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Click to go to: The Mysterious Millenials: Searching for Answers about the New Generation of Employees The Other Generations: The Work Ethics and Expectations of Veterans, Boomers and Gen Xers The Mysterious Millenials: Searching for Answers about the New Generation of Employees It has been sparking more and more conversation in journalistic, corporate and academic circles: A new generation of employees taking the workforce by storm. They are different from those that came before, a wholly original and unique breed often misunderstood by their managers. Perhaps it is because, unlike the Veterans and Boomers, whose personality traits were more in tune with the traditional work setting and the traditional definition of "productive employees," the Millenials have different priorities. Those priorities have already become a challenge for organizations and the challenges will increase as the Millenials increase in number and in responsibilities. Henle Management has talked to many Millenials, coming to understand what makes this segment of employees tick. While it is important to not overgeneralize, certain themes and desires are present for any generation due to their world experience. Millenials are no different. As a preview of our coverage of the issues facing the workplace, here are five of the key trends of this generation 1. Focus on Achievement While other generations might have been more inclined to work hard to keep a job or impress their bosses, the Millenials are keenly focused on achievement. While this may look like a good attribute to their supervisors and human resource managers, it can be problematic to an employee's overall performance. Millenials consistently want to feel as if they are achieving something and seek recognition among their peers. This issue must be addressed differently by every company. An effective solution involves short-term goals or challenges that Millenials are then encouraged to satisfy. Accompanying special recognition for strong, short-term performance should also be included. It is when Millenials feel as if they are being overlooked or underutilized that their anxiousness arises. 2. Constantly developing Workers in the past strived for a comfort zone, for a strong position with a strong company where they could feel comfortable. Millenials, on the other hand, are always on the quest to develop themselves both personally and professionally. For many in this generation that involves changing jobs, seeking better positions with more prominent firms to take on new challenges. However, more firms are realizing the importance of internal training and development in hopes of keeping these younger employees with their companies beyond the traditional two or three-year increments. Companies must recognize that their industry, work environment, and employees are unique and that development programs must be customized to these factors. 3. Sociability Millenials are gregarious creatures, and accordingly, require more social stimulation to feel as if they are part of a working environment. While this may appear to be a small issue, it is one of the most important issues influencing retention and development. Millenials want to be at companies they like, working with people they like, and excited to start each day. This requires a greater focus on an office's social environment, beyond the traditional picnics, birthday and holiday get-togethers that mark the extent of most company's social outings. Some companies have developed "affinity" groups which are unique social clubs for their employees. This is exactly along the lines of what Millenials want. By making these and other supportive opportunities available to Millenials, organizations are far more likely to increase their retention rates among this group of employees. 4. Very, very confident By now, almost all of us have heard the story: A twenty-two year-old who thinks he knows more than the seasoned veteran. Recently, the movie In Good Company opened as a story about a corporate merger which put a fifty year-old under the direction of a man half his age. Millenials, dare we say, have a very strong self-confidence about themselves. Many have been trained in the best schools and excelled at a wide range of activities. Grade inflation was rampant and parents were often light on discipline and heavy on "buddyship." This generated and enhanced an attitude of accomplishment which does not diminish during their first years of work. Millenials enter the workforce with expectations of responsibility and compensation often far beyond their skill set. Employers and Millenials need to address this issue directly if healthy work relationships are to develop. 5. Expectations for Empowerment Millenials expect to be empowered quickly. They want to be put in charge of projects, be trusted with important clients and be given opportunities to shine as the lead architect of a given campaign or strategy. This can cause conflict between the experienced team members and the young newcomers, since both believe they are the right ones for special assignments. This is the first in a series of reports on the Millenials' place in modern corporate culture. At Henle Management, we believe this is one of the most important issues facing American business. We have worked extensively to understand this new generation of employee and develop programs which help companies recruit, integrate, develop and retain these employees. The Other Generations: The Work Ethics and Expectations of Veterans, Boomers and Gen Xers
Besides the Millennial Generation, the other generations in the workforce are known as the Veterans, the Boomers and the Gen Xers. As with the Millennials, there is a wide range of values and behaviors exhibited by individuals in these generations. Yet, like the Millennials, certain general perspectives and attitudes emerge for each generation due to each generation’s common world experience. Here are some of those themes and how they influence their work philosophies, attitudes and expectations: The Veterans or the Silent Generation (Born prior to 1946) They experienced the Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II, and the Korean War. Out of these urgencies, the Veteran generation built the infrastructure of modern America which lasts to today. The Veterans desired to build a society for their children free of the hardships they endured. This generation created a range of “big things” including the economic safety net of Social Security, Medicare, and welfare and social programs; at the same time, they