I guess it is inevitable that people of different ages have different perspectives. Life events shape perspectives and priorities. Generations experience events from unique perspectives. This is particularly important these days since we have four generations in the workforce today: the Greatest (born in the 30’s), Baby boomers (born since the 40’s), and Gen X (born since the 60’s).
According to Jeanne Meister, in an article by Rawn Shah in Forbes, we will soon have five generations since folks are retiring later these days. He says, “In prior years, we have had three or four generations at a time with some but not vast differences in work behavior.”
The fun part is that, this time, there are big differences between generational perspectives and behavior. It is critical to understand others’ perspectives.
I was born at the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation, coming to age in the 70’s with Watergate and the end of the Vietnam War. My daughter is 25 – smack dab in the middle of the Millennial generation. She was 13 when the World Trade Center went down on her birthday. I think these kids are the most interesting generation of all.
I read with interest the info graphics “Maximizing Millennials” by Brandon Weber. We all need to pay attention to Millennials. There are so many of them that they are really pushing the average worker age down. By 2014, 36% of the U.S. workforce will be Millennial, increasing to 46% just six years later. This very diverse group of people will have a huge impact on the workplace.
These folks are very tech savvy. I hear older folks (Boomers) complain that young people don’t talk to each other anymore and that they always seem to be checking their cell phones. Why text when you can pick up the phone and talk to someone! These are the same kids who had the TV on while listening to music doing homework. Turns out, they switch attention back and forth between media platforms at work 27 times per hour on average compared to only 17 times for previous generations.
So yes, they can be concentrating and very productive looking at a computer, checking email, texting, and listening to their iPod simultaneously. I can’t get my Boomer husband to answer a question while watching a football game. It is not necessary to understand how Millennial’s do this. We must accept that they can.
Millennial’s don’t make their job their entire life. They are motivated by more than money. When I was 25, I wanted a job where I could be respected, get good pay and benefits, and make friends. My life revolved around my job. Not so much with this generation. They value meaningful work over high pay or a sense of accomplishment from work.
They want to learn and grow with a company. In the article, “65% said the opportunity for personal development was the most influential factor in their current job.” They will leave if they don’t see opportunities for personal development. A talented friend, Katie, just left a very good job for a promotion to another company after three years. She said she didn’t see the opportunities even though she had been promoted twice in three years and was highly regarded.
They want to lead. According to the survey, “92% of surveyed 21 to 24 year olds felt entrepreneurship education as vital in the new economy and job market.” This struck home when my daughter announced she planned to attend an MBA program focusing on entrepreneurship.
Millennial’s outnumber Boomers and soon will outnumber us in the workplace. Their values reflect the way we raised them – to be independent, curious, and to grow.
We raised them this way. Now we need to figure out how to work with them! This will be fun.
NEXT: Advice on how to work with different generations.