Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Older Generations
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Introduction
Age diversity at the workforce has resulted in generational differences with each generation having
its own set of work values and beliefs. Such diversity is inevitable and should be handled smartly
for the sake of business success. Age diversity is, indeed, a blessing for any workplace since it
enriches organizations with a variety of mentalities and mindsets, which are capable of bringing
Technological developments over history have created entirely different life experiences and
multiple generations as a result. As such, expectations vary in terms of what the employee
experience should be like and what it takes to retain each employee. Understanding generational
differences in the workforce begins with understanding the characteristics of each generation and
how those generations view the future, the work they do today, and their colleagues.
The research paper at hand aims at exploring the characteristics of newer generations at the
workplace and how they could be different from those of the older generations. In addition, we
discuss the opportunities each generation could bring to the business as well as the workplace
culture and environment each generation prefers. Furthermore, we introduce some tips concerning
effective management of multiple generations within the same workplace. Finally, we address the
key elements that should be taken into account to attract and retain employees of the newer
generations.
1. Characteristics of New Generation Entering the Workforce
The new generations are given several names and titles, such as Millennials, Nexters, Generation
Y (Gen Y), Generation Z (Gen Z), and Zoomers. According to Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary (2022), Gen Y refers to people born between 1980 and the mid of 1990s whereas Gen
Z are those who were born between late 1990s and early 2000s; Older generations are those born
As Harber (2011) puts it, members from different generations view things differently in terms of
what they are looking for and what matters to them the most; older generations, for example, value
job security, and newer generations enjoy being with their families. However, we believe that
differences among generations cannot be easily determined and stated since such differences
continuously vary based on several elements among which are the cultural/sub-cultural differences
We do believe that new generations are an added value for any workplace since they are more
independent, more communicative, and entrepreneurial. They are driven by career/financial goals,
they are more competitive, and most of them are highly educated. They have the ability to demand
greater personalization in how they move along with their career journey, and they consider
For a better description of characteristics and traits of the newer generations with respect to the
Salary is a key factor for making decisions when accepting or rejecting a job for all generation.
However, newer generations tend to consider salaries as being of less value compared to other
generations. If newer generations are to choose between a high salary yet boring job and another
one which pays less but more exciting, they would split over the choice (Gomez et al., 2018).
From our point of view, new generations prefer jobs that promote a healthy lifestyle despite the
fact that such jobs might not offer the best salaries. They would go for exciting jobs where they
will be highly motivated and do the required tasks with much enthusiasm. Accordingly, such
young employees would show the willingness to stay at work for extra hours and work overtime
Conversely, there is a gap between the real market salaries and the expectations of such young
generations. The findings of a recent survey conducted by Clever Real Estate in the U.S. show
some shocking results that the average starting salary for university graduates is $55,260 per year
whereas college students expect their first salary to be around $103,880 (Olya, 2022).
1.2 Technology
Having grown up and raised side by side with the technological advances and smart devices, new
generations are distinguished by their deep knowledge of technology compared to the older
generations. This gives them an advantage at the workplace and helps them compete in an ever-
developing market. According to Young (2017), a global news survey found out that 98% of young
people own smartphones and more than half of the survey participants spend over 10 hours on
Social media forms an integral part of the young generation’s lives, and it helps them function
better at their work since they can check updates, gain new skills, mix with people of different
types, and so many other advantages. However, social media and technology have a dark side and
could turn from being a blessing into being a curse. If not used properly and appropriately,
technology could be a waste of time and can also be a barrier against success and interaction with
people.
Thanks to technology and social media, new generations got the opportunity to virtually get in
touch with and interact with people from over the world who belong to various diverse cultures
and backgrounds. As such, they are almost ready to fit in a diverse workplace where they would
actually feel completely at home. Such differences and diversity are what distinguishes this
As mentioned earlier, what sets the younger generation apart is their deep knowledge of technology
since they have grown up with smartphones and computers at their fingertips. They are used to
manage various and multiple apps and programs at the same time; therefore, they have
unconsciously developed the multitasking skill that is considered an important advantage in the
contemporary business world. Such a skill helps young generations to get into the market
competition with confidence and with a competitive advantage over older generations who have
However, multitasking could be a trap if not smartly utilized. In his online article on Forbes online
business magazine, Beaton (2017) states that “Multitasking compromises our visual awareness,
divides our attention, distracts us, reduces our job satisfaction, stunts our memory, impairs
The current workplace is distinguished by including multiple generations (Silent Generation, Baby
Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Z) working side-by-side. Indeed, culture has changed
greatly between the current generation and previous generations, and the differences have become
very wide, and this is what approached us to the great technological and scientific development.
