Get Schooled on Today's Multigenerational Workforce

1. Generation
u

2. multigenerational
WORKFORCE

3. “Workers walk the same
halls, but are separate
generational societies.”
Randstad
2008 World of Work Survey

4. One out of four
human resource
professionals
report witnessing
intergenerational
conflicts among
workers.
Source: Society for Human Resource Management

5. “Generational differences
are often about perspective
and how things should be
done. It’s as if everyone
looks at the other group
saying, ‘That’s not how I
would do it.’”
Randstad
2008 World of Work Survey

6. When you were born determines the
momentous events, social trends,
economic conditions, and cultural norms
you experience as a young person.

7. 12 years old

8. 1950:
‣Cold War heats up when United States convicts
communist spy Alger Hiss of perjury
‣Truman orders development of hydrogen bomb
‣United States enters Korean War
‣FCC licenses first color television broadcasts
‣“Great Appalachian Storm” ravages 22 northeastern
states, killing 323 people
‣Peanuts debuts in seven newspapers

9. 1963
• George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama
• Betty Friedan publishes The Feminine Mystique, launching
the Women’s Movement
• The Beatles release their first album, Please Please Me
• U.S. Postal Service introduces ZIP Codes
• Coke unveils TaB, the first diet cola
• Martin Luther King delivers “I Have a Dream” speech
• President John F. Kennedy is assassinated

10. 1972
✓ President Nixon visits China for eight days
✓ Nixon re-elected as the Watergate Scandal breaks
✓ U.S. ground troops leave Vietnam
✓ Atari kicks off video game craze with launch of Pong
✓ Apollo 17 is last manned mission to the moon
✓ Wallace is shot
✓ The Boston Marathon allows women to officially compete

11. • Dow Jones closes above
•
2,000 for first time
DJ drops 22.6 percent on
1987
“Black Monday” (remains
largest one-day decline)
• Second “Unabomber” bomb
explodes
• “Baby Jessica” rescued
after falling into a well
• Prozac approved
• Tower Commission blames
President Reagan for Iran-
Contra affair
• World population reaches
5 billion

12. 2001
• September 11 attacks
• George W. Bush
becomes president
• First self-contained
artificial human heart
implanted
• U.S. Patriot Act
becomes law
• Enron files bankruptcy
• Timothy McVeigh is
executed for Oklahoma
City bombing

13. MILESTONE THE 21ST
CENTURY
marks the first time in history that members of four
separate generations make up the U.S. workforce

14. The age gap between
F A the oldest and youngest
workers in America is
C T wider than ever—and
likely to continue growing.

15. Four Generations at Work
Silent Generation 1925 - 1945
Baby Boomers 1946 - 1964
Generation X 1965 - 1980
Generation Y 1981 - 2000

16. Generations are
determined less by time
periods and more by the
momentous historical
events that bond
their members.

17. GENERATIONALCOHORTS

18. TIME MAGAZINE 1951:
SILENT
“GRAVE AND FATALISTIC”

19. Lacking Conviction*
*or so it seemed

20. Having grown up in
the wake of World
War II, many people
in this generation
refrained from
voicing unpopular
beliefs for fear of
being considered
subversive.

21. Paying
Dues
Perhaps more than any generation since,
the Silent Generation considered adulthood
a privilege—one that comes with a price.

22. job security
Unlike their parents who
might have dreamed of
traveling the world or
amassing corporate
empires, the Silent
Generation had simpler
aspirations.

23. Midlife Crisis
In the late 1970s,
companies responded
to an economic
recession and high
inflation by laying off
workers in droves.

24. Difference of Opinion
How SG describes itself How others describe SG
Ethical Excessively conforming
Competent Incompetent
Strong work ethic Risk-adverse
Respectful of coworkers Resistant to change
Accepting of responsibility Intellectually diminished
Eager to share knowledge Too old to get the job done

25. Two-thirds of Generation Yers say they
have little or no weekly interaction with
members of the Silent Generation at work.
Source: Randstad, 2008 World of Work Survey

26. FACT:
Even the youngest members of the Silent
Generation are old enough to begin collecting
Social Security—in other words, they are at or
nearing what society has long considered
retirement age.

27. Whether because they
are leading longer, healthier
lives or lacking the financial
resources necessary to stop
working, many older workers
are putting off retirement.

28. In the ten-year period
ending 2007, the number
of workers age sixty-five
and over increased by
101 percent. Perhaps
more surprising is that
employment among
people age seventy-five
and over jumped
172 percent during
the same period.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

29. Unlike the generations that
came before them, today’s
older employees don’t feel
obligated to make room
for younger workers.

