What Drives Our Generation X and Millennial Workforce? Marcia Cook
Commerce Arkansas
October 22, 2008
What is this all about?
Identify y characteristics of each of the 4 g generations that may be in our workplace
P id iinformation Provide f ti about b th how th they view i th the world ld
Discuss what value the younger ones bring to our organization
Learn how to manage it all
Now, let’s play a game!
We are going to take a few moments to see if we can identify who is older than the dirt on Noah’s Ark,, or younger y g than the clothes yyou wore to work last week The examples should represent the earliest event you remember in your lifetime, and you need to identifyy the yyear Don’t cheat!
Oklahoma City B bi Bombing
Watergate
John Lennon shot h t andd killed kill d
Salk S lk P Polio li Vaccine introduced
Clinton/ Cli t / Lewinski Scandal
Hitler Invaded Hitl I d d Ronald R ld Reagan R Austria Inaugurated
Martin Luther King lead the March on Washington The Berlin Wall Fell
President “The Pill” was Kennedy Was made available Assassinated
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded l d d
Three Mile Island
First Man on th Moon the M
The United States entered World War II
McCarthy Un-American Hearings
Answers! Oklahoma City Bombing 1995
Watergate 1973
John Lennon shot and killed 1980
Salk Polio Vaccine i introduced d d 1955
Clinton/ Lewinski S d l Scandal 1998
Hitler Invaded Ronald Reagan Austria Inaugurated 1937 1981
Martin Luther King lead the March on Washington 1963 The Berlin Wall Fell 1989
President “The The Pill Pill” was Kennedy Was made available Assassinated 1960 1963 The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 1986
Three Mile Island 1979
First Man on the Moon 1969
The United States entered World War II 1941 McCarthy Un-American Hearings 1954
What was the purpose of the game?
Helped you refresh your memory of the timeline of some historical events. Begin to break down the 4 generations that are in the workplace today: The Veterans (or Traditionalists), The Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y (or Mill Millennials) i l )
Veterans/Traditionalists (1922 – 1943) now between 65 – 86 years old
Lindbergh Transatlantic flight ’27 27 Lindbergh baby kidnapping ’32 Stock Market Crash ’29 29 Depression ’29 – 33 FDR’s New Deal ’33 Social Security established ’34 Hitler and World War II ’37 - 43
Veterans – Values and Work Ethic
Dedication and Sacrifice Hard Work Respect for Authority Adherence to Rules Duty before Pleasure
Influenced by manufacturing Obedience and conformity Seniority and age di tl correlated directly l t d Respond well to directive leadership
Directive leadership
More comfortable with “scientific management” a age e sstyle ye Comes as result of the military background Very conformist conformist, little place for individual style
Baby Boomers (1944 – 1963) now between 45 – 64 years old
McCarthy Hearings ’54 54 The Pill ’60 Assassinations of JFK (’63) ( 63) and MLK (’68) ( 68) Civil Rights (Rosa Parks ’55) (March on W hi t ’63) Washington Vietnam ’65 Man on the Moon ‘69
Baby Boomers – Values and Work Ethic
Driven by the legacy of Optimism World War II Team Orientation Can be overly sensitive Personal Growth to feedback Personal Gratification Can be judgmental of Health and Wellness th those who h see things thi Involvement differently Uncomfortable with conflict Service oriented
Management style for the Boomers?
Organizational Behavioral modifications began to bega o ssink in,, ye yet they ey largely a ge y responded espo ded well to “scientific”, directive style of leadership However, desire to see a more referent model begins to emerge
Now…
Let’s focus our attention tt ti on the th groups that our main discussion is based upon… Generation X G Generation ti Y
Generation X (1964 – 1980) now between 28 and 44 years old
Women’s Liberation Movement ’70 Watergate and the Energy Crisis ’73 Tandy and Apple personal computers ’76 Three Mile Island ’79 79 66 American Hostages in Iran ’79 John Lennon Shot and Reagan g Inaugurated g ’80-81 MTV ‘81 AIDS ’84 Challenger Disaster ’86 “Latch key kids”
Generation X – Values and Work Ethic
Diversity Thinking globally Balance Techno-literacy Fun Informality Self-reliance
“just just a job job” Flexible hours, informal work environment, minimal supervision Multi-tasking Give them lots to do and freedom to do it their way
What makes them tick?
Tend to avoid corporate politics – no orientation i t ti for f this thi Generally not interested in traditional perks Usually motivated by the prospect of independence, lack of corporate structure, l k off rigidity, lack i idit and d llatest t t ttechnological h l i l advances
How do you teach, train and orient them?