That’s why understanding generation differences in workplace can lead to huge successes where
each generation has its own strengths, weaknesses, advantages, and sometimes disadvantages
It is possible to benefit from the experiences of the previous generations and to combine them with
the technological, intellectual, and educational developments of the modern generations, so that
The way that different generations can deal with each other and the impact this might have on the
workplace cannot be clearly determined; However, some of the scholars who did researches about
generational differences claim that the impacts are not that crucial, and differences are not
meaningful (Ng et al., 2016). We believe that there are several differences and similarities among
generations, and the workplace should take advantage of such diversity to make the best use of
The below section provides the key differences between older and newer generations that can
affect their behavior in the workplace and how they work together:
Newer generations tend to have a highly entrepreneurial and creative with a more optimistic
mindset than older generations; however, older generations are more interested in tested and
established channels of success based on their wide established experience. That is why some
young generations could take quicker decisions than old/wise generations. Both are important for
the workplace, and the top management of any business should make use of such diversity.
2.2 Teamwork
On the one hand, older generations are more independent and prefer working things out on their
own with their focus being on individual success, and this could be due to the vast experience they
acquired over years. On the other hand, millennials and newer generations would go more for
2.3 Motivation
When it comes to the workplace motivation, older generations often look for jobs that share their
core values and are somehow connected to their lifestyle giving them a good work-life balance.
Newer generations are more interested in companies that develop their skills and support their
career advancement.
2.4 Money
Both generations get financially motivated at work. Older generations tend to be more willing to
forego expensive products and experiences, while millennials are looking for ways to get what
Trunk (2007) states that financial security is not the only factor that attract members of the newer
generations since most of them depend on their families and parents for housing and for receiving
some financial support especially at the beginning of their work life. Conversely, a survey
conducted in Canada, included over 900 Millennials, found out that all of the survey participants
selected the extrinsic work values as being of more importance than other values in the workplace;
extrinsic values include pay and financial benefits (Kuron et al., 2015).
2.5 Internet and Technology
New generations were born alongside technology and their lifestyle has been greatly impacted by
such technological changes and developments; this is clear in how they make friends online and
how they are well prepared to continue adapting along with technology. On the contrary, older
generations may find it relatively difficult to integrate the new internet tools and struggle in
learning and using such technology in their work or even personal life.
2.6 Professionalism
Older generations have grown up with some of the more conservative ideas and stereotypes that
are more concerned with formalities, timing, and how to present and define themselves in a societal
context compared to the new generations who believe that their abilities, qualities, personalities,
and skills should be of much important than the way they present themselves.
The success of an employee at work is closely tied to their expectations and ideals. Due to the wide
range of generations currently employed, employees’ expectations and values are very different
The most effective managers will fully consider the traits and life events that influence employees'
behavior, including the effects of their generation. Although there is a widespread belief that
employees' expectations usually fall within the context of extrinsic factors, the intrinsic motivators
believe that employers and businesses should exert extra efforts and understand that their
employees belong to multiple generations and consequently are considered to be a complex and
generations. The first is to accept them as they are and the second is to avoid attempting to force
them into a model of conformity that neither they nor you wish to be bound by. People feel more
appreciated and respected when their individuality is allowed to flourish and is not just accepted
but also celebrated. It is difficult to accomplish this. Giving people the freedom to handle situations
in their own way and empowering them to achieve results by drawing on their individual creativity
Organizations frequently have different generations due to people retiring later in life. The modern
workplace includes Gen Xers and Millennials. The newest cohort to enter the labor market, Gen
Z, with its oldest members, is also joining them. This combination of age groups offers companies
with great opportunities to benefit from age diversity for workplace culture. Diverse viewpoints,
experiences in life, and innovative working and communicating methods can all contribute to the
Having multiple generations in the workplace can be challenging to manage; however, it can be a
great blessing since each generation can bring different and various values and opportunities to the
business, which greatly affect and impact the success of any organization.
According to an online article published by Unretire Yourself website (2022), different generations
• Baby Boomers: Baby Boomers are distinguished by being open to accept change more
than the generation that preceded them, which is called “silents” or “traditionalists”. Baby
Boomers, based on the feedback of some experts, are known to have feelings of love hatred
towards authority and a sense of having rights in the workforce. This generation is proven
Based on the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) “26 percent of workers plan to
work until age 70, and another 6 percent say they will never be able to retire. Research
varies on why this generation will continue to work. Money may be a motivator, but so
• The X generation stands out by possessing excellent technical skills, which makes them
more independent than Baby Boomers. They are eager to expand their skill set and take on
new challenges. In a post-downsizing climate, they are also seen as being able to adjust to
job insecurity.