30. “Can they still be
productive?”
Frequent Question

31. There is an enduring
and widely held belief
that job performance
suffers as workers age.

32. Research shows that there is
no correlation between age and
how well employees perform
their primary tasks.
Source: Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2008). The relationship of age to ten
dimensions of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 392-423.

33.  Engage in tardiness
or absenteeism
Older workers are
less likely to...  Display workplace
aggression
 Use drugs or alcohol
at work
 Refrain from helping
co-workers
 Complain
(Ng & Feldman, 2008)

34. AConspicuousSilence

35. QUESTION
? Why do those who risked their lives fighting
wars to protect democracy abroad seem
loath to press for equal rights at home?
THEORIES
Maybe World War II left the Silent
Generation weary of fighting on any front.
Perhaps Time was correct and the
Silent Generation avoids speaking out for
fear of being labeled as un-American.
Or maybe the Silent Generation is not
really afraid to speak up on civil rights
issues—maybe its members simply like
things the way they used to be.

36. In an American society
that increasingly appreciates
cultural diversity, the Silent
Generation seems highly
intolerant.

37. Intentionally or not,
members of this generation
continue to use demeaning and
bigoted language, employ gender
and racial double standards, and
show deference to white males.

38. The largest generation,
BABY BOOMERS
make up 50 percent of the U.S. workforce.

39. 80
MILLION

40. From crowded elementary schools
to depleted retirement funds, the
Baby Boomer generation’s size
has burdened institutional
infrastructures for decades.

41. Baby Boomers
are the generation
of television,
assassinations,
The Beatles, the
Vietnam War,
moonwalks,
and the sexual
revolution.

42. Unlike their “silent” parents,
Baby Boomers were not afraid
to challenge cultural norms.

43. Whereas the Silent
Generation fought a
war abroad to protect
freedom, Baby Boomers
waged war at home against
the people and policies
that limited that freedom.

44. “Change Agents”
 Civil Rights bills passed
 U.S. involvement in Vietnam War ended
 Legislation enacted barring discrimination on the basis
of race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual
preference, physical ability, and age
 Movements to stop polluting the earth and to start
conserving it instead
 Employee-focused policies, procedures, and regulations
prevalent in most business organizations today

45. These former
crusaders went to
work, putting in
long hours and
chasing salaries
that would allow
them to improve on
their parents’ lot.

46. “workaholics”

47. In the twenty years following the
Boomers’ entrance in the workforce,
the annualamount of time
Americans spent at work increased
an average of one full month.

48. AN AVERSION
TO AUTHORITY

49. To lead them
effectively,
managers need to
prove that they’re
nothing like the
political and
business leaders
Boomers distain.

50. At a point in life
when boomers
are looking for
greater balance,
work is becoming
exceedingly
rigorous.

51. Employees face demands to
work longer hours, learn new
technology, absorb the duties
of laid-off coworkers, and meet
increasingly unrealistic goals.

52. Boomers believe they must
outwork their fresh-faced, computer-savvy
counterparts or face losing their jobs to
lower-paid youngsters.

53. “The Sandwich Generation”
Boomers who care for older
children as well as aging parents.

54. The Boomer Agenda
1. Make love, not war. Done.
2. Make more money than Done.
our parents did.
3. Make a difference In progress.
(make amends for #2).

55. Boomers may have traded marching
on Washington for walking for a
cure, but they’re still looking for
ways to make a difference.

56. retention
MATTERS MORE THAN EVER

57. relevance matters

58. Wanted
Generation Xers were born into
a culture in which birth control
and abortion became prevalent
—and children were seen as
avoidable or disposable.

59. Gen Xers
inherited their Boomer
parents’ social rubble (i.e.,
no-fault divorce, staggering
debt, anti-American
sentiment abroad, etc.)

60. Gen Xers witnessed Watergate, the
Challenger explosion, the Chernobyl
disaster, the Iran hostage crisis, and
the rising gap between rich and poor.

61. I want my
Music videos, personal
computers, the Internet, the
women’s liberation movement,
and AIDS all proliferated
during their lifetime.

62. Attributes:
skeptical; fiercely
independent; technically
competent; comfortable
with diversity, change,
and competition

63. Whereas Boomers
questioned authority, Gen
Xers disrespect it outright.

64. More
interested in
work outcomes
than with work
processes.

65. “Whatever!”
Xers consider truth to be relevant–and cutting to
the chase a good approach to getting things
done. Those philosophies might conflict with
professional and ethical codes of conduct.

66. The most ignored
children of any
generation.

67. HOME ALON e
Whereas the Industrial Revolution drew
fathers outside the home to work, Gen
Xers probably grew up in households in
which both parents held jobs.

