1. Generations in the Work Force

2. Implications for Work Force Planning
We now have a four generation work force consisting of veterans, boomers, generation x and New Millennial (Gen Y)
These generations have given us a puzzle to solve…four generations trying to work together…sometimes clash and misunderstand each other because of different generational identities

3. Generational Identity
A generational identity is a state of mind shaped by many events, influences and family values which can be referred to as sign posts.

4. Who Are The Players? Veterans/Traditionalists Baby Boomers
Generation Xer’s
Generation Y/Millennials/Nexters

5. Veterans/Traditionalists
The youngest in this group is now 60
Born
75 million strong
Influences on this group:
People:
Dr. Spock, Betty Crocker, Charles Lindbergh, Duke Ellington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, family is important, Mickey Mouse, Flash Gordon, Wheaties, Tarzan, The Lone Ranger, Superman, Patton, Winston Churchill, Audie Murphy, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio
Things:
Scarce…..Save for a rainy day, waste not/want not, I can use those scraps of material to make a quilt, they support United Way, The Red Cross, believe you MUST vote, and buy American, Kewpie Dolls
Events:
World War I, Pearl Harbor and World War II, Stock Market Crashes, The Great Depression, The Korean War, The GI Bill, The Silver Screen, Rise of Labor Unions, Golden Age of Radio, Social Security System Established, Star Spangled Banner Becomes National Anthem
Values: Loyal, Dedicated, Duty, Hard Work, Respect

6. Baby Boomers The youngest in this group is now 41 Born 1946 - 1964
80 million strong
Influences on this group:
People:
Martin Luther King Jr., John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Rosa Parks, Captain Kangaroo, Sky King, The Monkees, The Beatles, Beaver Cleaver, Richard Nixon, family and friends are important, John Glenn circles the Earth, Gandhi
Things:
Exploding availability consumer products, Bell bottom pants, Mood rings, Brooks Brother Suits, Rolex Watches, Junk Food, Junk Bonds, Television (biggest innovation : 4 million/1960: 50 million), foreign items are better than American, prestige first, First Nuclear Power Plant. Birth Control Pills Introduced, Slinkies, TV Dinners, Hula Hoops, The Peace Sign, Fall out Shelters
Places:
Watergate Hotel, Kent State shootings, Woodstock, Suburbs, Divorce Court, Vietnam, Battered Women’s Shelters
Events:
Vietnam War, Women’s and Civil Rights Movements, OPEC Oil Embargo, The Space Race - First Lunar Landing, Assassinations, the Cold War, JFK assassinated, the Peace Corp is established, vote if it’s convenient
Values: Optimistic, Team Work, Achievement, Self Actualization, Youth

7. Generation X Values: Fun, Independence, Informality, Life Balance
The youngest in this group is now 25
Born
46 million strong
Influences on this group:
Places:
Former Soviet Union, Chernoble, International Space Station, Starbucks, The Internet
Things:
Personal Computer is the biggest influence, Cable TV, VCR, Microwaves, Cell Phones, Palm Pilots, Pagers, Video Games, Fax Machines, United way = ? Business ethics, items must be cheap, you must vote, Pet Rocks, Platform Shoes
People:
Madonna, Bill Clinton, Ted Bundy, Al Bundy, Beavis and Butthead, O.J. Simpson, Supermodels, Michael Jordan (almost every role model was indited or exposed - far too human for hero), my family includes my friends, ET
Events:
Kids pictures on milk cartons, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), single parent households skyrocketed, latch-key kids, AIDS epidemics, Wall Street Frenzy, Downsizing, Fall of Berlin Wall, Persian Gulf War, Habitat for Humanity, Energy Crisis Begins, John Lennon shot and killed, Watergate Scandal
Values: Fun, Independence, Informality, Life Balance

8. Generation Y Values: Optimism, Morality, Peer Acceptance, Achievement
Also known as the Millennial’s and Nexters
The oldest in this group is now 24
Born
72.9 million strong
Influences on this group:
People:
Larger than life….Prince William, Chelsa Clinton, Tinky Winky, Leonardo DiCaprio, Barney, Brittney Spears, Mark McGwire, Serena Williams, Harry Potter, inclusive of diverse people, Bill Gates, Christopher Reeves, Tiger Woods, Princess Diana
Places:
Both Virtual and Tangible, Chat Rooms, Dawson’s Creek, 91210, Oklahoma City, Cyber Space to Outer Space, the environment needs help
Technology:
Moved even closer to people, Cell Phones, Pagers ,Computers - available since babies (second nature), brand names
Events:
Directly affected by personal threats stemming from Columbine school violence and gangs. Personal safety #1 work place issue, September 11, heroic efforts vs. supporting United Way, President Clinton and Lewinsky, War on Terror, TV Expansion
Values: Optimism, Morality, Peer Acceptance, Achievement