Managing the

Multigenerational
Workplace
Learning Objectives
Answer the following questions:
• Who are these generations?
• How are they different from one another?
• How they can work together?
Things to Remember Before
Beginning
• This information contains generalizations only and are not meant to be
stereotypes.
• Individuals vary widely in their personal preferences, and experiences,
especially those who fall on the cusp of two generations.
• Even experts don’t always agree on the defining line (or year) of
generations.
• The true key to understanding the generations in your workplace is
through COMMUNICATION!
Generation
all of the people born and living at about the same time,
regarded collectively

in social science, are people within a delineated population who

experience the same significant events within a given period of
time.
Traditionalist (Pre-1945)
• Oldest generation in the workforce
• Loyal, patriotic and hard working individuals
• Believe respect and status is earned through experience
• Perfect mentors due to experiences and wisdom
Baby Boomer (1946 – 1964)
• Hard-working and company-loyal (coined the term “workaholic”)
• Communicate best face-to-face
• Self-sacrificing and service-oriented
• Excellent role models for younger generations
Generation X (1965 – 1978)
• “Work-life balance”
• Believe company loyalty is earned, not expected
• More technology literate than previous generations
• Respect is earned through performance
• Encourage others to work and think independently
Millennials (1979 – 1995)
• Not impressed by job status or titles
• Prefer jobs that suite their lifestyle
• Work best with constant communication with peers and managers
• Optimistic and can energize older generations
Generation Z (1996+)
• Just beginning to enter the workforce
• Most technology literate generation
• Prefer virtual communication
• Incentivized by opportunity and trust
• Can share tech expertise with older generations
How can they work
together?
5 tips to overcome generational
differences at work
1. Awareness and appreciation
2. Be respectful
3. Find the common ground
4. Slay your assumptions
5. Pursue cross-generational interactions
Looking Forward
• Silent Generation will leave the workforce into retirement
• Baby Boomers will soon become oldest generation
• Generation X will make up majority of executive roles
• Millennials will begin to rise into leadership roles
• Generation Z will reshape how organizations hire top talent