows amongst co-workers along with a multitude of communication, morale, HR policy, compensation, recruitment and retention issues. Writer George Orwell may have said it best, “Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. “
Some organizations are fighting this cultural diversity while others embrace and welcome the change and challenges the four generations bring to the table. The latter organizations will clearly come out winners in the long run, while traditional organizations who attempt to homogenize their workforce will find that top performers will exit quickly to greener pastures.
Here are few practical steps top consider if you have a few or more generations represented among your top people:
Assess your employee demographics – begin with a look at your workforce from the perspective of the generational groups highlighted above. At the risk of being stereotypical, it is a pretty good place to start and provides you a base of knowledge of strategies you may need to take in the future.
Train your management team – from first line supervisors to CEOs, your management team needs to clearly understand that age and background can explain some of the behavior exhibited in their respective departments. In addition, they will need to upgrade their skill sets in managing generational differences while supporting the attraction and retention of top performers.
Assess recruiting practices – assuming your goal is to attract the best possible talent available, it will be necessary to recognize that one size does not fit all when it comes to recruiting. For example, placing a classified ad in the newspaper may work to attract a Baby Boomer but not a Generation Y candidate who spends their time on the Internet. Spend some time looking at your most successful sourcing tools and continue to ask top employees across the generations where their peers are finding jobs.
Assess policies and benefits – retaining top performers across the generations can also be a difficult task. It can no longer be a one dimensional approach but one that mandates an appreciation for what people are seeking in a great workplaces. Like recruiting, it is imperative that you ask your top people across the generations why they stay at your organization. Their honest and direct feedback can provide an excellent blueprint for future policies, work environment considerations and employee benefits.
Generational differences can either be looked at with disdain or as a welcome challenge. On occasion I hear Boomers complain about the young people in their workplaces. “They don’t have a work ethic”, “They want to run our company without paying their dues” and on and on. You get the point.
I am not sure why there is so much concern. It is not like the Veterans or Boomers perfected the workplace. Gen X and Y generations are inheriting some archaic HR policies and programs, gender differences in pay, corruption in corporate America and glass ceilings to name a few.
There is hope for the future and the upcoming generations have a wonderful opportunity to turn our mess around. If you are reading this article and represent Gen X or Y, please don’t follow our lead. You can do better…much better. You can be the “greatest generations” for corporate
America. And, that’s not something to kid about.
