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Managing the Next Generation At Work. Who are These Kids, Anyway?. They don’t show up. They don’t know how to work. They want to start at the top. They aren’t loyal. They question everything. They have the attention span of a gnat. They think they are entitled to everything. Generation:.
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Who are These Kids, Anyway? • They don’t show up. • They don’t know how to work. • They want to start at the top. • They aren’t loyal. • They question everything. • They have the attention span of a gnat. • They think they are entitled to everything.
Generation: A body of individuals born in approximately the same time period who generally share similar behaviors and attitudes. “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”
The Four Generations • Traditionalists/Veterans • (Born 1922-1945) • Baby Boomers • (Born 1946-1964) • Generation X • (Born 1965-1982) • Millennials/Generation Y • (Born 1983-2000)
How the Generations Differ • Social, Political, and Economic Influences • Familial Structure and Influence • Education • Values • Work Ethic Understanding these differences is the key to managing them.
Traditionalists/Veterans Born 1922-1945
Influences: Social, Political & Economic • Great depression • World War II • New Deal • G.I. Bill • Korean War • Cold War
Familial Structure & Influence • Traditionalists grew up in nuclear families consisting of two parents and children. • Fathers typically worked while mothers stayed home. • As a result, traditionalists tend to be conservative, rule-abiding, and appreciative of authority.
Education • For most Traditionalists, higher education was not possible. • They valued hard work, and their focus was on scraping by financially. • For many, religious education was just as important as formal (school) education.
Values • Courtesy • Discipline • Dependability • Authority • Tradition • Security • Stability • Loyalty • Logic
Baby Boomers Born 1946-1964
Influences: Social, Political & Economic • Civil Rights Era • Equal Rights Era • Rise of the Suburbs • Television • Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll • Space Exploration • JFK • Watergate • Vietnam War
Familial Structure & Influence • Like Traditionalists, Baby Boomers grew up in relatively traditional, nuclear families. • However, because of their optimism and the Civil Rights Era, Baby Boomers are more open to change.
Education • Education became much more of a common aspiration among Baby Boomers. • Most Baby Boomers completed high school and over a fourth of Baby Boomers have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.
Values • Adventure • Vision • Change • Rapport • Equality • Openness • Standing out • Success
Generation X Born 1965-1982
Influences: Social, Political & Economic • Fall of Berlin Wall • Operation Desert Storm • Energy Crisis • MTV and Rock/Punk/Grunge Music • Challenger Space Disaster • AIDS epidemic • Rodney King Affair
Familial Structure & Influence • Generation Xers are also known as latchkey kids, who grew up during a dramatic increase in two-income households. They often came home to empty houses. • As a result, Generation Xers are more self-reliant, although they tend to question authority.
Education • Generation Xers were the best educated generation before Generation Y (Millennials). • They were better educated than both Traditionalists and Baby Boomers. • Many view college as a means to an end, the end being a solid career path.
Values • Freedom • Flexibility • Independence • Frankness • Efficiency • Access • Personal Life
Millennials/Generation Y Born 1983-2000
Also Known As: • Echo Boomers • named for many being the children of Baby Boomers. • Generation Me • named for being more confident but also more self-absorbed and demanding. • Internet Generation • named for being the first generation to grow up with widespread use of the internet.
Influences: Social, Political & Economic • Rap and Hip Hop Music • Oklahoma City Bombing • Lewinsky Scandal • Columbine and Other School Shootings • Dot Com Crash • Religious Scandals • Enron and Corporate Scandals • War in Iraq • Proliferation of Communications and Mobile Technology • 9/11
Familial Structure & Influence • Millennials have grown up in non-traditional families with a record number of divorces. • 1 in 4 lives in a single-parent household. • For many Millennials, both mothers and fathers work and take part in child-rearing. • 3 in 4 have working mothers.
Familial Structure & Influence • Millennials’ families are more child-centered, with parents involving themselves in their children’s activities and education. • Millennials have a strong sense of their own self worth, are ambitious, and believe they can achieve anything. • Only 26% marry by age 32 vs 65% of Veteran generation.
