Baby Boomers: First Generation To Take Care Of Parents Longer Than Parents Took Care Of Them

<h1>Baby Boomers: First Generation To Take Care Of Parents Longer Than Parents Took Care Of Them</h1>Author: <a title="Pat Thornton" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/pat-thornton/121898.htm">Pat Thornton</a> Over 78 million Americans were born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s, the years that have come to define the demographic anomaly known as the Baby Boom, the most fertile period in U.S. history.  Postwar prosperity had much to do with it, as did faith in the future and an ideology of reproduction that pushed women out of the wartime workforce and into motherhood. It was the largest generation ever, accounting for about a third of the U.S.  population by the 1980s.  And Baby Boomers made their presence felt: 15 million homes built in the 1950s; 50,000 classrooms created in 1952 alone; 1.5 billion cans of baby food sold in 1953.  As empty nesters, Boomers have more money to spend as the median income for Boomers bracket is $47,300 annually. The number of couples without children between the age of 45 and 60 will increase from 8 million in 1980 to 16 millions in the year 2010.   This was the first generation to live with a fear of no tomorrow, with the knowledge that the entire world could be annihilated by The Bomb.  A possibility reinforced every time they had to crouch under their desks at school or in bomb shelters at home.   However, in Canada, the Baby Boom is usually defined as the generation born from 1947 to mid-1960s. Canadian service personnel were repatriated later than the Americans, and Canada's birth rate did not start to rise until 1947.  Baby boomers are the largest single age group in Canada, at 7 million (31%), according to Statistics Canada.   Within the next 10 years, 2.6 million of them will be 50 to 60 years old.   In North America, every 7.5 seconds, a Boomer turns 50!   SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF Boomers AT WORK   Attitudes <ul> <li>Busy "sandwich" generation taking care of parents & children</li> <li>Team oriented </li> <li>Idealistic </li> <li>Health and wellness is high priority</li> <li>Human rights activists (they were the "hippies")</li> <li>Highly educated and affluent </li> <li>Competitive </li> <li>Success = money, title, recognition </li> <li>Anti rules & regulations </li> </ul>   Contributions <ul> <li>Service oriented </li> <li>Comfortable with long-term employment </li> <li>Willing to "go the extra mile" </li> <li>Good at relationships & communication </li> <li>Cool-headed during a crisis </li> </ul>   Cautions <ul> <li>Not naturally frugal </li> <li>Coasting into retirement </li> <li>Prefer high level of process </li> <li>Accustomed to feedback once per year, whether you need it or not </li> <li>Will vigorously protect Power & Turf </li> </ul>   SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT Baby Boomers:   Media Myth:   They are on their way out.  Reality:    Average life expectancy for today's woman is 78.8 years;  for men, 72. Boomers will have longer, healthier work lives than any previous generation.    Media Myth:   They'll have to grow up.  Reality:   Sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles doubled in the early 1990s; majority of buyers were Boomers.   Media Myth:   They've always had it easy; they're assured of a comfortable retirement. Reality:  Of all generations, Boomers have the largest credit card debt. They have an average of 20 years remaining on their mortgages.   Media Myth:  They have quit learning. Reality:  Enrollment by Boomers in adult education programs, everything from tap dancing to elementary economics, is up significantly.   Media Myth:  They're all workaholics. Reality:  Having worked grueling hours for the past thirty years; now 80% agree their private life is more important than work.   SOME RESULTS OF COLLISIONS BETWEEN Baby Boomers AND OTHER GENERATIONAL GROUPS   when a Senior (mid 1920s to mid-1940s) collides, they think ... <ul> <li>Stop talking about personal things that should be kept private. </li> <li>Me, me, me. </li> <li>Another divorce ??!! </li> </ul>   when a GenX (mid-1060s to late 1970s) collides, they think ... <ul> <li>Are you crazy - business meetings after 5:00? </li> <li>Moralistic and hypocritical. </li> <li>Always doing office politics. </li> </ul>   when a GenY (1980s to 2000) collides, they think ... <ul> <li>Work way too much. </li> <li>Lighten up. </li> <li>Stop hovering! </li> </ul>   We are all individuals. There are countless ways we differ in background, personality, values, preferences, and style.  To make judgments about these differences (i.e., who is better), is illogical and meaningless. However, exploring generational diversity can help explain - and bridge - the sometimes-baffling differences behind our unspoken assumptions and at-odds attitudes.  Caution: Be careful to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes. Generational differences are a start, not an end to understanding.  About the Author: Pat Thornton, President, Change Resources Group Inc.
<a href="http://www.talentretention.com" target="_blank">www.talentretention.com</a>

Change Resources Group has been successfully providing services to organizations in the area of strategic talent management for over 20 years to address the impacts of a wide diversity of change challenges, such as new leadership, consolidations and mergers, site relocations, restructuring, market and customer changes, and high growth.

