Generations in the Law Enforcement Workplace

Generations in the Law Enforcement Workplace Managing Generational Differences in the Workplace Captain Joe Vargas jvargas@anaheim.net 714-765-1923

These New Kids! What’s Their Problem 2

Anaheim PD Age Distribution

Anaheim PD 1% GI Generation 3% Silent 38% Baby Boomer 39% Gen X 19% Millennial Oldest Employee born in 1924 Youngest Officer born in 1986

APD Demographics • Oldest Officer- Chief John Welter 1949 • Youngest Officer- Ofc. Jared Dewald 1986 • Oldest Employee Grace Fields- 1924

This generational stuff is just socially acceptable stereotyping…politically correct rationale offered for immature behavior Catering to and coddling the inexperienced…another example of inmates running the asylum When is someone going to ask me what I need? Doesn’t everyone want the same thing anyway? Even if this generational stuff were true, this is still planet earth and we know how our department needs to be run for it to be a success Can we go back to work now?…these kids will either get with the program or they’ll leave just like they always have Comments about Generations

I don’t get it ….my Captains are barely “technologically literate” yet they’re never open to suggestions on how to improve a process with technology. What’s up with this attitude ? Don’t they want to go home at night ? They act as if I should want to work 60-70 hours a week year in and year out …I’m not afraid of hard work …but that’s not the only thing I want to do with my life. Boomers tell me, “I’m older, have more experience and stop asking so many questions.” I want to tell them, “that’s right you are older …older than dirt and you don’t answer my questions either because you don’t know the answer why or you wish you’d asked the same question when you are my age and didn’t have the nerve.” Comments contd.

(c) 2005 JMS Associates The behavior of the individual will probably NOT fall perfectly within the behavioral norm predicted by the theory But, it will fall within a range of behaviors predicted by the theory

Describe your Department when you first started? What have been the changes we have seen in our careers?

Tattoos (c) 2005 JMS Associates Tattooed Arm of the Law Is Raising Image Questions By Stuart Pfeifer August 21, 2005 Michael Hartley got his first tattoo when he turned 18 and has been hooked on body ink ever since. He now has eight tattoos, including a shamrock on his right triceps and tropical flowers and bamboo shoots that wind down his left forearm. He has tattoos on each arm, his left leg, back and side. In a nation in which tattoos have become increasingly popular – a 2003 survey found one in six U.S. adults was inked – Hartley’s work would hardly raise an eyebrow. Except he’s a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy.

Agenda

Objectives • Going from Good to Great • Maximizing our leadership effectiveness • Maximizing our employees skills • Learning the pitfalls and landmines. • Recognizing Generational Conflict

Future of the Workforce The median age rising, youth labor force expected to grow more rapidly than the overall labor force Older workers may be rehired to meet shortages of labor and expertise Generational conflict may occur with age diversification of the labor force 20

Future of the Workforce Continue to be more culturally diverse, ethnic group population increases More women represented By 2010 average worker retirement age will be mid - 70's By 2011, first of the 77 million boomers reach age 65 21

Future of the Workforce The new workforce will want a more flexible workplace and may prefer flexibility over higher salary Employers need to find new ways to motivate the new work generation Some analysts feel there will be an erosion of past work ethics. 22

The “problem” stems from: Different Learning Preferences Different Definitions of “respect” Different Attention Spans Different Languages Different Values Different Sex Different Generation 23

The Current Workforce Age differences (Multiple Generations) Diverse ethnicity More women in the workforce At no time in American history have so many different generations with such diverse worldviews and work philosophies been expected to team up and work together. 24

First Boomer Reaches 65

How do our generational values form? • What we witness and directly experience • America has changed frequently • Our generational values impact our career decisions, lifestyle preferences and social behavior

Describe your worst Gen X, Gen Y or Boomer employee experience (c) 2005 JMS Associates include the generation of the employee the actual problem your reaction how it was resolved how you might handle it differently

Traditionalists/Silents Born 1925 - 1945

Baby Boomer Schedules Born 1946 - 1964

Generation X Born 1965 - 1977

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e82VE8UtW8A Millennials Born 1978 or After

At what point did you stop being Hip?

