MULTIGENERATIONAL

& MULTICULTURAL
WORKFORCE
.
LET’S START WITH MULTIGENERATIONAL
 The Emerging Workforce has
Different Values
Boomer Generation X Generation Y
Traditionalist

 Conformity  Personal and social  Free agency and  Hope about future
expression independence  Collaboration
 Stability
 Idealism  Street-smarts  Social activism
 Upward mobility
 Health and  Friendship  Tolerance for
 Security wellness  Cynicism diversity
 Economic success  Youth  Family centricity

Born 1928-1945 Born 1946-1964/5 Born 1965/6-1980 Born 1980-2000

Four generations are being asked to coexist

Source: Based in part on “Meeting the Challenges
of Tomorrow's Workplace,” CEO Magazine, 2005
Post-War Generation: Traditionalists

• Born: 1922 to 1945

• Teen Years: 1942 to 1963
• Today (2009): 64 plus
years
Traditional Generation
• This group not only survived the Great Depression
of 1930 but was instrumental in shaping the US as
an economic and military power
• Boasted as the first true innovators
• Responsible for today’s space program, creating
vaccines for polio, tuberculosis, tetanus and more
• This generation was the first to pursue equality
through the Civil Rights Movement
 Traditional Generation Values
• Believes in conformity and rules

• Believes in logic

• Very defined sense of right and wrong

• Loyalty and respect for authority

 Traditional Generation Attributes
• Disciplined

• View an understanding of history as a way to

plan for the future

• Dislikes conflict

• Detail oriented
Traditional Generation Work Style
• Consistent and uniformity

• Past oriented

• Command and control leadership

• Prefer hierarchical organizational structures

 Boomers
• Born: 1946 to 1964 (or
1965)
• Teens: 1960 to 1982
• Today (2009): 45 to 63
years old
 Boomers
• With increased education, financial and social
opportunities, they are often portrayed as a
generation of optimism, exploration and
achievement

• They also came of age when the country was

frequently torn by differing views on politics,
war and social justice (Vietnam war, protests,
assassinations of Kennedy and King)
 Boomers
• This generation witnessed and participated in
some of the greatest social changes in the
country’s history during the 1960’s and 1970’s
with the Civil Rights Movement and the
Women’s Movement coining such terms as
“glass ceiling” and the “equal opportunity
workplace”
 Boomer Values
• Individual choice
• Community involvement
• Prosperity
• Ownership
• Self-actualization
• Health and wellness
 Boomer Attributes
• Adaptive

• Goal oriented

• Focus on individual choices and freedom

• Positive attitude
 Boomer Work Style
• Confidence in tasks

• Emphasize team-building

• Seek collaborative, group decision making

• Avoid conflict
 Generation X

• Born:
1965 to 1980
• Teens Years:
1980 - 1998
• Today (2009):
29 to 43/44 years old
 Generation X
• Was pushed toward adulthood at an age
earlier than any other recent generation
• Whereas Boomers came to understand that
the future was theirs for the taking, Gen X felt
that the future had been given to their
parents and other siblings and found the
future disappointing and somewhat
unappealing.
 Generation X
• Gen Xers spent less time with their parents
than previous generations of children had
(coined the latchkey kids)
• Divorce was common
• They were not coddled for every emotional
need and want
• Learned that their parents were human and
fallible and often found themselves treating
their parents like older friends
 Generation X
• Gen Xers learned independence early in life
and turned it into a valuable hallmark as they
progressed into the working world
• Just as they hit the working world, the 1980
economic downturn occurred. Suddenly their
future looked crowded. Competition for jobs
was tight. For the first time in history, this
generation was being told they would not be
able to replicate the lifestyles of their parents.
 Generation X’s
Key Character-Shaping Events

A Diverse Group
of “Friends”

End of the Cold War – fall of the Berlin Wall

Iran hostage crisis
Entry of women into the workforce
Significant increase in their parents’
unemployment
Growth of the Internet (PCs)
 Generation Y: Millennial

