Generations at Work
The dynamics associated with working with people in an office, department, or organization are difficult to classify or explain. Also, personalities, positions, ages, and values are all aspects of how people relate in order to get the job done. Moreover, each generation brings elements and distinct predilections to the work environment. Thus, the four generations represented in today’s workforce is examined.
My Generation
People born between 1946 and 1964 are classified in American society as baby boomers. I found out in my thirties that I was part of this generation. While I had heard of the term growing up it never occurred to me that I was a member, especially since I barely qualify. According to a survey conducted by Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, baby boomers are the gloomiest generation. Moreover, their outlook on everything from health, finances, and quality of life is bleak (Cohn, 2008).
However, some experts refute this assessment. They maintain baby boomers also referred to as the “Me” generation, are competitive, self-sufficient and are called are considered workaholics. Hence, their serious work ethic prompted many to remain in the workforce longer than expected. Consequently, baby boomers stay on the job in some capacity typically as part-time workers to sustain a certain level of income to support hobbies and other non-career interests (Cordington, 2010).
Clearly, some baby boomers have a sense of despair heightened by a combined dread of aging and loss of income (Cohn, 2008). Although this generation’s median household income is more than adults 25 to 44 ($53,000) and adults 65 and over ($30,000), transitioning to a fixed income with increased medical bills is...
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... “While older workers make more errors, perhaps due to declining physical attributes, they hardly make an severe errors, perhaps due to more experience,” (Fernandez, 2011, p.1). Ironically, the skills older workers have are too specific and unique to fit the needs of today’s multi-layer positions. Therefore, multi-dimensional, computer savvy younger workers, weaned on cutting edge technology are preferred (“The New York Times,” 2009).
Conclusion
The four generations represented in today’s workforce have tendencies perceptions and misconceptions about the other that can hamper work relationships. However, each group brings capabilities, beliefs, and values necessary to make a company successful. Hence, the creativity, innovations, and ingenuity indicative of the American workforce are due in no small part to tolerating the gaps perceived in each generation.
The existing U.S. population is over 315 million and rising. In the year 2030, 72 million Americans will be 65 or older, a 50 percent change in age demographics since the year 2000. The change is primarily due to the aging baby boomers, who were born at the end of World War II. Americans are living longer than ever befo...
Another factor that differs these two generations is how they view work. Baby Boomers have a tendency to see work as their life. They live to work. The Baby Boomer generation is often characterized as being workaholics, as they place significance on their job status and experience (Generational Differences Chart). And because of this, their lives are often unbalance, with work taking a larger role in their lives than families. This is why some Baby Boomers refuse to retire because work gives them a drive to go
The baby boom generation, as described by Reich, will live longer than past generations due to the improvements in health sustaining drugs (Jacobus). This will create more opportunities in health care, but this baby boom generation will have mostly used all their money by that point in their lives. They will have to rely on social security. This generation will need others to help pay for their medical care which will fall upon the family members. This will result in more jobs for younger adults, but also more things to pay for. In-person services income mainly relies on whom they serve. Reich gives an example in his essay describing how a waitress in a small town may not make as much as a waitress surrounded by moguls and superstars. The income is based on the local economy and the perception of
These three generations: Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y all bring their own share of values, beliefs, thoughts and opinions, perspective and experiences to the workplace. The dynamics of the workplace is directly affected by the differences among these three generations. Today’s current managers need to understand how to efficiently manage and lead a multigenerational workforce in order to increase productivity and meet organization goals and objectives. Recently, there has been changes in the general management. From 2008 to 2013, there was some serious shift in Gen X and Gen Y moving into managerial roles. According to Matthew Golden from Biz Journals, the most prominent change was 87% of Gen Y moved into more managerial roles compared to
The focus of this paper is to elaborate on the changing landscape of work in America during the twenty-first century. According to the researchers, as the economy continues to slowly recover from the recession and economic crisis, more of our baby boomers are reentering the workforce. In addition to the introduction of automation and computer technologies into the workplace, this has dramatically changed the nature of jobs for the older workers (Czaja and Sharit 2009). As stated in the Government Accountability Office in 2006, the number of workers over age 55 is projected to increase significantly over the next 20 years. Evidence shows that ageism, stereotypes, and misinformation about our older population continue to be major issues across
Baby Boomers are the most powerful demographic group in history. Businesses thrives or fails based on their ability to keep pace with the likes and dislikes of this economic powerhouse known as the baby boomers. At 76 million strong, boomers have the influence to rule the marketplace and make sure they keep a place set just for them as the
Every person belongs to a generation: you associate yourselves with a particular set of people usually based on age such as “Baby Boomers” from 1946 to 1964, “Generation X” from 1965 to 1979, and “Millennials” from 1980 to 2000, (Smola, 364). Parents’ generations differ from their children, and sometimes within their significant other. My parents, separated by two years, are both considered “Baby Boomers”, and my sister and I, also separated by two years are both considered “Millennials”. “Generation X” separates our generations, and as you can assume there are many differences between the two: “Baby Boomers” experienced the immense development of the economy and education (Kupperschmidt, 4).