• Millennials is the first generation to reach maturity during the internet's exponential rise.
They are regarded as some of the most adaptable people when it comes to embracing
diversity and change. Millennials are currently the workforce generation with the highest
levels of education. Many Millennials were motivated to work hard and establish goals by
• Generation Z: Despite being technology aware and living in a connected world, this group
As understanding your employees’ different requirements, motivations, and career goals is step
number one to have them engaged and productive, it is vital to consider the following points when
member “would rather share socks than an office space” (Ceridian, 2018). We do believe
that this would work for newer generations; however, it is also important to maintain some
fixed workstations for older generation members to help them be more comfortable during
work time as they are used to, so the key here is to strike a balance between having available
their direct managers, as they prefer continuous feedback and monitoring due to their
intense exposure to social media and its rapid reactions and responses (Ceridian, 2018).
From our point of view, Millennials and Gen Z would get much engaged through oquick
feedback and continuous communication, bearing in mind that old generations would
prefer traditional appraisal setting which usually takes place twice a year. We would go for
3) Rewarding properly and smartly: Gen Z members do value job security, good salaries, and
promises of future promotions and raises based on their high performance. This helps
businesses retain such young employees. Additionally, other benefits such as discounts on
some goods/places or gym membership can be appealing to Gen Z members and will also
work for older generations as well as no one say no to a discount (Ceridian, 2018).
4) Arranging tailored learning and development methods such as instructional videos and
small refreshing sessions with proper use of enough human interaction to improve newer
generations’ skills, whilst older generations would prefer old school training schemes with
usually have side projects to finish (Ceridian, 2018). We agree that flexible work hours and
flexible vacations would be a good option for almost all employees; however, it is vital for
businesses to maintain a balance with the fixed working hours that usually fits older
generations who prefer traditional fixed working hours and plan their whole day upon it.
That would definitely have a positive impact on the overall performance when everyone
6) Having the company’s values clearly set and introduced to employees of newer generations
can easily have them attached to the organization due to their strong moral compass since
it is vital for them to know how their efforts add value to the success of their organizations
in addition to how they can have their personal and professional goals achieved (Ceridian,
2018).
The previous section listed some examples of what to take care of when arranging a proper
workplace for employees of new generations with respect to older generations. This section is
concerned with how to manage multiple generations at the workplace. We believe that this could
In her online article, Waida (2021) lists the following points providing some tips on how to manage
multigenerational workplace:
1. Doing proper research on each generation: Understanding what each generation likes and prefers
in terms of working conditions and preferences can help avoid misunderstanding and internal
conflicts among employees of different generations, and that can be done by some research and
analysis for each generation percentage within the organization. For example, some studies found
that generation X tend to highly appreciate medical insurance as they tend to care much for helping
elders and children while Generation Y tend to care more for jobs that has outdoor work
2. Equal understanding of opinions of each team member: Stereotyping and framing colleagues on
the basis of the way they dress or the way they use social media can happen sometimes despite
everyone’s best intentions not to. Accordingly, businesses should always make sure to spot the
light on accepting diversity among our workgroups through team meetings to avoid any future
minor incidents of such issues. In addition, it is a must to handle any incidents that already
happened to help emphasize the idea that, instead of assuming that everyone is the same,
together can be very useful resulting in the fact that they would complement one another using
their preferences in handling different tasks at work. For example, “Baby Boomers can pass on
their knowledge and experiences to Generation Y with digital tools and systems that Generation Z
sets up for them. Remember that successful multi-generational teams are built on the strength of
4. Never assume: Assuming that an employee has certain skills or capabilities just based on their
age can be major setback leading to unnecessary stereotype. Instead, it is better to let everyone
demonstrate their skills and knowledge, and then we can decide “who” can do “what” better, so
encourage employees to exchange knowledge and learn from each other, and it doesn’t necessarily
have to be done from an older generation to a younger one as the other way around can be very
beneficial since knowledge is not necessarily correlated to age. Furthermore, an effective method
to lessen the differences between generations in the workplace is arranging team building events
in which an offsite meeting is arranged off work to help everyone bond and practice a friendly
6. Grouping similar traits and preferences: After doing a thorough analysis of all generation
preferences and traits at the workplace, it is a brilliant idea to use mutual preferences to handle
member of different generation at same time without facing any hard time communicating and
arranging tasks.
The previous sections provided a detailed discussion on the characteristics of the newer
generations (also known as Millennials, Nexters, Gen Y, Gen Z), the opportunities they can bring
to the business, and the different approaches that can be adopted in managing such young
workforce. This section is concerned with the strategies that businesses can follow in order to
attract, recruit, and retain those young talents. According to Harber (2011, p. 45), “organizations
need to align management, Human Resources, strategies, and policies to suit the values and views
of each generation and to have managers trained to lead collaboratively rather than hierarchically”.
