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From the Silent Generation to the New Millennials

Generational Differences in the Workplace

January 10, 2014

1. a group of individuals born and living at the same time

2. a group of generally contemporaneous individuals regarded as having common cultural or social characteristics and attitudes

3. group of individuals, most of whom are the same approximate age, having similar ideas, problems, attitudes, etc.

WHY ‘ENGAGING GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES?’

FOUR GENERATIONS…ONE WORKPLACE

THEN AND NOW . . .

THE CHANGING FACE OF ENGAGEMENT

EVOLVING DEMOGRAPHICS

• 50 percent of all employed people are now Millennials

• Diversity is what drives innovation in business

ATTRACTION AND RETENTION

• We need to be able to attract and retain the best and brightest of all four generations in order to remain competitive

• Increasingly difficult given the global nature of our work

A CASE IN POINT…• Global manufacturer with 26,000 employees, 89

plants in The Americas, Europe and China• Multiple generations of employees – from the

Silent Generation, to Baby Boomers, to Generation X, to the Millennials – work in all locations

• Generational differences will have a continuing, powerful influence on attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, expectations and information needs

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WHAT EMPLOYEES SAID…

• “The Millennial Generation coming to work right now expects organizations to be open and transparent.”

• “Striking differences in attitude were found at different life stages, for example, regarding benefits packages and professional growth paths for employees in Poland.”

• “In China, rapid urbanization, rising living costs and changing lifestyle expectations of workers impact how emerging leaders assess their options, making for a dynamic, quickly evolving employee landscape.”

• “I come from a different generation. The new generation is vocal about work-life balance.”

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STEREOTYPE VS. GENERALIZATION

GENERATIONAL GENERALIZATIONS

SILENT GENERATION• Hardworking• “Seen and not heard”• Respect authority• Loyal• Conforming• Cautious about where

they went, who they were seen with

BOOMERS

• Idealist• Team perspective• Challenge the status quo• Compete to win• Workaholics• Decision makers

GENERATION X

• Self-sufficient• Independent• Work hard/play hard• Loyal to individuals,

not organizations• Flexible• Skeptical

• Smart• Tech reliant• Experiential and

exploratory learners• Value teamwork• Attention-seeking • Multi-taskers

MILLENNIALS

PANEL DISCUSSION

Questions1. How important is it for us to understand the role of

generational differences in the workplace?

2. How pronounced are generational differences in your experience? How do they play out?

3. How do preferences for communication and engagement differ by generation?

4. Do generational differences cross global boundaries, cultures and ethnicities?

5. What do we do to address these differences in our work? Internally? Externally? In recruiting new colleagues?

6. How will the next generation differ?

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Q&A with Panel

Thank You!