1. 67th Annual Vermont Governor’s Conference on Recreation presents:
Mixing four Generations in the
Workplace
Carol Price
“Professionally Speaking”
2. Who Am I?
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964
Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
Notes:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
1
3. Strengths / Work Ethic
V B
• Strong work ethic
• Enhanced knowledge • Committed to customer service
• Discipline • Dedicated
• Loyalty • Good team members
• Emotional maturity • Optimistic
• Belief in the “greater good” • future- oriented
• Focus and perseverance • Experienced and knowledgeable
• See work as a privilege
• Experience
X Y
• Adaptability • Collective action
• Technological literacy • Optimism
• Independence • Ability to multi-task
• Creativity • Technological savvy
• Willingness to buck the system • Global world view
• Comfort with Diversity
• Goal-and-achievement-orientation
• Belief in Volunteerism and service
to communities
Notes:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
2
4. Challenges
V B
• Reluctant to buck the system and • Not naturally “budget minded”
speak up when they disagree
• Uncomfortable with conflict
• Uncomfortable with conflict
• Reluctant to take a position
against peers
• Sometimes put process ahead of
results
X Y
• Skeptical • Need supervision and structure
• Distrustful of authority • Are inexperienced--particularly in
handling “people issues”
• Less attracted to leadership
positions • Value time and flexibility so they
can maintain work/life balance.
• View changing jobs as a natural
process
Notes:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
3
5. Communication Preferences
V B
• Memos • Phone calls
• personal notes • personal interactions
• letters
X Y
• Voice Mail • In person meetings
•E-mail • instant messages
• blogs
• Text messages
• e-mails
Notes:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
4
6. Their Motivation Sources
V B
• Seeing how their actions affect the • Leaders who get them involved and
overall good of the organization show them how they can make a
difference
• Respect for their knowledge,
experience and insight • Managers who value their opinion,
recognize their contributions, and
• Rewards for their perseverance and make it clear that the organization
work ethic needs them
X Y
• Giving them the freedom to get the
job done on their own schedule
•Allowing them to do it their way • Managers who connect their actions
to their personal and career goals
•Having the newest technology
available •The promise of working with other
bright, creative people
•Having very few rules
•Being a “hero”
•Being more “informal” than
“corporate” •Having adequate time and flexibility
to live the life they want
Veterans 1909-1945 Boomers 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
5
7. Coaching Principles
V B
• Allow input in “Rules of Engagement” • Help them manage time wisely
• Match approach to “their experience” •Assess their comfort level with
technology in advance
• Let them define quality and fit your
approach to that definition • Demonstrate how important a
strong team is
• Use testimonials from the nation’s
institutions • Customize your style to their unique
needs
•Emphasize that you’ve seen it before
• Emphasize their “victories”
• Don’t highlight uniqueness
•Follow up and check in - ask how
they’re doing on a regular basis
X Y
• Put all the options on the table
• Be prepared to answer “why”
• Offer customization--a plan specific
• Present yourself as an information to them
provider
• Offer peer level examples
• Use their peers as testimonials when
possible • Spend time providing information
and guidance
•Appear to enjoy your work:
“carpe diem” • Be impressed with their decisions
• Follow up and meet your
commitments
Notes:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
6
8. Managers and/or People Who Turn Them Off or Away
V B
• Are too “touchy -feely” • Aren’t open to input
• Are indecisive and worry about making • Are bureaucratic
“unpopular decisions”
• Send a “my-way-or-the-highway
• Use profanity and slang message
• Are disorganized • Don’t seem to care about them as
• Use management styles that seem people
“trendy” • Practice “one-upmanship”
• Are brusque
X Y
• Micromanage • Are cynical and sarcastic
• Don’t walk the talk • Telling them they are too young
• Spend too much time on process and to be valuable
too little on results • Who are tech challenged
• Are flashy • Are condescending
• Are bureaucratic • Are inconsistent and disorganized
• smooze
Notes:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
7
9. Managers They Love to Work For
V B
•Establish long term goals •Strive for consensus
•Spell out clear job expectations •Treat them as equals
•Are logical •Manage democratically
•Are fair •Use group process to establish
•Are consistent in their actions vision, mission and goals
•Respect others •Are warm and caring
•Assure them they’re making a
difference through their work
X Y
•Are competent •Teach them new things
•Communicate in a direct, •Know their personal goals and
straightforward manner what they want to achieve
•Are sincere •Are positive
•Give them a deadline and turn them •Coach, support and collaborate
loose to meet it
•Are organized are create
•Are informal and flexible reasonable structure
•Support training and growth •Are achievement oriented
•Focus on results •Instill a sense of play and fun in
Notes: the work place
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
8
10. Desired Rewards & Recognition
V B
• Plaques • Personal appreciation
• Certificates • Promotion
• Tangible symbols of loyalty, • Recognition
commitment and service
X Y
• Free time • Awards
• Continually upgraded resources • Certificates
like technology and other time-
savers • Tangible evidence of credibility to
strengthen their resumes
• Opportunity for professional
development
• Bottom-line results
• Certifications to add to their
resumes
Notes:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
9
11. Attraction & Retention Strategies
V B
• Use personal touch • Offer flexible work arrangements!
• Make face to face contact • Provide challenging work, horizontal
and vertical movement for learning
• Show respect for their age and
opportunities
experience
• Offer phased retirement options
• Show them that their experience is
viewed as an asset • Offer health & wellness programs to
foster healthy lifestyles
•Capitalize on that experience
X Y
• Offer lots of work schedule options • Use the power of peers
• Allow them to work autonomously • Offer flexible options to
accommodate family and person life
• Tap into their adaptability, Gen
“X”ers are usually flexible • Involve them in meaningful volunteer
efforts and support the projects they
• Give FAST
are already involved in
Frequent, accurate, specific,
• Use their technological skills to
timely feedback
access information quickly and their
comfort with diversity
• Invite them to learn interpersonal
Notes:
skills for their work environment. They
might need rescuing.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Veteran 1909-1945 Boomer 1946-1964 Gen “X” 1965-1979 Gen “Y” 1980-2000
10