'Cuspers': Wedged between two generations • Three such groups exist in today's work force: • Traditionalist/baby boomer. Born around 1940 until 1945, members of this cusper group value the strong work ethic of the traditionalists. But some of these cuspers are also eager to challenge the status quo, a definite baby boomer trait. • Baby boomer/generation Xer. Born between 1960 and 1965, these cuspers witnessed the success of their older baby boomer counterparts, but they themselves experienced the recession that plagued the early generation Xers. Computers didn't come into elementary and high schools until after they graduated. • Generation Xer/millennial. Born from 1975 to 1980, these cuspers possess an interesting mix of generation X skepticism and millennial optimism. They're quite comfortable with technology. (c) 2005 JMS Associates

The Generations (c) 2005 JMS Associates the G.I. Generation: before 1930 the Silent Generation: 1931 – 1946 the Boom Generation: 1946 – 1964 Generation X: 1965 – 1978 Generation Y or the Bounce Boom: 1979 to 1994 Generation “I”: 1995 to present

The G.I. Generation (Hero) (c) 2005 JMS Associates came of age during the Depression served in the military sharpest rise in schooling ever recorded concerned with security & stability G.I. Bill expanded home ownership and college education beyond previous generations worked to ensure their children would not experience what they had

Silent Generation (Artist) (c) 2005 JMS Associates came of age too late to be war heroes and too early to be ‘free spirits” suffered as children through depression and war lifetime employment with one company very hard working: risk averse trusting of government optimistic about the future strongly held moral obligations

Generation X (Nomad) (c) 2005 JMS Associates currently in their late 20s to late 30s very self-oriented, but they want to know what is in it for them embraces the punk ethic D.I.Y. – Do It Yourself present oriented – looking for immediate results no lifetime employment questions authority

Boom Generation (Prophet) (c) 2005 JMS Associates developed beliefs as part of post-war optimism strong set of ideals and traditions conspicuously entered “culture careers” (teaching, religion, journalism, marketing and the arts) politically active fairly socially liberal very family oriented

Major Life Events:Events that Shaped Generation X (c) 2005 JMS Associates • Gen Xers are the children of divorce • 40% grew up in single family households • “Latchkey” children • 12% of elementary and 30% of middle school children were “latchkeys” in the ’70s. • Introduction of cable TV – increased channels from 3 to 50.

Major Life Events:Events that Shaped Generation X (c) 2005 JMS Associates • Loss of Heroes • Watergate • Reagan Assassination attempt • Botched hostage rescue in Iran • Jim Jones mass murder/suicide • Murder of John Lennon • Heroes shown to have faults and to be lacking competence and virtue.

Major Life Events:Events that Shaped Generation X (c) 2005 JMS Associates • Baby Bust period 1965 – 1975 • 1975 lowest birth rate of any year in U.S.history • 1st generation in history to be controlled by ‘the pill’. • For the first time in history adults ranked a cars ahead of children as a necessity in obtaining the “Good Life”.

Gen X Facts and Figures (c) 2005 JMS Associates +54% have completed or enrolled in more than one year of college +8% contribute to a retirement plan +40% invest in mutual funds 56% have volunteered

Political Actions & Contradictions (c) 2005 JMS Associates • GenXers are active, in spite of the low voting rates, • 17% of GenXers contributed to a political campaign in 1996 – over one-half of those who voted! • 42% had called a politician in the past year • But, they have little faith that politicians will actually be able to help, so they prefer to do things themselves

Gen X Facts and Figures (c) 2005 JMS Associates Contrary to the stereotype of Generation X as being “slackers”, 80% of all Americans trying to start their own business are Gen Xers They would prefer to be entrepreneurs – even within someone else’s organization

Generation X Characteristics (c) 2005 JMS Associates like experimenting thrive on chaos embrace diversity healthy skepticism, cynicism want creativity and control feel they carry the burden of the mistakes of prior generations

Gen X Politics (c) 2005 JMS Associates • lowest voting rate of any generation • 1996 – less than one-third of GenXers voted • 1996 – 67% of the G.I. and Silent Generations voted • 2000 – 36.1% of 18 – 24 year olds (Gen Y) registered to vote voted* • 2000 - about 60 of registered voters voted* * US Census Bureau Reports

Generational Expectations of Career Planning

The “Dividing Line”Generation X to Generation Y (c) 2005 JMS Associates Generation X’s eldest members have no memory of John Kennedy’s assassination Generation Y’s eldest members have no memory of the Challenger explosion.

Generations in the Law Enforcement Workplace