• Born: 1980-2000 (some say

1978 to 1998; some say to
1994)
• Teen Years: 1994-2018
• Today (2009): 9 to 29 years
old
• Largest consumer group in
the history of the US: 70
million-plus
• The children of Baby
Boomers, the upbeat younger
siblings of Gen X
 Gen Y
• This generation has grown up in an era of
technology. They have always known cable
tv, cell phones, pagers, answering machines,
laptop computers and video games
• Whereas Boomers saw the future as theirs
and Gen X found the future disheartening, this
generation questions whether they will have a
future. Columbine shooting and September 11
have deeply affected this generation.
 Gen Y
• Gen Y Boomer parents are very involved in
their children’s lives providing for many
emotional, educational and physical needs
and some wants
• This generation has received a lot of praise
and reward throughout their life for their
efforts
 Gen Y
• Many in this generation have close
relationships with their parents often
continuing to live with them and to be
supported by them to some extent as
they enter the workforce
• These young workers seek their parents’
advice and approval and look to managers to
provide the same nurturing advice and
approval as their parents have
 Gen Y
• Spent a good deal of time
watching as their parents rose to
the top of the corporate ladder, balancing work
and family, and have seen their parents lose jobs
as a result of downsizing and reorganizations
• Work is temporary and unreliable
• Less committed to an employer sensing that
employers are less committed to long term
employment
 Gen Y/ Millennials’
Key Character-Shaping Events

Upbeat and Determined

Terrorism: 911, World Trade Center,

Oklahoma City
School violence: Columbine
Global warming, natural disasters,
AIDS
Ubiquitous technology
Working mothers
Unprecedented bull market
Pro-child culture
 How do 3 generations view the topic
of WORK
• Boomers – “Work, work, work. It’s what we are
all about”
• Gen Xers – “Work. Work more with flexibility.
Work even more? Let’s talk”
• Gen Yers – “Work flexibly anywhere, but I need
complete access to information and the answer
to “Why?” Work anytime…on my terms. Work
even more? That is so lame, I’m texting all of my
friends to tell them how lame you are!”
 How do the generations view
feedback?
• Traditionalists - No news is good news
• Baby Boomers - Once a year, with lots of
documentation
• Generation Xers - Sorry to interrupt, but how
am I doing?
• Generation Yers - Feedback whenever I want
it at the push of a button
LET’S ADD IN MULTICULTURAL TO THE
WORKFORCE
 Multicultural Workforce
• A multicultural workforces is one wherein a
company’s employees include members of a
variety of ethnic, racial, religious and gender
backgrounds
• Each employee brings his or her unique self into
the workplace. It is important that this
uniqueness is recognized, accepted and valued
by peers, leaders and colleagues, just as it is
important for the employee to value the
uniqueness of others
 Multicultural Workforce
• Communication uses verbal and non-verbal
elements to exchange information to create a
shared understanding
• People have different communication styles
• Different preferences for personal space
• Some cultures have a tradition of not
questioning superiors
• Others are very open with questions
 Multicultural Workforce
• Language can also be a barrier to effective
teamwork

• Expectations regarding how the work is to be

done can also differ among cultures
 Blending the Workforces
• Recognize differences
• Each group has their own traits and
characteristics of learning, communicating
and working
• Managers and staff need to recognize and
understand the varying expectation and
attributes among these groupings
 How Do We Succeed?
• Me, You, They, Them (us)….are all responsible to
find a middle ground, recognize and celebrate
differences, mentor and each other
• Understanding in order to bridge the gap
• Learn from one another, no matter what age,
ethnicity, perspective or generation
• Talk and communicate in multiple ways from
texting, tweets, FB, LI, blogging and emails to
good old fashion face to face communication
(keeping in mind the company’s communication
policies)
• Implementing clear policies and practices with
set guidelines for privacy and protection
• Giving up old ways to gain and get new, next
level
• Expectations stated clearly for everyone
• Networking socially to leverage everything
• Extend a hand to help everyone succeed
• Respecting, reverence and regard for one
another, be real
• Appreciating and accepting
• Think before you judge, anyone or anything
• Invite someone from a different generation or
ethnicity to spend time with you and then learn
from each other
• Outcomes and results – many ways to get there;
opportunities to share; openness
• Need to connect, not disconnect; state what you
need; ask, what do you need?
• All of us in this together!
• Listen, let go and learn!
• Celebrate all kinds of diversity!!