gtri generations

GTRI GENERATIONS

“For the first time in modern history, workplace demographics now span four generations, meaning that

20-year-old new hires can find themselves working side-by-side with colleagues who are older than they

are by 50 years (or even more).”

“Leading a Multigenerational Workforce”

by Susan A. Murphy, PhD (AARP 2007)

Today’s Workforce

Workforce Generations

Traditionalists Baby Boomers Generation X MillennialsAlso Known As

• Veterans/War Heroes

• Greatest Generation

• Boomers• Me Generation

• Baby Busters• Post-Boomers

• Echo Boomers• Gen Y• Generation

NextBirth Years 1922 - 1945 1946 -1964 1965 -1980 1981 – 1999

Age Now 66 - 83 48 - 65 27 - 47 6 - 26

% of Workforce in 2011 / 2016*

5% (7 million) /

7.6% (slight increase)

38% (60 million) /

27.2% (major decrease)

32%(51 million) /

33.2% (slight increase)

25% (40 million) /32% (major

increase)

Position At the end of their careers; retired; working to stay active, earn more money

Large #’s soon exiting the workforce, leaving knowledge/experience void

Cynical, skeptical due to company/leaders lying, high divorce rates and layoffs

Growing up during unprecedented technological advancements

* Projections by Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) in the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment

Think of a workplace where you are working alongside your grandfather, mother, brother, child and younger cousin.

1. What would work well with this mix in the workplace?

2. What challenges could arise in the workplace?

Imagine….

Traditionalists Baby Boomers Gen Xers Millennials

• Dedication & sacrifice

• Civic duty• Fiscally

conservative• Hard work &

loyalty• Respect for

authority• Rule following• Delayed reward• Honor

• Optimism• Personal

gratification• Health &

wellness• Personal growth• Ambition• Workaholic –

live to work• Forever young

• Think globally• Skeptical• Risk-taking• Balance work &

life• Techno literacy• Fun• Informality• Self-reliance• Entrepreneurial• Pragmatism

• Optimism• Civic duty• Achievement• Sociability• Street smarts• Globally aware• Work that has

meaning• Overt

recognition• Techno savvy• Change

Workplace Values

What do you think GTRI’sgenerations look like?

GTRI Generations

Traditionalist5% Boomer

30%

Gen X26%

Mil-lennial

38%

GTRI Workforce (including students) – July 2011

What do you think GTRI’sgenerations look like?

GTRI Generations – Part 2

Traditionalist6%

Boomer38%

Gen X32%

Mil-lennial

24%

GTRI Workforce (excluding students) – July 2011

Breakdown of Workforce by Employee Class

GTRI Generations – Part 3

Classified Staff Research Faculty Tech Temp0

50

100

150

200

250

300

TraditionalistBoomerGen XMillennial

RECRUITING

Recruiting and Retaining Y

Millennial video clip

Source: 8095 Project, Edelman

Important Sources

Important Factors

Company Website

Family

Friends

Career fairs

Professors or teachers

Past supervisors, mentors,

New stories or blog posts

Social Networking

Campus Career Svcs

Alumni at company

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

It’s not simply about money.

Or a recognizable business name.

The millennial is more internet savvy and wants to use modern technology to

accomplish business goals.

Corporate culture is an important factor for both recruiting and retaining good employees from this generation.

Corporate values mean a lot to the millennial crowd.

Luring the Brightest Minds

The values that the business supports must reflect a modern attitude toward

diversity and “going green”.

Luring the Brightest (cont’d)

• GTRI’s Green Efforts – “Teaching Old Buildings Green Tricks”

• Princeton Review Names Georgia Tech One of Greenest Colleges in U.S.

• GTRI Researchers Assist Scouts with Merit Badges

GTRI’s/GT’s Efforts

DEVELOPINGAND REWARDING

What Millennials Hear Us Say. . .

“That we’re unmotivated and irresponsible.”

- Male, 27

“That we’re lazy and feel entitled to a big paycheck.”

- Female, 25

“That we’re unmotivated and self-centered.”

- Female, 25

“That we deserve a pat on the back for doing minimal work.”

- Male, 19

“That we expect praise just for showing up.”

- Female, 24

“That we think we’re supposed to start at the top and are not willing to work our way up.”

-Female, 24

Source: 8095 Project, Edelman

• Work best in teams

• Prefer flexible work environments

• Lines between work and play blurred

• Special treatment?

How Millennials Like to Work

• Want to see the bigger picture and their role in it

• Crave (and seek out) constant feedback from multiple sources

• Millennials appreciate honesty (without condescension)

• Provide positive reinforcement through multimedia

Feedback for Millennials

iAppreciate iPhone and Android app

Feedback for Millennials (cont’d)

Source: O.C. Tanner iAppreciate iPhone and Android app

• Recognize a job well-done (not all trophies are bad!)

• Heroes in the workplace

• Rewards that motivate – awards, certificates, tangible evidence of credibility

Rewards and Recognition

• Take advantage of common values between generations

• Reciprocal mentorships

• Explore opportunities beyond formal titles

• Job rotation programs

Career Opportunities

RETAINING

Provide meaningful workStructured Career

Paths Advocate Programs

Community Outreach

Benefit from team environment

Bored/Burned out

Keeping Them Around

• CareerLINK• Sponsors, Buddies• Professional Development Program• GTRI Training• Mentor/Protégé program (sponsored by DDO)• Mentor Tech Program• Masters Series Executive Development Program

Retention Efforts at GTRI and Tech

“[Companies] will benefit from this generation’s best and brightest, who possess significant strengths in teamwork, technology skills, social networking and multitasking. Millennials are bred for achievement.”

-- Ron Alsop (author of The Trophy Kids Grow Up)

Millennials in the Workplace

Regardless of our generation:• To be respected• To be recognized for a job well-done• To be coached• To be consulted• To be connected

We just want these things presented in different ways. . .

We All Generally Want the Same Thing. . .

Want to Learn More?

The GTRI Leadership Library has several books on this and related topics:

Geeks and Geezers by Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas

Generations at Work by Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, and Bob Filipczak

1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Bob Nelson

Winning the Talent Wars by Bruce Tulgan

Effective Mentoring by Norman H. Cohen

QUESTIONS?