completed the Manhattan Project, fought the Cold War, sent men to the moon and built contemporary corporate America. As one might expect, Veterans are more likely to reference the past and use their past experiences to guide their thinking and behavior. Dedication and sacrifice are hallmarks of this generation. Patriotism, respect for institutions, authority and the chain of command are strong guides to their actions. They believe in following the rules, the honor of a hard day's work, and producing a quality product. Thrift, conformity, loyalty, logic, and dependability are key words to describe them. Better to go without than go into debt, the oldest members of this generation did not believing in buying things on credit. In a work setting, they are the ones who will work vigorously towards a common goal, respect the employer and try to fit into the environment, rather than stand out. In return, their expectations include employer loyalty for good work, certainty in the employment “contract” and a secure retirement. This generation is quickly dwindling in size in the workforce. The Baby Boom Generation (Born between 1946 and 1964) Beneficiaries of much that was built by their Veteran parents and products of the carefree '60's and '70's, the Baby Boom generation believes in personal freedom, hard work, growth and gratification. Major events that affected them included the rise of television, the Kennedy assassination, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the moon landing, the women’s movement, Watergate, and the tough economy of the 1970s and early 1980s. This is the largest generation in the workforce and currently is dominant in power. Boomers exhibit a touch of the values of the Veterans and also a whole new set unique to their generation. They value a stronger sense of individualism and emphasis on formal education than Veterans. At the same time, like Veterans, they emphasize a strong work ethic. They measure that work ethic in terms of hours on the job and expect a steady rise up the organization ladder. To a certain degree, that emphasis on hours at work is rooted in the keen competition they experienced for jobs (due to the size of the generation and the difficult economic times they experienced). Being the center of attention and getting credit for work well done is very important to Boomers’ sense of work security. While loyalty to an organization is important for Boomers, that value has been tested and some skepticism has crept in. Many Boomers experienced layoffs during soft economic times and the downsizing of organizations in the last 25 years. Coupled with a greater sense of equality due to the civil rights movement, Boomers desire greater day-to-day “humanity” from employers, but are a bit skeptical that it will occur. Teamwork and individual rewards are important to them. As employees, Boomers are at their best when working on projects they think matter, when they are actively involved by the organization and when they are rewarded for individual accomplishments. Failure to involve them in decision-making, failure to ask them for their input and assignment to low-exposure projects may marginalize them. They want to be rewarded for their knowledge and their accomplishments. Generation X (Born between 1964 and 1980) Many Gen Xers were “latchkey” kids, with both their parents working and no supervision at home after school. Many came from single-parent families. Key influences included the rise of computers, cable television, the Iranian hostage crisis, AIDS, the Challenger explosion, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, O.J. and Michael Jordan. The smallest generation in the workforce, this generation was the first one told that they would not be as financially successful as their parents. Cynicism and pessimism, living in the moment, technologically strong, this generation is fiercely independent and prefers a hands-off, but feedback focused manager. Teamwork is less desired and interesting to Xers who had to manage themselves while mom and dad were at work. Distrust of authority and institutions is a strong dimension of Xers, many of whom saw their parents laid off from jobs in the 70s and 80s. Loyalty means something different to Xers than Veterans or Boomers. Xers loyalty is exhibited toward individuals, be it friends, individuals in their work team, or their supervisor. Unlike Boomers who may complain of management but stay with the organization, Xers don’t complain, but rather send out resumes and accept a position with another company. Positively influenced by the influx of immigrants during their generation, Xers desire diverse co-workers and a sense of global thinking at work. Highly creative, individualistic and tech-savvy, Xers want to try new things and tackle new projects, but in their own way. With a more skeptical attitude toward authority, they crave balance between work, family and social activities. They are more informal, have a heightened sense of adventure and prefer nontraditional approaches to problems. Xers typically don’t function well in formal, slow-moving, bureaucratic environments. Friendly, energetic, socially interactive and technology-driven employers are favored by Xers, especially if they are given the tools they need and are allowed to self-direct their work. Xers are less apt to sacrifice their personal lives for work but instead want to be empowered to manage their own schedules and projects. Allowing work to be done outside of traditional work hours is a benefit they crave. That’s our glimpse at the other generations in the workforce today. The most successful of today's companies have found a means to balance these generations’ outlook toward work. They have created systems that allow for both the regimented Veterans and the informal Xers, for both the impatient Boomers and the optimistic Millennials. Just as a baseball team must position and substitute its players appropriately, so must a company accommodate for the varied styles and perspectives of its employees. And in managing these differences, companies optimize their efficiency and profitability These are some of the questions and issues that we hope give you some of our insight into the generational issues facing modern American business. Please refer to last month’s article in this series, “The Mysterious Millennials,” for our take on the Millennial generation. At Henle Management, LLC, we understand how these issues affect the business world and can assist your organization in designing and implementing effective workforce programs. |
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