Workplace warfare: baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y
Lately, everyone is talkin’ ‘bout your generation. With an age gap of nearly 50 years between the oldest and youngest employees in some organisations, there is a broad range of perspectives, needs and attitudes floating around the office. Today’s workplace is most definitely a multi-generational one – and each generation has its own set of expectations, needs, values and working styles.
While generational diversity in the workforce promotes a broader range of talent, it can often mean conflicting ideas and stereotyping – the Baby Boomers think Generation X needs a stronger work ethic, Gen X sees the Boomers as self-absorbed workaholics – and everyone thinks Generation Y is selfish and self-entitled.
Recognising and understanding generational differences can help everyone learn to work together more effectively and transform your workplace from a generation war zone to an age-diverse and productive team.
Baby Boomers (born between 1946 – 1964)
If you were around during the Vietnam War, grew up watching The Twilight Zone and were a ‘flower power’ child of the 60s, then you are classified as a Baby Boomer. Boomers make up 35 per cent of the Australian working population and are presently nearing the age of retirement. The Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts that there will be a shortage of labour and skills in the coming years, particularly in the education and health care industries, as the boomers start leaving the workforce.
But not all Baby Boomers are ready to start pottering around the garden all day and becoming champion lawn bowls players. Many are expected to continue to work well into their sixties and are currently interested in changing, rather than ending, their careers.
There are many stereotypes surrounding mature age workers – they are expensive, difficult to manage, won’t learn new skills, resist change and aren’t up to date with new technology. These generalities can make it difficult for mature age workers who are seeking new work or who aren’t quite ready for retirement.
Glennis Hanley, from Monash University’s Department of Management, believes that Baby Boomers are vital to the workforce today and should be encouraged to stay in the labour game as long as they can. ‘Businesses need to employ the broad-based business experiences of Baby Boomers to foster and transfer cross-generational knowledge,’ says Hanley.
Boomers are committed, hard working and career focused – which has caused them to be tagged as workaholics by Gen X and Gen Y. The Baby Boomer work ethic is also characterised by dedication, loyalty and a willingness to stay in the same job for a long time. They have a lot to offer businesses with their work and life experience, skills and knowledge that many younger people can’t offer. They tend to work longer hours – and respect is paramount when managing a Baby Boomer.
Generation X (born between 1965 – 1981)
Gen X encompasses the lucky group of individuals born in the late 60s but before the 80s really got started. They represent the pop culture of the 70s and are often referred to as ‘latch-key’ kids (often left alone at home because both parents were working) – which explains their independent, resourceful and adaptable approach to work.
Gen X occupies a massive 60 per cent of the current workforce. They possess an entrepreneurial spirit, a do-it-yourself attitude and, in contrast to the generations before them, embrace change in the workplace. They are career-oriented but place a strong emphasis on family time and strive for a good work–life balance. They enjoy freedom and autonomy – they work to live rather than live to work, which is often frowned upon as slack and difficult to manage by the Boomers, who prefer to do the long hours. A flexible workplace is a must for a Gen X-er and they value constructive feedback – which both need to be taken into consideration when managing Gen X.
Gen X-ers are seen to be in the best position in the job market at the moment as they are set to step up to the plate and fill the leadership roles when the boomers retire. Where boomers have the experience, Gen X-ers also have the qualifications to go with it. Brought up in an era of technological and social change, Gen-X is tech-savvy and open to change. They possess a different work ethic to the boomers – Gen X thrives on diversity, challenge, responsibility, honesty and creative input, compared to the boomers’ preference for a more rigid, work-centric approach.
Gen Y (born between 1982 – 2000)
Known as the technological whiz kids in the generation world, these guys were born in the early 80s through to the 90s (some sources even say right up until 2003). They are predicted to occupy almost half the working population by 2020.
Practically born with a mobile phone strapped to their ear and a laptop in their cradle, these guys are totally comfortable with digital technology. Excellent multi-taskers – they’ve had to juggle school, soccer training, dance class, computer games and other social interests, all whilst sending text messages – they are impatient and require instant gratification as they have always had all the information they need at their fingertips via the Internet.
