3. âWorkers walk the same
halls, but are separate
generational societies.â
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. When you were born determines the
momentous events, social trends,
economic conditions, and cultural norms
you experience as a young person.
7. 1950:
âŁCold War heats up when United States convicts
communist spy Alger Hiss of perjury
âŁTruman orders development of hydrogen bomb
âŁUnited States enters Korean War
âŁFCC licenses first color television broadcasts
âŁâGreat Appalachian Stormâ ravages 22 northeastern
states, killing 323 people
âŁPeanuts debuts in seven newspapers
8. 1963
âą George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama
âą Betty Friedan publishes The Feminine Mystique, launching
the Womenâs Movement
âą The Beatles release their first album, Please Please Me
âą U.S. Postal Service introduces ZIP Codes
âą Coke unveils TaB, the first diet cola
âą Martin Luther King delivers âI Have a Dreamâ speech
âą President John F. Kennedy is assassinated
9. 1972
â President Nixon visits China for eight days
â Nixon re-elected as the Watergate Scandal breaks
â U.S. ground troops leave Vietnam
â Atari kicks off video game craze with launch of Pong
â Apollo 17 is last manned mission to the moon
â Wallace is shot
â The Boston Marathon allows women to officially compete
10. âą
1987
Dow Jones closes above
2,000 for first time
âą DJ drops 22.6 percent on
âBlack Mondayâ (remains
largest one-day decline)
âą Second âUnabomberâ bomb
explodes
âą âBaby Jessicaâ rescued
after falling into a well
âą Prozac approved
âą Tower Commission blames
President Reagan for Iran-
Contra affair
âą World population reaches
5 billion
11. 2001
âą September 11 attacks
âą George W. Bush
becomes president
âą First self-contained
artificial human heart
implanted
âą U.S. Patriot Act
becomes law
âą Enron files bankruptcy
âą Timothy McVeigh is
executed for Oklahoma
City bombing
12. MILESTONE THE 21ST
CENTURY
marks the first time in history that members of four
separate generations make up the U.S. workforce
13. The age gap between
F A the oldest and youngest
workers in America is
C T wider than everâand
likely to continue growing.
14. Four Generations at Work
Silent Generation 1925 - 1945
Baby Boomers 1946 - 1964
Generation X 1965 - 1980
Generation Y 1981 - 2000
16. 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.
17. job security
Unlike their parents who
might have dreamed of
traveling the world or
amassing corporate
empires, the Silent
Generation had simpler
aspirations.
18. Midlife Crisis
In the late 1970s,
companies responded
to an economic
recession and high
inflation by laying off
workers in droves.
19. 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
20. 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
21. Whether because they
are leading longer, healthier
lives or lacking the financial
resources necessary to stop
working, many older workers
are putting off retirement.
22. 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
24. 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.
25. ï§ Engage in tardiness
Older workers are or absenteeism
less likely to... ï§ Display workplace
aggression
ï§ Use drugs or alcohol
at work
ï§ Refrain from helping
co-workers
ï§ Complain
(Ng & Feldman, 2008)
26. In an American society
that increasingly appreciates
cultural diversity, the Silent
Generation seems highly
intolerant.
27. 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.
30. From crowded elementary schools
to depleted retirement funds, the
Baby Boomer generationâs size
has burdened institutional
infrastructures for decades.
32. 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.
33. âChange Agentsâ
ï§ Civil Rights bills passed
ï§ U.S. involvement in Vietnam War ended
ï§ Legislation enacted barring discrimination on the basis
of race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual
preference, physical ability, and age
ï§ Movements to stop polluting the earth and to start
conserving it instead
ï§ Employee-focused policies, procedures, and regulations
prevalent in most business organizations today
34. These former
crusaders went to
work, putting in
long hours and
chasing salaries
that would allow
them to improve on
their parentsâ lot.
36. In the twenty years following the
Boomersâ entrance in the workforce,
the annualamount of time
Americans spent at work increased
an average of one full month.
37. At a point in life
when boomers
are looking for
greater balance,
work is becoming
exceedingly
rigorous.
38. Employees face demands to
work longer hours, learn new
technology, absorb the duties
of laid-off coworkers, and meet
increasingly unrealistic goals.
43. Wanted
Generation Xers were born into
a culture in which birth control
and abortion became prevalent
âand children were seen as
avoidable or disposable.
44. Gen Xers
inherited their Boomer
parentsâ social rubble (i.e.,
no-fault divorce, staggering
debt, anti-American
sentiment abroad, etc.)
47. âWhatever!â
Xers consider truth to be relevantâand cutting to
the chase a good approach to getting things
done. Those philosophies might conflict with
professional and ethical codes of conduct.
49. 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.
52. 56 percent of Gen Xers are married,
and 49 percent have children at home.
In other words, the âme generationâ is
entrenched in the American Dream.
Source: Randstad, 2008 World of Work Survey
56. Gen Xers realize that there is no such thing as
job security. So they seek career security instead.
57. 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.
64. Solâ e fâ 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 todayâs
young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitledâand
more miserable than ever before. New York: Free Press.
69. 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.
71. âGeneration Y
has been called
the least stable
generational group
and the most
willing to job-hop.â
Randstad, 2008 World of Work Survey, p. 27
72. The Netter Paradox
âThe moneyâs good.
But wonât you just
downsize me, too?â
73. Ron Alsop, The Trophy Kids Grow Up
âIt may seem obvious that employees
should show up on time, limit lunchtime
to an hour, and turn off cellphones
during meetings. But those basics arenât
necessarily apparent to many millennials.â
78. One thing that hasnât
changed: Silent Generation
workers continue to value
long-term job security
79. Boomers Crave Relevance
Baby Boomers rightfully
consider themselves highly
knowledgeable about how
their workplaces function;
although theyâre willing to
share that knowledge, their
younger co-workers (and
bosses!) seem uninterested
in listening or learning.
80. Recession
Weary
Some Gen Xers are experiencing
their third economic recession
since launching their careers.
They are likely to feel âstuckâ in
their jobsâand be hesitant to ask
for anything more. Leaders could
easily misread a Gen Xerâs
silence as job satisfaction.
81. Give it to âem straight
Gen Yers
want straight
talk (no jargon!),
ongoing
feedback,
encouragement,
and recognition.
82. When selecting employers,
job candidates from
all generations
are focusing less on the
financial rewards and more
on the values rewards.