Understanding and Motivating Different Generations: Our Employees, Our Future

Each Generation
•Consists of approximately a 20-year span (not all demographers and generation researchers
agree on the exact start/stop dates)
•Has a unique set of values
•Reacts to the generation before them
•Looks at their generation as the standard of comparison
•Looks at the next generation skeptically “these kids today…”
•They are either idealistic, reactive, civic or adaptive

Business Today…
•Lives in a world created by generations who are (mostly, 95%) no longer working.

•They were influenced by the military and created a workplace reflecting a hierarchy with a clear
chain of command.

•Employees worked hard to receive raises, bonuses and higher ranks. Higher rank (with the
higher salary) was valued.

Let’s Look at the Generations -One at a Time

The Veterans Childhood

•Born 1922–1945
•Raised by the GI Generation (civic)
•Large families (3-5 children)
•Strong sense of extended family
(same town or home)
•Grandparents in theirhome
•Rural society
•Perception of the world as “safe”
•Very defined sense of right and wrong
•Loyalty and respect for authority

The Veterans
•Children of the Great Depression and WWII,
•decided not to attack the institutions created by the generation before them, but instead, as
global thinkers,
•they chose to focus on improving and refining the institutionsso that they could be good for
everyone, not just a select few.

•The overall goal was not to change the system, but to work within it

School Experiences for Veterans

•Hard work
•Respected their elders
•Children were to be seen and not heard
•Performance based on individual ability
•Little feedback unless negative
•More intrinsic reward for good performance
•Learned from history (other’s experiences)
•Small class size, one curriculum for all
•No special education(students no where in sight)
•Virtually never tested with standardized tests –less comparison to others

Values of Staff in this Age Group

•Loyal to employer (company man) and expect the same in return
•Believe they should be rewarded for tenure
•Work ethic = efficiency and hard work
•Stable, thorough and detail oriented
•Don’t buck the system but work within it
•Uncomfortable with conflict and disagreements
•Not change oriented

Changes in the Workforce

•Veterans have experienced the most change in their lifetime. They have had to adapt to:
–Computers

–Communication channels changing

–World getting smaller

–Keeping up with rapid increases in information

Whatwas retirement: staying in a chair and waiting for the death

The Baby Boomers 1943–1964 (the largest generation, idealist)

•First generation to live miles from

extended family
•Family size smaller (2-3 children)

•Few grandparents in the home

•associated with a rejection or redefinition of traditional values.

•baby boomers were the wealthiest, most active, and most physically fit generation

•Perception of the world as “safe

Baby-boomer Results
•Very idealistic -banned together and walked through life with their fists held high
•Generation gap occurred between them and their parents
•Captured phrases like “why be normal” and “question authority”
•They weren’t friendly toward authority
•Did not get along with their parents and swore they would not raise their kids like they were
raised
•As adults -work an average of 55 hours per week

Boomer Staff Values

•Always share personal experience –“what has happened to me is relevant to you”
•Value stability and respect
•Like to see their successes
•Tend to “workaholism” and have difficulty balancing their lives, working 40 hours is “slack.”
•Are competitive
•See themselves as the standard of comparison
•Appreciate technology because of how easy it makes their work –still fear they might “break it”
and may have a “back-up plan”.
Boomers at Work
•Ethic = long hours show commitment

•Team oriented and relationship builders (don’t like conflict –can’t we all just get along)

•Not budget minded

•Sensitive to feedback
Marketing to Boomers
•Are individualistic so they like “customized and custom-made products”
•Want to look successful (lots of stuff)
•Seek self-improvement
•Products/services that help them reach a balanced life (work/home)
•Like technology but see the problems that come with it

The Late Veterans and Early Boomers Gave Birth to the Next Generation
•The Gen Xers1965–1982

•A Lost Generation… A Nomadic Generation…..

•Half the Size of the Baby Boom (reactive)

•41 Million

The Gen X Childhood

•Divorce reached an all-time high
•Single-parent families became the norm
•Latch-key kids were a major issue of the time
•Children not as valued –looked at as a hardship
•Families spread out (miles apart)
•Family size = 1.7 children (many only-children)
•Perception of the world as “unsafe”
•Parents looked around and said –we need to do this better

Generation X
•This is the conscientious, extremely pragmatic, self-sufficient generation
•Born and raised at a time when children were at the bottom of the social priorities
•They learned that they could only count on one thing -themselves. As a result, they are very
"me" oriented.
•They are not active voters, nor are they deeply involved in politics in general.

How Gen Xers Learn

•Task oriented –like to learn new skills

•Speed is important

•Self-paced learning, independent learning

•Want to have fun while they learn

•Informal learning environments are best

•Hate group work

•Want feedback from teacher

Gen Xers as Staff

•Cynical, pessimistic and impatient with poorer people skills
•Want work-life balance
•Think globally and seek independence
•Like technology and want an informal work environment
•Don’t want the boomers’ work ethic
•Communication is important and talk to adults as friends/peers (not impressed with authority)
•Believe reward should be based on productivity not hours worked
•Want control of self, time and future
•Loyalty to people not a company

Generation Z
•They raised on technology, they will aren`t scared of anything, they are open to new ideas.
•They are into truth and loyalty and they are not afraid to voice their opinion.
•They are flexible and open to change.
•They are fearless and fun.
•They are the ‘new’ hope for our own future.
•Their great-grandparents belong mostly to the Silent Generation and the Baby boomers form the
core of their grandparents.
•Their parents are seen as being evenly divided between Generation X and Generation Y.