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/
For the first time in history, there are four generations of people working side by side in the workplace. Think about your place employment and the different people who work there. It is sometimes hard to get your point across to someone in a different age generation. This especially becomes a problem in the supervisor employee relationship. In order to effectively communicate with your peers, you have to understand the context in which they view the world. This problem is a real concern for managers. There has even been a Center for Generational Studies created.
Zemke, Ron. (2013). Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Boomers, Gen Xers & Gen Yers in the workplace. Edition #2.
The baby boomers generation span the year through 1946-1955. The parents of these baby boomers included people who had been part of the roaring 20's, people who had gone through the great depression, and who had gone through World War II. The parents of these boomers who had lives through the depression and world war wanted to pass onto their children a more secure future. These baby boom parents valued saving money for their child's future. They wanted their child to get an advanced education (college). These parents equated college with success and the opportunity for a good job.
There are many social problems plaguing the world, including the issue of aging inequality and elders. This social problem is significant because the baby boomers of the 1946-64s are now starting to be the youngest old. Our society is starting to, and needs to, change to accommodate the needs of the elderly. There are many different problems coming with this making people have many political viewpoints, theoretical perspectives, and solutions for this social problem. Baby boomers are a group of people that were born between the years of 1946 and 1964. Just nine months after WW II ended people were having babies at rates higher than ever before. In the year 1946 there were 3.4 million babies were born, nearly 20% more than the prior year. This
Robbins (2013) recognizes that baby boomers have an enormous hard-working attitude with a definitive want to characterize themselves through their expert achievements. Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 value their achievement, ambition, loyalty to career and dislike to authority in competitive workplace (Robbins and Judge, 2017). Gen Xers, born between 1965 and 1977, who are independent-minded like work-life balance, team-oriented, loyalty to relationship and dislike of rules. The generation born between 1978 and later, known as Millennials value flexible hours, teamwork and collaborative culture, career development, loyalty to both self and relationships with employers and dislike the formality of regular meetings if there
There are many generations in society such as Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Generation X, Y, and Z. Generation Z is the youngest generation in the list. However, in any work place, Generation Y, which is known as an Echo Boomers or Millenniums, is the youngest. No one knows how it emerged, but it began in 1998 and ended in 2006. The people in this era were born between 1977 and 1994, which is my generation. In the United States, there are seventy one million Generation Y-ers, which takes up the largest part of population. Unlike other generations, Generation Y has very outstanding abilities and environments to success. Those abilities and characteristics are efficient in business and companies. Also, Generation Y’s remarkable characteristics affect their social lives a lot. The Generation Y is very family centric, and able to catch up the trends. Their general cultures are pop-music, iPods, social websites, like Facebook and Twitter, and anything that relates to technology. In principle, Generation Y-ers are optimistic, social, and have high self-esteem. Those characteristics bring many pros and cons to hire them. Pros are general mostly, but cons are not true mostly because of misconceptions.
Each generation leaves an impression on our future, despite whether it is a positive impression or a negative one. This lasting impression is often referred to as generational potency. By obtaining new tools and opportunities from the mistakes and triumphs of those who came before them, every generation tries to make themselves heard. Therefore, the concept of generational potency is something that largely exists in our great nation. As Tamara Erickson said, “The truth is, without even trying, you will bring fresh perspectives to work because many of the ways you approach problems are different from the way it has always been done” (Erickson, 7). Everyone has a different outlook obtained from the knowledge you gain from past experiences and influences. For, we would be foolish to discard the wisdom and experience of those who came before us. Just as the Great War generation in the twenties impacted the decisions made in the “Greatest Generation,” all generations preceding 1977 h...