Managing the Next Generation At Work

1. Managing the Next GenerationAt Work

2. Who are These Kids, Anyway? • They don’t show up. • They don’t know how to work. • They want to start at the top. • They aren’t loyal. • They question everything. • They have the attention span of a gnat. • They think they are entitled to everything.

3. Generation: A body of individuals born in approximately the same time period who generally share similar behaviors and attitudes. “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

4. The Four Generations • Traditionalists/Veterans • (Born 1922-1945) • Baby Boomers • (Born 1946-1964) • Generation X • (Born 1965-1982) • Millennials/Generation Y • (Born 1983-2000)

5. How the Generations Differ • Social, Political, and Economic Influences • Familial Structure and Influence • Education • Values • Work Ethic Understanding these differences is the key to managing them.

6. Traditionalists/Veterans Born 1922-1945

7. Influences: Social, Political & Economic • Great depression • World War II • New Deal • G.I. Bill • Korean War • Cold War

8. Familial Structure & Influence • Traditionalists grew up in nuclear families consisting of two parents and children. • Fathers typically worked while mothers stayed home. • As a result, traditionalists tend to be conservative, rule-abiding, and appreciative of authority.

9. Education • For most Traditionalists, higher education was not possible. • They valued hard work, and their focus was on scraping by financially. • For many, religious education was just as important as formal (school) education.

10. Values • Courtesy • Discipline • Dependability • Authority • Tradition • Security • Stability • Loyalty • Logic

11. Baby Boomers Born 1946-1964

12. Influences: Social, Political & Economic • Civil Rights Era • Equal Rights Era • Rise of the Suburbs • Television • Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll • Space Exploration • JFK • Watergate • Vietnam War

13. Familial Structure & Influence • Like Traditionalists, Baby Boomers grew up in relatively traditional, nuclear families. • However, because of their optimism and the Civil Rights Era, Baby Boomers are more open to change.

14. Education • Education became much more of a common aspiration among Baby Boomers. • Most Baby Boomers completed high school and over a fourth of Baby Boomers have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.

15. Values • Adventure • Vision • Change • Rapport • Equality • Openness • Standing out • Success

16. Generation X Born 1965-1982

17. Influences: Social, Political & Economic • Fall of Berlin Wall • Operation Desert Storm • Energy Crisis • MTV and Rock/Punk/Grunge Music • Challenger Space Disaster • AIDS epidemic • Rodney King Affair

18. Familial Structure & Influence • Generation Xers are also known as latchkey kids, who grew up during a dramatic increase in two-income households. They often came home to empty houses. • As a result, Generation Xers are more self-reliant, although they tend to question authority.

19. Education • Generation Xers were the best educated generation before Generation Y (Millennials). • They were better educated than both Traditionalists and Baby Boomers. • Many view college as a means to an end, the end being a solid career path.

20. Values • Freedom • Flexibility • Independence • Frankness • Efficiency • Access • Personal Life

21. Millennials/Generation Y Born 1983-2000

22. Also Known As: • Echo Boomers • named for many being the children of Baby Boomers. • Generation Me • named for being more confident but also more self-absorbed and demanding. • Internet Generation • named for being the first generation to grow up with widespread use of the internet.

23. Influences: Social, Political & Economic • Rap and Hip Hop Music • Oklahoma City Bombing • Lewinsky Scandal • Columbine and Other School Shootings • Dot Com Crash • Religious Scandals • Enron and Corporate Scandals • War in Iraq • Proliferation of Communications and Mobile Technology • 9/11

24. Familial Structure & Influence • Millennials have grown up in non-traditional families with a record number of divorces. • 1 in 4 lives in a single-parent household. • For many Millennials, both mothers and fathers work and take part in child-rearing. • 3 in 4 have working mothers.

25. Familial Structure & Influence • Millennials’ families are more child-centered, with parents involving themselves in their children’s activities and education. • Millennials have a strong sense of their own self worth, are ambitious, and believe they can achieve anything. • Only 26% marry by age 32 vs 65% of Veteran generation.

26. Education • Millennials are the most educated generation yet. More than a third have advanced degrees. • They spend much more time on homework than previous generations. • They value college education despite expensive tuition costs.