68. EXGENERATION
40 percent of Gen Xers
grew up in broken homes

69. it’s all about
ME

70. 56 percent of Gen Xers are married,
and 49 percent have children at home.
In other words, the “me generation” is
entrenched in the American Dream.
Source: Randstad, 2008 World of Work Survey

71. WORK-LIFE BALANCE

72. Technology is both
a blessing and a
curse–employers
expect Xers to work
anywhere and
anytime, because
they can.

73. X
Used to being in charge
until mom or dad came
home from work, Gen Xers
prefer working independently.
Gen

74. Titles and power hold little
appeal for Gen Xers. And being
less ambitious in the traditional
corporate sense frees them to
act fearlessly when challenging
the status quo or bypassing
the chain of command.

75. employment
at will

76. Gen Xers realize that there is no such thing as
job security. So they seek career security instead.

77. The average Gen Xer changes
jobs every eighteen months.
Source: Appelbaum, S. H., Serena, M., & Shapiro, B. T. (2004) Generation X
and the boomers: Organizational myths and literary realities.
Management Research News, 27(11/12), 1-28.

78. MILLENNIAL
=Gen Y

79. the e word

80. 85
Percent of HR executives who feel that millennials have
a stronger sense of entitlement than older workers do.
-CareerBuilder.com

81. The September 11 terrorist attacks,
Columbine high school massacre, and
Katrina all happened in their lifetime; yet
optimistic about
they tend to be
going to college, making lots of
money, and being famous.

82.  Sheltered
Other words
used to describe  Spoiled
Gen Yers  Impatient
 Disrespectful
 Blunt
 Diverse
 Thin-skinned
 Wanted

83. Wired

84. Most watched
over, ever

85. Striving to be friends with
their children, parents give
kids significant influence in
family decision-making.

86. SOME MANAGERS COMPLAIN THAT YERS
ARE TOO BLUNT.
THEY WANT INSTANT FEEDBACK, SO THEY
GIVE IT IN RETURN.

87. Sol√ e f∅r why
In 1968, 18 percent of American college freshman
had achieved an A average in high school.
By 2004, that figure was 48 percent.
During that same period, SAT scores decreased.
SOURCE: Twenge, J. M. (2006). Generation me: Why today’s
young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled—and
more miserable than ever before. New York: Free Press.

88. Grade
>> INFLATION

89. “
independent spellers
”

90. Self-Esteem First.
Learning Second.

91. a PROPENSITY to
CHEAT

92. In a 2008 survey conducted by the
Josephson Institute, 64 percent of high
school students said they cheated on a
test in the past year, and 38 percent
said they cheated more than once.*
*However, 26 percent confessed to lying on the survey.

93. Bred for Success
Highly educated; pressured to achieve

94. Used to feelingspecial
and receiving praise,
Gen Yers do not take
criticism well.

95. “Generation Y
has been called
the least stable
generational group
and the most
willing to job-hop.”
Randstad, 2008 World of Work Survey, p. 27

96. The Netter Paradox
“The money’s good.
But won’t you just
downsize me, too?”

97. Ron Alsop, The Trophy Kids Grow Up
“It may seem obvious that employees
should show up on time, limit lunchtime
to an hour, and turn off cellphones
during meetings. But those basics aren’t
necessarily apparent to many millennials.”

98. thx for the iview!
i wud to work 4 u!! :)

99. only
20
percent
of millennials describe their
generational cohorts as
having a strong work ethic
Source: Randstad

100. reality:
“The transfer of knowledge
between retiring generations
of veteran workers and newer
entrants to the workforce is
unlikely.” Randstad

101. keep in mind…

102. One thing that hasn’t
changed: Silent Generation
workers continue to value
long-term job security

103. Boomers Crave Relevance
Baby Boomers rightfully
consider themselves highly
knowledgeable about how
their workplaces function;
although they’re willing to
share that knowledge, their
younger co-workers (and
bosses!) seem uninterested
in listening or learning.

104. Recession
Weary
Some Gen Xers are experiencing
their third economic recession
since launching their careers.
They are likely to feel “stuck” in
their jobs—and be hesitant to ask
for anything more. Leaders could
easily misread a Gen Xer’s
silence as job satisfaction.

105. Give it to ‘em straight
Gen Yers
want straight
talk (no jargon!),
ongoing
feedback,
encouragement,
and recognition.

106. When selecting employers,
job candidates from
all generations
are focusing less on the
financial rewards and more
on the values rewards.

107. IMAGINE:
12 years old
in 2011?

108. nZ
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109. get these slides at
www.slideshare.net

110. Generation
u