Currently there are 3 major generations in the workforce, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. The two biggest clash is seen between the largest generation gap, Boomers and Generation Y. The two generations have contradictory work preferences. “Boomers obsession with work vs Generation Y's flexibility, Baby Boomers preference for autonomy and Generation Y's for collaboration and working in teams, Baby Boomers respect for workplace hierarchy against Generation Y's preparedness to challenge management and so on” (Helyer & Lee, 2013). “Some generational differences can be addressed through effective human resource management. For example, organizations train managers to provide frequent feedback to members of Generation Y, and they show respect for older generations’ hard work and respect for authority by asking them to mentor younger workers” (Raymond, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2014).
However with these differences, there are also similarities between the generations. There is a reason that these different generations with dissimilar perspectives are within the same organization. All generations in the workforce value rewards. They look for the same job features, which are a job that is stimulating, where there are opportunities for growth, and additionally where the salary and management of the association is respectable. It is a known notion across generations that technology is needed to increase efficiency, effectiveness and productivity, however the biggest difference is in the application (Srinivasan, 2012). The best way to have all means met by the diverse generational workforce is by implicating a high-performance work system where the organization has the best possible fit between their social system (people...
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Outlook: There are several paid leave bills pending in Congress, but advocates are focused on two in particular. H.R. 1286 and S. 631, the Healthy Families Act (HFA), would require nearly all employers to provide employees with up to 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year. S. 1810 and H.R. 3712, the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act, would provide partial wage replacement funded through a .4 percent employer and employee payroll tax for eligible leaves under the FMLA.SHRM’S 2014 Guide to Public Policy iSSueS 23 With Republicans in control of the House of Representatives, it is unlikely either of these bills will advance. It is expected, however, that these issues will take center stage in 2014 at the White House Summit on Working
Families. In addition, several states and localities are likely to consider paid leave mandates in 2014.
Lobbyist groups concerned with social reform and organized labor came together in the 80s and pressured members of congress to support legislation that required employers to grant leaves of absences for employees who had a serious illness, a newborn or newly adopted children or who were caretakers for other family members with serious illnesses. “These groups gained bipartisan support in both the senate and house and saw their bill introduced in e...
By neglecting to acknowledge the importance of balancing work and life, policies have failed to support employees and their circumstances. This disregard has also cost taxpayers their well-earned dollar. And who are these taxpayers? Needless to say, they are our employees. The Family and Medical Leave Act stipulates that employees are allowed a twelve (12) work-week leave in a twelve (12) month period (for specified situations dealing with childbirth, adoption, family care, serious health conditions etc.). Unfortunately, this act does not specify that the said employees on leave MUST be paid, and it only applies to about sixty (60) percent of all workers. The Federal government is the single largest
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed in 1993 and allows employees to take unpaid leave for up to 12 workweeks in any 12 month period because of any of the following reasons: the birth or adoption of a child, for the care of a family member with a serious health condition, or because the employee’s own serious health conditions makes the employee unable to perform the functions of her or her job. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages to both the employer and the employee concerning this act. The current use of FMLA and management concerns over the FMLA will also be discussed.
The United States is one of three industrialized countries that do not have policies put in place that mandate companies to provide paid parental leave. In 1993, U.S President, Bill Clinton, enacted the family and medical leave act (FMLA) which allows for employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for up to twelve weeks for medical reasons if their employer has more than fifty employees employed at the company. Later on in January of 2015, President Barack Obama signed an executive order that entitles federal employees for up to six weeks of paid sick days to take care of a newborn child or an adopted child. Currently there are only three states in the United States with paid parental leave policies which are California, New Jersey and Rhode Island. As of right now, only those employers who
United States Department of Labor. (2013). Family and Medical Leave in 2012. [Public use file].
They have idealistic tendencies and are extremely willing to sacrifice personal time in order to achieve success in the workplace. Even though Baby Boomers are typically seen as micromanagers, they are good at building collaborative relationships with their coworkers and networking. Many Baby Boomers feel that their life’s purpose is to work hard, respect the chain of authority and hierarchy in the workplace. This is due to the fact that Baby Boomers were brought up in a work atmosphere where the chain of command was always respected (Kapoor, Solomon, 2011). Baby Boomers also work very hard for promotions and believe in sacrificing personal for the sake of being successful; they started the ‘workaholic’ trend and believe in paying their dues and step-by-step promotion that comes with age and time worked at a company. They also like teamwork, collaboration, group decision-making and believe in loyalty toward their employers (Tolbize, 2008). Baby Boomers tend to stay with one company for the duration of their professional life.