Millennials participated from over the world. Participants were asked about a variety of topics,
such as workplace environment, work styles, payment, professional/career development,
communication, and work/life balance. In relation to how to retain newer generations, the
As shown in this figure, the top four factors affecting the career decisions of the newer generations
are connected to: (1) career progression, (2) good pay and financial benefits, (3) training and
professional development plans, and (4) satisfactory and good benefits package. The other key
- Work–life balance is of a great value to Millennials. They do not easily sacrifice their
sacrifice pay increases and promotions for having and enjoying a flexible work schedule.
- They have faith in the fact that businesses and business leaders need to participate in the
On the one hand, recruiting and retaining employees should be on the top of the priorities of all
businesses since it is the workforce of any company that defines and shapes its success. On the
other hand, recruiting and retaining members of the newer generations could be challenging and
requires a great deal of flexibility and adaptation to match and accommodate their mindset. The
following are the key elements that need to be considered for effective recruitment and retaining
of Gen Y talents.
As a matter of fact, pay and financial benefits are key elements for both employees and employers.
However, Trunk (2007) states that financial security is not the only factor that attract members of
the newer generations since most of them depend on their families and parents for housing and for
receiving some financial support especially at the beginning of their work life. Conversely, a
survey conducted in Canada, included over 900 Millennials, found out that all of the survey
participants selected the extrinsic work values as being of more importance than other values in
the workplace; extrinsic values include pay and financial benefits (Kuron et al., 2015).
Accordingly, pay is not the only motivator for young talents, but this does not mean that businesses
can simply neglect it. Rather, this means that offering a good salary is vital but not enough; it
should be accompanied with other points that matter the most for Millennials, which are discussed
We live in a highly dynamic world, which requires all businesses to be flexible enough to be able
to cope with the new demands and changes. Naseem (2015) explains that young talents appreciate
a flexible work culture concerned with getting the job done rather than focusing on a routine 9-5
work, which allows employees to get time off whenever they need.
A good example of this could be noticed in some of the translation firms who adopt a flexible work
culture through assigning their employees a daily or monthly quota (certain amount of wordcount)
that they can translate based on their time preferences whether during the day or at night and
In her online article published on Harvard Business Review, Knight (2014) urges businesses to
add questions to the annual employee survey concerning the preferred communication style. This
shows the importance of choosing the right communication style/approach with all employees and
particularly with members of newer generations. Rogers (2021) affirms the fact that Millennials
have grown up alongside the internet and state-of-the-art technologies like artificial intelligence
facilitate and speed up communications through the use of channels like WhatsApp, Zoom, social
media, and other chat apps. This does not necessarily mean that other communication channels
like emails or face-to-face meetings are not preferred by Millennials. Younger generations usually
opt for a hybrid approach of communication that gathers both ways. Accordingly, a smart
management would take this into account when selecting the communication style to be adopted
Rogers (2021) states that members of young generations are concerned greatly with their
professional development since most of them occupy positions of the entry or middle level, which
requires more trainings so that they can move up their career ladder. Additionally, a good tool of
recruiting Millennials is the use of internships since this allows companies to identify the qualified
strong candidates and provides Millennials with hands-on trainings, an opportunity to get to know
the company, and to experience the job responsibilities (Delcampo et al., 2016).
As such, smart management should make it crystal clear in any of its job announcements that they
provide continuous professional development programs and plans to their employees. This would
attract Millennials to a great extent since they value feedback and mentorship from their managers.
Another idea that companies can do to attract and retain young talents is to add in the job
descriptions the skills that will be learned and trainings that will be offered to employees during
There are several innovative ideas that can be done at the workplace that could strongly enhance
the work atmosphere and make employees love being at work. Examples of such ideas include
outings, gatherings, outdoor activities, fitness and sport devices, free beverages, dish parties,
surprising gifts, volunteering activities, etc. These are some of the examples that companies can
take advantage of, but it does not mean that all of them should be applied; this depends on the
nature and industry of each business. However, it is a must for all businesses to consider such
activities to change the daily work routine and recharge their employees’ power. If a company
applies any of such activities, they should highlight them during the recruitment process.
Conclusion
Handling multiple generations at the workplace is a crucial topic that should be given extra
attention by all businesses and business leaders globally. Therefore, human resource professionals
and managers can develop policies that improve communication, satisfaction, commitment, and
retention through understanding the differences and similarities among generational groups. It is
critical to continue the examination of generations in the workplace, but it is also critical to
recognize areas of agreement among employees of various ages and experiences. This knowledge
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