The Four Characteristics Of The Four Generational Group

There are four generational groups that we all fall into based on our age. These groups all have different characteristics that have been affected by what has gone on during their life. The first group I will talk about is Veterans this group was born between 1925 and 1945. This group is also known as the silent generation. They grew up during the Great Depression and World War 2. Many people served in the military or were married to someone who did. The characteristics for this generation include having strong work ethic and being very respectful of others seniority and or titles. The Great Depression was a financially difficult time for them so many got into the habit of saving money for a rainy day. Veterans are hard workers who and many have chosen to work past the typical retirement age. They are very loyal and expect the same from others. Many women of this generation stayed at home and were homemakers. When they did start looking for jobs and working, they were often faced with

problems of sexual and racial inequalities.
The next group is Baby Boomers this group was born between 1946 and 1964.

This generation was is the largest generation of the four. Their characteristics include being competitive and a team player. They don’t view retirement as an end but as a career change. They desire loyalty from those they work with. Baby Boomers were able to finish high school and going to college wasn’t out of their reach.

The third generation is known as Generation X. They were born between 1965 and 1980. The term generation X came about because many people in this group didn’t feel like they had an identity. They are a group who look to have balance between their home life and professional lives. Family time is very important to them. One big difference with the Generation X population is many of them grew up in single parent homes. Many were “latchkey” kids who came home to an empty house while parents were still at work. They had to fend for themselves in many ways. This made them resilient and

independent.
The last group is the Millenials also known as Generation Y. They were born between 1980 up to the present. Some characteristics about this group are they are optimistic, patriotic, they have a short attention span and look for instant gratification. They work hard to reach their goals and seek out those that can help them achieve them. They look for positive feedback from their supervisors. Most of the communication from Millenials is technology based. Emails and text messages are the preferred form of communication.
My Generation
I belong to Generation X. After reading some the characteristics and behaviors I think I fit in with some of the assessments of this group. The generation X population was one of the first group that stood up and challenged authority if they felt like something wasn’t right. Whether in my personal life or at work, if I notice something is not fair I will speak up in hopes of correcting the issue. Another trait that I believe in is the balance between work and home life. I don’t want my work life to get so crazy that it affects time that I have with my family, to me that time is more valuable.
Another Generation
A group that I believe Generation X can learn from is the Veteran group. The traits that they possess that would be beneficial in our lives today would be having a strong work ethic and having more respect for authority. Veterans always put work before fun, we sometimes forget that to play hard, we have to work hard also. At times it is necessary to question others actions but I think at times the younger generations can come off as being disrespectful. Veterans are motivated by the recognition of a job well done. It can be beneficial to have a supervisor look at your work and let you know you are doing a good job.
In conclusion, the four different generations all have characteristics that have come about based on what went on in their world. There are areas that we can all improve and try to learn from each other.