In practice, the Family Medical Leave Act entitles eligible workers to up to twelve weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave with healthcare benefits on an annual basis. The leave can be utilized to address the individual’s serious health concerns or to care for selected immediate family members such as disabled parents, spouses, or children (Jorgenson, Appelbaum, 2014). Additionally, workers are able to maintain their healthcare coverage and must be reinstated to a similar position with similar pay at the end of their leave (Morris, 2014). Despite notable efforts to provide relief for caregivers, the provisions offered under FMLA are significantly limited in practice. only required of businesses in the private sector if they employee more than
Upon entering the workforce, this generation worked for organizations that had “clear lines of authority, strict assignment of responsibilities, rank based on seniority, and an implied work contract; they expected to work for the same company until retirement and valued job security and stability” (Fore, 2013). However, because this generation was often absorbed with the past, “technology represented an unpleasant change that required training and adjustment, as it affected both their work and personal lives” (Fore, 2013).
Nationwide, organizations are witnessing for the first time ever, four different generations working side by side. These generations have been labeled as the veterans or the traditionalist group (born before 1945), the baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), generation X (born between 1965 and 1980), and generation Y (born after 1980). As a manager it can be quite challenging to manage four different generations of workers. All four generations have different strengths and weaknesses, so it takes a great manager to merge all of them into one productive team. To be an effective manager of such diverse groups, it takes understanding and appreciating the qualities each generation offers. This review analyzes current research available describing the differences between each generation, how to motivate each generation, and how to effectively merge the generations into one cohesive group.
Generational differences can have many diverse impacts on individual behavior with regard to age differences. These differences can become a big distraction, hurt morale, and teamwork, unless managers learn how to accommodate the uniqueness of each group (Gomolski, 2001). Typically older persons tend to take his or her work related responsibilities very serious unlike their younger counterparts. Older employees take pride in doing a job well whereas younger employees want to just get the job done and move on to the next assignment. Although each person is working toward the same organ...
In today’s society the dynamics of the family have changed drastically in the last 50 years, are the rules and laws for businesses and employers keeping up with the changes? Paternity leave is the time a father takes off work for the birth or adoption of a new child in the family. This kind of leave is rare and even rarer is paid paternity leave. A very few enlightened companies offer new dads time off from a few days to a few weeks, however, it still falls short of the 6 to 12 weeks women get for maternity leave. Finally, in 2004 California became the first state to offer what they call PFL or “Paid Family Leave”, allowing 6 weeks off with 55% of usual pay replaced up to $1,075 per week, this is a definite start. In most states, dads are forced to take their vacation time, sick days or unpaid leave from their jobs when their children are born. Yet women have received maternity leave for decades.(Weber and Lublin) Family leave is about treating people equally and not constraining them with gender roles and the social stigma that goes with it, when the man of the family is the main bread winner and the woman’s job is to take care of the children.
In today’s workforce, it is very common to have coworkers in multiple generations. The four generations that are currently in the workforce are the Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. Currently, the Baby Boomers and Generation Y make up the majority of employees in the workforce. There is great diversity between the generations in terms of what motivates them to perform well at work, attitudes about work, causes of conflict in the workplace, and communication in the workplace. Another aspect of the generations that has great diversity is the way in which they learn in the workplace. Because of this, employers have to provide training and development opportunities that cater to each generation. Baby Boomers typically prefer traditional classroom training, while Generation Y prefers online, self-paced training.
Klobucher, T 2011, Characteristics of Generation 2020: Generations at Work, The Great Workplace Revolution, accessed 11 November 2013, http://www.thegreatworkplacerevolution.com/characteristics-of-generation-2020-generations-at-work/
As the young generation transitions to the workplace it can be difficult to accommodate them with the older generation. The truth is that the workplace is in constant change. For one the new generation is imposing their way in the workplace. With the new trends of demographics in the workplace, the older generation has mixed feelings about young workers. The concerns about cross generational conflict at work can discourage young workers, decrease productivity, and create a tense environment
The Workplace is an ever-changing environment. Nowadays, people work longer and delay their retirements. Managers are facing generational differences in their work forces bringing a lot of benefits as well as negative consequences. There are currently five generations of employees in today’s workforce. Each generation brings their unique style, life stage, priorities, customs, communication preference, interest and ambition.