Where boomers prefer ‘face time’, Gen Y prefers to communicate through platforms such as email, Instant Messaging (IM), blogs and text messages, rather than on the phone or face to face. Gen Y also prefers cybertraining, web-based delivery systems and telecommuting rather than traditional lectures or training.
The typical Gen Y is smart, creative, productive and achievement-oriented. They seek personal growth, meaningful careers, and mentors or supervisors to encourage and facilitate their professional development.
They have been constantly surrounded by choice and therefore don’t tend to stay in one job for very long. They require constant stimulation and the opportunity to develop their skills – if they don’t get it, they will walk out the door and find another company quicker than you can say ‘Gen Y’.
According to demographer Bernard Salt, the financial sector was seeing a 25 per cent turnover of Gen Y staff each year. However, the global financial crisis has forced them to stay put in their jobs a little longer.
With their ‘what’s in it for me?’ attitude, Gen Y focuses on entitlements, rewards, promotions and development, which has often led to ‘gen Y bashing’ over recent years. Other generations see them as arrogant, selfish, lazy and unethical. However, provided with rewards, access to training and inspiring leadership, this generation will thrive and be the one to take business through to the future.
So what about Gen Z?
Set to occupy roughly 10 per cent of the workforce by 2020, experts predict that with Generation Z there will be a return to values such as respect, responsibility and restraint. However, with the way technology is heading, most of the jobs that Gen Z will be filling have not even been created yet. The mind boggles.
Questions and Answers
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If you are over 45 and suddenly find yourself made redundant or seeking a career change, the thought of having to hit the job trail and compete against people years younger than yourself can be downright scary. But take heart – as a mature-age job seeker you have plenty to offer, and employers are increasingly valuing your unique set of skills and experiences.
Discuss this Article
Comments on this article
I can't understand why generational writers think that growing up in changing economic and social times (the 70's, presumably) was somehow harder than being a young worker in such times (this would be all the older baby boomers). Weren't all the economic times Generation X experienced also experienced by the Baby Boomers? The only point you demographer types have is, as a child or youngster it might be a formative experience on your character.
Your point and that of other demographers seems to be that tough tough love and the horrible economic developments of the no-good 70's produced better human beings than the cushy, soft, advantageous and romantic childhoods we boomers admittedly had in the 50's and early 60's. But that's not what even elementary psychology suggests. Criminals grew up in bad households. Your gritty, tough start up years should be viewed as just that, a deficit, not something to be proud of.
And moreover, even though I can remember the lineups at gas stations and they can't, it effected them more. Or I should say you, since this article must have been written by an Xer.
Society started to go into upheaval in the mid to late 60's, oh ignorant of history Xers. Look at the evolution of the Beatles and you'll see what I mean. They started out as clean-cut youths singing about love in 1963 and ended up as drug addicts with long stringy hair singing about peace and psychedalia in 1968. That was the 60's. By contrast, the 70's started badly and ended badly and was uniformly unlikeable. Why weren't you influenced by fat ties, bell bottoms and disco music, Generation X? Yet you were influenced by the nasty bad economic times and everything that was so horrible. And then as soon as the economy improved vastly in the 80's you stopped being influenced. But I agree, you people did miss out on the most wonderful time ever, the mid fifties to early 60's.
But you weren't the only ones who had to be flexible, creative, and independent in the work place. And when you say technology you mean the internet, not computers and software and programming itself which was developed by Baby Boomers.
I could go on, but suffice it to say, Generation X is the most ignorant and uncouth generation to ever come along.
And who knows what you or anyone else means when they say Generation X "embraces change" in the workplace. What kind of change? The kind that results in a lower paycheck or firing? And what is a flexible workplace? One where you don't always get paid? I doubt Xers would like that.
I think Xers have some good qualities (honestly, if mixed with astounding ignorance), but I blame the economic crisis in good part on the disconnect between Generation X and Baby Boomers. I also think more fault lies with the Xers, who as a group have no interest in leadership or other organizational and cultural values and inserted technology in place of human judgement in the world of finance. And most of the subprimers are of X extraction.