27. Values • Flexibility • Entertainment • Creativity • Variety • Education • Achievement • Meaning • Personal Life

28. Values • Millennials’ are the least religious of the four generations. (58% vs 74%) • Millennials are the most politically independent (50% vs 32%) and see fewer differences between the two major parties. • However, they tend to be more liberal than their predecessors.

29. Values • Millennials’ are the most racially diverse of the four generations. (43% non-white, half of newborns are non white) • Millennials are the least trusting generation. Only 19% believe you can trust most people compared to 40% of boomers. • They are the most optimistic generation in terms of their financial future (85% vs 56% for veterans).

30. Work Ethic • Value challenging, variable, meaningful work. • Work is a venue for involvement and achievement. • Work is important but so is personal life.

31. Preferred Leadership Approach • Respect authority and rules similar to Traditionalists. • Value a relationship with the immediate boss. • Respond best to an informal, engaging, and “fun” approach.

32. Communication Style • Like informal communication that feels positive and personalized to them. • Value patience and clarification. • Prefer electronic communication over meetings.

33. Interaction with Others • Millennials have a collaborative spirit and are good team players. • They value social networking. • Millennials are also respectful of the experience of others. • Millennials may be perceived as having poor communication skills, being rude, or feeling entitled due to their self-confidence and willingness to ask for what they want.

34. Approach to Feedback • Millennials like to be given feedback for something immediately after they do it. • They are a generation known for wanting instant feedback and praise. • This isn’t just an egocentric thing – Millennials are eager to please and looking to be coached.

35. View toward the Employer • Millennials’ view toward employers are dependent on their specific work experiences. • They have high expectations for their boss and their work experience. • Unmet expectations drive them to leave.

36. Work vs. Personal Life • Careers must leave room for personal lives. • Seek flexible scheduling and part-time or temporary leave options.

37. What they Want • Millennials prefer to receive immediate rewards for their achievements. • Like Generation Xers, they want more challenges and opportunities to develop their skills.

38. Financial Behaviors • Millennials have already won a reputation for being financially savvy. • Though they are willing spenders, they are concerned about adequate saving and financial security. • They care about job benefits, including retirement benefits.

39. Relationship with Technology • Millennials are the first generation “native” to digital technology. They have been using it from childhood. • They are very comfortable with technology, and they excel at its use. • They prefer to have up-to-date or cutting edge technology in the workplace.

40. Technology

41. Expectations • Instant feedback/gratification, praise • Have fun at work • Work on a variety of tasks • Mentorship • Training and opportunities for professional growth • Flexible schedules

42. Pros and Cons…

43. Millennials Pros/Cons Pros Cons want instant gratification/praise have high expectations for management need guidance lose interest if they don’t perceive work to be meaningful need to have fun can appear self-absorbed • driven • can multi-task well • technologically savvy • quick learners • flexible • respectful of rules, authority, and elders

44. Motivating Millennials • Encourage through positive feedback. • Make work entertaining. • Inspire them to work toward a vision or cause. • Offer additional training opportunities. • Support creativity and diversity. • Take their ideas into serious consideration despite their youth.

45. Implications for Management Be a mentor: • Millennials place great importance on their relationship with their immediate boss. • They see their boss as a resource for learning, training, and growth opportunities. • They also may see their boss as a big reason to leave a job.

46. Implications for Management Be a mentor: • They also value frequent communication with their boss, which includes feedback. • They expect their boss to be directly involved in overseeing their career development.

47. Implications for Management Structure work: • Give them numerous tasks with deadlines, a clearly defined schedule, and measurable goals. • Inform them of the steps involved in a project, and allow them to complete it in pieces.

48. Implications for Management Challenge them: • Put Millennials on the fast-track to increased responsibility. • As soon as they enter the workplace, they are looking to move forward and upward within the company. • They want to prove their worth, so allow them the opportunity to do so.

49. Generational Disconnect • Veterans have the tendency not to question or challenge authority. • This may cause confusion and resentment among the Gen Xers and Millennials who have been taught to speak up.

50. Generational Disconnect • Gen Xers and Millennials may fail to actively listen to Boomers and Traditionalists thereby missing valuable information and guidance.