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Mary Walker

Generation Gap: Go Easy on the Millennial Group
December 10, 2007

Workplace tension can arise when people of different generations must work together. Working side by side, not understanding each other can create tension in the workplace.

It is a common thing for people of different ages to think differently.

When you interact with members of each generation, it is good to know their work ethics and their communication style. Do you know what generation you are in? Maybe you are in the “Cuspers” group which is defined as wedged between two generations. You might identify with more than one generation. In that case, consider yourself a “cusper”.

            Generations possess characteristics from political, social and economic conditions of your childhood. If you are really interested in the differences, there are many articles on the Internet. Below are just a few basic observations:

Traditionalists (Born 1900-1945)

Traditionalists are loyal, hard working, financially conservative and faithful to institutions. Many in this group have worked for the same company for years. Upon retirement, many seek part time employment. They have a need for work.

Baby Boomers Born (1946-1964)

Because of the larger numbers, they faced competition from each other for jobs. Baby boomers invented the 60-hour work week, demonstrating hard work and loyalty to their employers. There sense of work is connected to their career achievements.

Generation Xers Born (1965-1980)

These are the kids that grew up in the era of video games and personal computers. They don’t expect employer loyalty after seeing their parents laid off after years of service to a company. They see no problem changing jobs to advance their career.

Millennials (Born 1981-1999)

A breed that expects more for less, doesn’t take “no” for an answer, put themselves first and likes to be pampered. A clever group that is technically savvy. These kids have had access to cell phones, pagers and computers all their lives. These are multi-tasking super texters who stroll in to class with an iPod bud in one ear and an iPhone glued to the other.

Morley Safer presented a 60 Minutes episode on the career needs of Millenials:

Requirement No. 1: No bossing allowed. You can’t ask them to live and breathe the company, because they’re living and breathing themselves.

Requirement No. 2: No more starched white shirt and tie. They want to race into work at noon in their flip-flops.  They need flexible hours in order to attend their yoga classes.

Requirement No. 3: No settlings, four jobs per year.

Requirement No. 4: Lots of praise required. Have big expectations in the work arena.

Being a Traditionalist, I think we are being too critical of the Millennials. Sure they were the kids that didn’t get paddled, but got to sit in the “time out” chair instead. Maybe they were a little hard to handle. Now you see them enter the workforce. Most of them are well educated, they have exceptional computer skills, and they can voice an opinion and present their ideas.

True they may not feel they are locked into a job. Have you seen any statistics on how many people do not like their job? Well this group will do something about it. They will not remain in a position that they do not like. Is this so bad to want to look for a place to work that you enjoy? This group was learning stuff in grade school that we did not even work on until junior high. A lot has been expected of them.

I work with many in this age group. You have a computer problem, they usually can help you. They are a generation based on saving the trees, they do not print info out, and they store all info in the computer. They can find info quicker in the computer than you can open a file drawer and bring out the information. A lot of pressure has been put on this group to continue their education, to go on for the MBA, and to get a good job. We need to encourage them as they are the leaders for tomorrow.

 
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Posted by Mary Walker on December 10, 2007 | Comments (4)