Does your company use Web-based Web based training? This group is not afraid to ask questions Say y at least 3 times – “We want y you to have a life.” Stress upcoming dramatic organizational changes Encourage g a learning g inventory y at the end of each day Stress the importance of training - with training materials brief and easy to read
The Myths surrounding Gen X
They’re They re materialistic.
Many y are struggling gg g to make ends meet. They y probably will not replicate or improve on their parents’ lifestyle.
The Myths surrounding Gen X
They’re They re whiners whiners.
Gen Xers face some rather daunting challenges – college loans, skyrocketing health care costs – yet most are philosophical about the problems they are inheriting.
The Myths surrounding Gen X
They’re They re not willing to work hard. hard
Most say they are willing to work very hard – just not taken advantage of.
The Myths surrounding Gen X
They’re They re living on easy street street.
It takes 40 percent of their income for a monthly mortgage g g p payment, y , as opposed pp to 14 p percent in the 1950’s. Also, Gen Xers will lose more than $100 for every $450 they contribute to Social Security.
Do not make the mistake of buying into the media stereotype of this group…
Once again, these are the latch-key kids all grown up… They grew up with task lists to be completed with minimal supervision… “Quality time” is a part of their lexicon – make it worthwhile when you have their attention…
Style of management?
This group, while understanding a need for conformity in certain industries and respectful off legitimate l iti t authority, th it wants t to t see referent f t power in action.
Generation Y (1980 - ) now 28 years old and younger
Oklahoma City Bombing The Internet Clinton/Lewinsky scandal Columbine High School Massacre September 11, 2001 The popularity of ESPN
Generation Y – Values and Work Ethic
Optimism Civic Duty Confidence Achievement Sociability y Morality Street smarts Diversity
Collective action Tenacity Heroic spirit p Multi-tasking Technological g savvy y Have difficulty dealing with difficult people issues
What makes them tick?
They love a challenge They function well as team members – a bit different from their older siblings in Gen X They want to be heroes Th wantt to They t be b surrounded d d by b b bright, i ht creative people Th wantt it – right They i ht now
How do you teach, train, and orient them?
Allow plenty of orientation time Create a clear, realistic picture of the work environment – good and bad Spell out expectations and goals T k time Take ti to t find fi d outt their th i goals l and d help h l them define a strategy for meeting them
The Myths surrounding Gen Y
The youth of today are “going going to hell in a handbasket.”
Experts believe this is a fine group of young people who will make heroes of themselves.
The Myths surrounding Gen Y
Today s kids are getting a great Today’s education.
Not all of them. Gregory Schmidt of the Institute for the Future, Menlo Park, CA, says, “Tomorrow’s haves and have-nots are already diverging in today’s d ’ third hi d grade d classrooms l as they h either ih advance into the information age or fall behind for lack of reading and math skills or access to computers.”
The Myths surrounding Gen Y
Kids need to spend more time reading and less time watching TV and playing video games. g
Kids are spending more time reading. Business Week reports that surveys show video games cut into TV, not reading time.
Some takeaways for this generation
They are a unique mix – a very independent group politically They are not as conservative as their older siblings in Generation X; however, are not as liberal as their Baby Boomer parents were when they were that age They are religious religious, but not in a traditional sense
What will make them seek out greener pastures?
They respect legitimate authority authority, but they will follow referent authority Work does not bother them them, but it needs to be meaningful, not just busy work Overemphasis on outward appearance – pickiness on insignificant matters Perceived disrespect of their youth
How do we keep them?
Retention “scholarships” – in exchange for a year of employment, reimburse them for tuition, books, expenses, towards the completion of a certification Involve them in certain initiatives and give feedback to their contribution towards meeting organizational goals Rotating opportunities to be a part of a peer interviewing group
Don’t forget…
These are the children who grew up with Ronald Reagan as “The The Great Communicator” Their morality is an outgrowth of being raised in more conservative times They have largely known prosperous times (despite a few hiccups in the early ’90s) Th desire They d i a good d education d ti so th thatt th they can make their mark
So, what have we learned?
Forget scientific management – the days of “I tell, you do” do , are over Appropriate balance between boss and team member Give the younger employees the chance to succeed, with the appropriate tools needed to get the job done done, and they will do it Forget the stereotypes and hype Don’tt miss an opportunity to let each individual Don know how much he/she is appreciated
THANK YOU! Marcia Cook 501 580 5138 501-580-5138
[email protected] www.pinnacleperformancesolutions.net p p