Education • Millennials are the most educated generation yet. More than a third have advanced degrees. • They spend much more time on homework than previous generations. • They value college education despite expensive tuition costs.
Values • Flexibility • Entertainment • Creativity • Variety • Education • Achievement • Meaning • Personal Life
Values • Millennials’ are the least religious of the four generations. (58% vs 74%) • Millennials are the most politically independent (50% vs 32%) and see fewer differences between the two major parties. • However, they tend to be more liberal than their predecessors.
Values • Millennials’ are the most racially diverse of the four generations. (43% non-white, half of newborns are non white) • Millennials are the least trusting generation. Only 19% believe you can trust most people compared to 40% of boomers. • They are the most optimistic generation in terms of their financial future (85% vs 56% for veterans).
Work Ethic • Value challenging, variable, meaningful work. • Work is a venue for involvement and achievement. • Work is important but so is personal life.
Preferred Leadership Approach • Respect authority and rules similar to Traditionalists. • Value a relationship with the immediate boss. • Respond best to an informal, engaging, and “fun” approach.
Communication Style • Like informal communication that feels positive and personalized to them. • Value patience and clarification. • Prefer electronic communication over meetings.
Interaction with Others • Millennials have a collaborative spirit and are good team players. • They value social networking. • Millennials are also respectful of the experience of others. • Millennials may be perceived as having poor communication skills, being rude, or feeling entitled due to their self-confidence and willingness to ask for what they want.
Approach to Feedback • Millennials like to be given feedback for something immediately after they do it. • They are a generation known for wanting instant feedback and praise. • This isn’t just an egocentric thing – Millennials are eager to please and looking to be coached.
View toward the Employer • Millennials’ view toward employers are dependent on their specific work experiences. • They have high expectations for their boss and their work experience. • Unmet expectations drive them to leave.
Work vs. Personal Life • Careers must leave room for personal lives. • Seek flexible scheduling and part-time or temporary leave options.
What they Want • Millennials prefer to receive immediate rewards for their achievements. • Like Generation Xers, they want more challenges and opportunities to develop their skills.
Financial Behaviors • Millennials have already won a reputation for being financially savvy. • Though they are willing spenders, they are concerned about adequate saving and financial security. • They care about job benefits, including retirement benefits.
Relationship with Technology • Millennials are the first generation “native” to digital technology. They have been using it from childhood. • They are very comfortable with technology, and they excel at its use. • They prefer to have up-to-date or cutting edge technology in the workplace.
Expectations • Instant feedback/gratification, praise • Have fun at work • Work on a variety of tasks • Mentorship • Training and opportunities for professional growth • Flexible schedules
Millennials Pros/Cons Pros Cons want instant gratification/praise have high expectations for management need guidance lose interest if they don’t perceive work to be meaningful need to have fun can appear self-absorbed • driven • can multi-task well • technologically savvy • quick learners • flexible • respectful of rules, authority, and elders
Motivating Millennials • Encourage through positive feedback. • Make work entertaining. • Inspire them to work toward a vision or cause. • Offer additional training opportunities. • Support creativity and diversity. • Take their ideas into serious consideration despite their youth.
Implications for Management Be a mentor: • Millennials place great importance on their relationship with their immediate boss. • They see their boss as a resource for learning, training, and growth opportunities. • They also may see their boss as a big reason to leave a job.
Implications for Management Be a mentor: • They also value frequent communication with their boss, which includes feedback. • They expect their boss to be directly involved in overseeing their career development.
Implications for Management Structure work: • Give them numerous tasks with deadlines, a clearly defined schedule, and measurable goals. • Inform them of the steps involved in a project, and allow them to complete it in pieces.
Implications for Management Challenge them: • Put Millennials on the fast-track to increased responsibility. • As soon as they enter the workplace, they are looking to move forward and upward within the company. • They want to prove their worth, so allow them the opportunity to do so.
Generational Disconnect • Veterans have the tendency not to question or challenge authority. • This may cause confusion and resentment among the Gen Xers and Millennials who have been taught to speak up.
Generational Disconnect • Gen Xers and Millennials may fail to actively listen to Boomers and Traditionalists thereby missing valuable information and guidance.
