GENERATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE Silent SilentBoomers Gen Xers Millennials

The Four Generations Silents ( ) Gen X ( ) Boomers ( ) Millennials ( ) Boomers 34% Gen Xers 18% Millenials 33% Silents 15%

Silents Believe that hard work and dedication leads to rewards Punctual and rarely miss work Committed to organization Respect Authority Not self-promoting

Working With Silents What they bring to the team Superb interpersonal skills Good work ethic Areas of Conflict May struggle with the diversity of the workforce May struggle with technology

Boomers “Me” generation Competitive and hard-working, started the 60 hr work week Get the job done at any cost Seen as sacrificing personal life to achieve professional goals New outlook: They’re getting a life.

What they bring to the team Driven and service-oriented Good team players Areas of Conflict Dealing with conflict Self-promoting Working With Boomers

Generation X Latchkey kids Digest information rapidly Witnessed corporate downsizing and demise of lifetime employment May not sacrifice personal life for a company

What they bring to the team Open to receiving feedback Good at networking Areas of Conflict Nomadic Parallel Processing Working With Gen Xers

Millennials Cooperative, civic-minded and intellectually curious Have mostly known affluence Meaningful work that makes a difference in the world Value information and technology

What they bring to the team Good at multi-tasking Appreciate diversity Areas of Conflict Strong parental attachment Need more recognition Working With Millenials

Recognize generational differences when communicating with a co-worker Communicate expectations Appreciate each other’s perspective Respecting Each Other

Were You Listening? Answer each question True or False.

There are five different generations in the workplace today. There are four different generations: Silents, Boomers, Generation X, and Millennial Generation False True or False

Boomers were responsible for the sixty hour work week. Boomers believe in promotion through long hours at work and started the 60+ hour workweek. True

Xers are the nomadic generation. Generation Xers are independent and not afraid to leave a company if they are not happy. True True or False

One of the ways to help overcome the conflict between the generations is to spend time learning about your differences. Yes, the more you know about a generation and a person, the better you understand how they work, communicate and view the world. True True or False

Companies can benefit from the creativity of the mixed groups. Mixed teamwork can bring about creativity and negative feelings are pushed aside. True True or False

Millennials and Veterans are connected because of their patriotic values. Because of 9-11, Millennials feel a connection to the war generation, the Veterans. True True or False

Veterans make up the largest generation in the workplace. The largest generation in the workplace is the Boomer generation. False True or False

Millennials want a work environment that makes a difference in the world. Millennials want to work for a company that is doing something for the outside community. True True or False

Our objective today was to give you a better understanding of the diversity of our workforce. Hopefully you’ve gained knowledge that will help you appreciate and value the generational differences.

Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em – Beverly Kaye & Sharon Jordan-Evans The Learning Café; Generations Issue – Devon Scheef & Diane Thielfoldt Four Generations in the Workplace – Cameron Marston Generations at Work – Ron Zimki, Claire Raines and Bob Filipczak Resources