CRG's team building division, Creative Reality Games, has executed a wide range of initiatives designed to help our clients maintain levels of service excellence, while improving team cohesion, productivity and profitability in a constantly changing world of work. This division has become known for its innovative retreats and team building events using current reality TV formats, such as: 
The Amazing Race, Apprentice, Survivor, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/team-building-articles/baby-boomers-first-generation-to-take-care-of-parents-longer-than-parents-took-care-of-them-791182.html" title="Baby Boomers: First Generation To Take Care Of Parents Longer Than Parents Took Care Of Them">Baby Boomers: First Generation To Take Care Of Parents Longer Than Parents Took Care Of Them</a>

Over 78 million Americans were born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s, the years that have come to define the demographic anomaly known as the Baby Boom, the most fertile period in U.S. history. Postwar prosperity had much to do with it, as did faith in the future and an ideology of reproduction that pushed women out of the wartime workforce and into motherhood.

It was the largest generation ever, accounting for about a third of the U.S. population by the 1980s. And Baby Boomers made their presence felt: 15 million homes built in the 1950s; 50,000 classrooms created in 1952 alone; 1.5 billion cans of baby food sold in 1953. As empty nesters, Boomers have more money to spend as the median income for Boomers bracket is $47,300 annually. The number of couples without children between the age of 45 and 60 will increase from 8 million in 1980 to 16 millions in the year 2010. This was the first generation to live with a fear of no tomorrow, with the knowledge that the entire world could be annihilated by The Bomb. A possibility reinforced every time they had to crouch under their desks at school or in bomb shelters at home.

However, in Canada, the Baby Boom is usually defined as the generation born from 1947 to mid-1960s. Canadian service personnel were repatriated later than the Americans, and Canada's birth rate did not start to rise until 1947.

Baby boomers are the largest single age group in Canada, at 7 million (31%), according to Statistics Canada. Within the next 10 years, 2.6 million of them will be 50 to 60 years old. In North America, every 7.5 seconds, a Boomer turns 50!

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF Boomers AT WORK

Attitudes

Busy "sandwich" generation taking care of parents & children
Team oriented
Idealistic
Health and wellness is high priority
Human rights activists (they were the "hippies")
Highly educated and affluent
Competitive
Success = money, title, recognition
Anti rules & regulations

Contributions

Service oriented
Comfortable with long-term employment
Willing to "go the extra mile"
Good at relationships & communication
Cool-headed during a crisis

Cautions

Not naturally frugal
Coasting into retirement
Prefer high level of process
Accustomed to feedback once per year, whether you need it or not
Will vigorously protect Power & Turf

SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT Baby Boomers:

Media Myth: They are on their way out. Reality: Average life expectancy for today's woman is 78.8 years; for men, 72. Boomers will have longer, healthier work lives than any previous generation.

Media Myth: They'll have to grow up. Reality: Sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles doubled in the early 1990s; majority of buyers were Boomers.

Media Myth: They've always had it easy; they're assured of a comfortable retirement. Reality: Of all generations, Boomers have the largest credit card debt. They have an average of 20 years remaining on their mortgages.

Media Myth: They have quit learning. Reality: Enrollment by Boomers in adult education programs, everything from tap dancing to elementary economics, is up significantly.

Media Myth: They're all workaholics. Reality: Having worked grueling hours for the past thirty years; now 80% agree their private life is more important than work.

SOME RESULTS OF COLLISIONS BETWEEN Baby Boomers AND OTHER GENERATIONAL GROUPS

when a Senior (mid 1920s to mid-1940s) collides, they think ...

Stop talking about personal things that should be kept private.
Me, me, me.
Another divorce ??!!

when a GenX (mid-1060s to late 1970s) collides, they think ...

Are you crazy - business meetings after 5:00?
Moralistic and hypocritical.
Always doing office politics.

when a GenY (1980s to 2000) collides, they think ...

Work way too much.
Lighten up.
Stop hovering!

We are all individuals. There are countless ways we differ in background, personality, values, preferences, and style. To make judgments about these differences (i.e., who is better), is illogical and meaningless. However, exploring generational diversity can help explain - and bridge - the sometimes-baffling differences behind our unspoken assumptions and at-odds attitudes.

Caution: Be careful to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes. Generational differences are a start, not an end to understanding.

Pat Thornton, President, Change Resources Group Inc. www.talentretention.com Change Resources Group has been successfully providing services to organizations in the area of strategic talent management for over 20 years to address the impacts of a wide diversity of change challenges, such as new leadership, consolidations and mergers, site relocations, restructuring, market and customer changes, and high growth. CRG's team building division, Creative Reality Games, has executed a wide range of initiatives designed to help our clients maintain levels of service excellence, while improving team cohesion, productivity and profitability in a constantly changing world of work. This division has become known for its innovative retreats and team building events using current reality TV formats, such as: The Amazing Race, Apprentice, Survivor, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

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Article Tags: Teamwork, Leadership, Team Building, Communications, Change Management, Baby Boomers, Seniors, GenX, Talent Retention, GenY, Cross Generational Teams, Team Tools

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