• Every generation brings new expectations• We can not connect or lead the same we

did in the past

When generations collide

• Reduced profitability• Loss of valuable employees• Higher payroll costs• Poor customer service• Derailed careers• Wasted human potential• Serious stress related health problems

With each new generation

• Time becomes more valuable• Expectations of convenience & service rise• Demand for work to have meaning intensifies• Hunger for options grows• Sense of entitlement increases• Need for speed and space increases• Desire for customization grows

Specific Generational Differences

• Work styles• Attitudes about work/life balance• Views regarding loyalty and authority• Acceptance of change• Training/Professional Development• Career Pathing

The big ask!• Stop trying to figure out which generation

is right and which is wrong• Figure out how to manage them

appropriately

Make adjustments to recruit, retain & lead

Every generation wants very much to succeed

• Ask them questions• Listen• Rethink your concept of motivation

1922 and 1943 (52 million people)

• Great Depression, WWII• Rationing and Austerity• Believe in hard work• Waste-not, Want-not mentality• Adverse to debt• Strong belief in rules, law and order• Stable families, divorce was rare• Full employment, enjoyed rapidly improving

schools for their children

• Hard Work: Pay their duesCareer identifies who they are

• Trust: Word is his/her bond• Formality: Formal style preferred- written/oralValues formal dress, organizational

structures

• Authority, institutional leadership• Respect for authority

• Large rise in birth rate due to returning WWII soldiers

• First generation to reject values of parents• Enjoyed student grants, low house prices• Hold the reins of power• Most economic clout• Property owners

• Value peer competition, can be see as being egocentric

• Thrive for possibilities & constant change

• Started the "workaholic" trend

Boomers value hard work, view it as necessary for moving to next level of success

Traditionalists work hard because it is the right thing to do

• Committed to climbing the ladder of success

• Eager to get rid of command and control style of past

• Will challenge the system • Accept people on an equal basis as long

as perform to their standards. • Will Fight For A Cause

• 1/3 are grandparents• ¼ have divorced, remarried and have

second or third sets of children• On the brink of retiring in droves• Many plan to work > age 65

Work Ethic = Worth ethic

• Born during or after world War II • Raised in optimism, opportunity, & progress• Two-parent households• Safe schools• Job security • Post-war prosperity• Value loyalty• Respect organizational hierarchy• Generally wait their turn for advancement

Boomers work hard to move up the ladder

Xers work hard to have more time to balance work and life responsibilities

GENERATION X

Generation X

• Never known economic good times• Job lasts avg. of 15 months,

(10 years for BB)• Left school and entered era of mass

unemployment• Positive social changers• More tolerant of different religions, races and

sexual orientation• Resolve to achieve a better work-life balance• Shaped by technology • Web is central to work and life

• Invest in own development rather than organization’s

• Cautious about investing in relationships with employers

• Loyalty: May mean two-weeks notice • Xers have clear goals• Prefer managing own time and solving own

problems rather than managed by a supervisor

• Value access to information and plenty of it • Use feedback to adapt to new situations • Flexible • Work - Life

Work hardRather find quicker more efficient ways of working in order to have time for fun

Gen XRanked compensation 7/10 in top 10 most significant attributes they look for in a job

More significantRecognitionPraiseOpportunities to learnTime spent with mentors, developing

marketable skillsFun at work

What do Xer’s want

• High degree of independence• Constantly challenged • Work hard while having fun• Affiliation• To be engaged• To be developed

• 80+ million• Second in size to BB• Rapidly changing social climate & recession• Two-career families• Rising divorce rates• Downsizing• Close to parents - “Helicopter” parents

• Value positive reinforcement• Want more input and independence • Grew up during tranquil times, optimistic

outlook on life • Value technology

Multicultural

• Mix of ethnicities• Higher percentage from interracial marriage• 38% of Millennials are bilingual• More at ease with mixing races in marriage,

workplaces and friendships

Entrepreneurial• Don’t want conventional “job”• Want to work for themselves and make up their

own rules• 71% of Millennials at “regular” jobs would prefer

to quit their current job to work for themselves • 60% plan to jump ship in next two years• Most work at multiple jobs during their first

decade as new professionals, rather than build equity at one job

Angst filled• 94% describe their life

as, “overwhelmed”• Nearly one in ten has

thought about suicide in last year

• More psychosomatic symptoms of depression, such as trouble sleeping and remembering

On Mission

• Want a “mission,” not just a job• Desire to work in an organization that

improves the world • 87% consider a company’s commitment to

social and environmental causes when deciding where to work

• Drawn to organizations with a mission to transform the world.

Nexters

More mentoring up front Dramatic and constructive changes to the

workforce in their short time Younger workers take greater risks More mobileAble to pursue better jobs anywhere Workplace will need to adapt to the attitudes

and needs of this generation

The workplace

• Give Feedback• Give Autonomy - “elbow room”• Limit Bureaucracy• Relook at employee motivation package• Collaborative work environment• All share in developing goals and strategic

planning

Flexible Scheduling

Motivating benefit

• Its not about “face time” but about how effective you are at your job, no matter when or how it gets done

• Retain those who enjoy (and deserve) independence

Workforce in search of flexibility

Gen Xers and Gen Yerswhile passionate about their careers,

won’t sacrifice family and leisure for their career

When Generations Collide by Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman

AAMC and AMAPhysicians < 50

• View "quality of life" as essential• Willing to risk career advancement to get it• 71%: family and personal time is key• 2/3 not interested in longer hours for more

money

AAMC and AMAPhysicians < 50

• 13% currently work part time• 32% prefer part-time

Work-Life Balance Becoming Key Tool for Retention

Merrill Lynch survey

16% BB workforce looking for part-time work42% want jobs that allow them periods off

Boomer

Adult children of elderly will also be older• 60-yo caring for 90-yo parent• Demands of caring for disabled parent

Smaller families compared to earlier generationsHigher divorce rates than earlier generationsFewer children to care for elderly parents

Single

• 26% of Millennials are married• 36% of Gen Xer’s• 48% of Boomers• 65% of Builder

Based on percentage of each generation married at age 18-32

Employees are affected by life challenges, such as child care and elder care issues.

You lose an enormous talent pool if you don’t face those issues head on

It’s not work life then home life. It’s life

Katten Auerbach

Impact

• Job sharing• Part-time work• Flexible schedules• Information technology

Homelanders

• Born about same time Dept. of Homeland Security was birthed

• Grown up after turn of the century and follow Generation Y

• Toddlers, elementary school children and young middle schoolers

Generation Z

• Economic recession• Terrorism• Racial unrest• Rising debt• Gender discussions

“Hope is not a strategy”

Every generation offers a valuable perspective and unique set of experiences

Wisdom transcends age, gender and experience if we let it

• Be flexible• Thing outside your own generational

context• Look for shared values• Examine how and why you think• Create a culture of mutual respect

TracySanson@gmail.com

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813-503-8799