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: 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 )  Baby Boomers –(Born )  Generation X –(Born )  Millennials/Generation Y –(Born )

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

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

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

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

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.

Technology

Expectations  Instant feedback/gratification, praise  Have fun at work  Work on a variety of tasks  Mentorship  Training and opportunities for professional growth  Flexible schedules

Pros and Cons…

Millennials Pros/Cons Pros  driven  can multi-task well  technologically savvy  quick learners  flexible  respectful of rules, authority, and elders 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

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.

Communication Tips

Communication Tips: Millennials  Be descriptive to form mental pictures.  Always ask for their feedback.  They will respect you if you show your respect through language.

Communication Tips: Millennials  They will resent it if you belittle them.  Assure them that you do not take yourself seriously by using humor.  Encourage them to go against the norm and seek alternate paths or options.

Summary: The Differences Feedback  Veterans: “No news is good news.”  Boomers: “Feedback once a year and lots of documentation.”  Gen Xers: “Sorry to interrupt but how am I doing?”  Millennials: “Feedback where I want it at the push of a button.”

Summary: The Differences Corporate Tenure  Veteran: want to be appreciated due to their years of service, and want to know that they will be taken care of.  Boomers: want to be praised for longevity and big on equity.  Gen Xers: praise for longevity does not work; corporate hoppers.  Millennials: although loyal, longevity within a company is not essential.

Summary: The Differences Job Expectations  Veteran: Do what needs to be done.  Boomers: Need understandable and brief job expectations.  Gen Xers: They will question the task if they can’t see its reasoning.  Millenials: Want to make a difference, do not want boring jobs.

Summary: The Differences Retirement  Veteran: “Put in 30 years, retire and live off of pension/savings.”  Boomers: “If I retire, who am I? I have not saved enough money, so I need work.” Many are defined by what they do.

Summary: The Differences Retirement  Generation Xers: “I may retire early. I’ve saved my money. I may want different experiences and change careers.”  Millennials: Appear to be similar to Generation Xers.

Conclusion Ireland 2006 Effective leadership in this century can no longer be “my way or the highway.” We must have a vision for the future, an understanding of our employees and a plan that meets their needs as well as those of the company. But a vision and a plan without execution is meaningless.