Tips for Understanding Generational Differences: Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers

 

Generational difference #1: Work-life balance

Workers in their 40s will stay late to get the job done. Workers under 30 (and even in their mid 30s) want to leave at 5p.m. but they WILL work from home

They stay connected and online 16 hours a day consistently and they will mix leisure time and work duties together.

Gen X (workers in their 30s) follow the rules although they may resent it. They're willing to work hard and often, stay late, but they are also torn up about the kids. They want to spend more time with them than their parents did, and juggling the two is getting more and more difficult.

Everybody wants work-life balance but these groups view it differently.

Generational difference #2: Generation Y and Getting Things Done

Younger workers like to test an idea or theory before implementation. They will look for online solutions and gather a lot of information before making a decision. This causes managers in their 40s and 50s to think they are not action takers. "Hey, why doesn't someone pick up a phone and get something done around here! They wonder."

Generation difference #3: Generation Y and Dress Codes

Dressing casually for workers under 30 is a very big deal. They don't understand the concept of dressing up if they are surrounded only by their coworkers and supervisors. Some younger male workers have indicated they're not interested in jobs that require a suit and tie. Dropping the dress code when possible is yielding amazing productivity results.

People under 30 were rewarded in elementary school and beyond, regardless of accomplishments. (Everybody gets a trophy.) They expect rewards and recognitions that are not necessarily achievement based. People under 30 grew up being corrected with an explanation that they were not that far off and that the teacher-supervisor has faith in them and their abilities. So, in the workplace they respond very poorly to military-style management being told that what they are doing is completely wrong.

People under 30 and to some degree, people in their mid to late 30s (Generation X) believe very strongly that history does not play a part in the future. They seem generally not interested in historical events, old processes or how things were done a long time ago. Growing up with computers in school has taught them there is always a new way to solve a problem and you don't have to know the root cause to solve it effectively. That is why older managers lose their cool in meetings when young employees disregard the cause of a problem and move right on to solutions.

Television has played a very large role. With shows like "Leave It to Beaver" and "The Brady Bunch," the script formula always showed the kids at the end of the show apologizing to the parents after learning a lesson from them. Later television programs from "The Facts of Life" to "Hanna Montana" show a pattern of the parents always apologizing to the kids. This obviously was done to improve ratings among children (everybody wants to watch a show where characters from their demographic are the ones in the right). But it created generations (Generations X and Y) that did not see older people as wise just because of their years.

People under 30 do not respect people because of their age, knowledge or position. They respect only those who they believe (for whatever reason) respect them. So people who manage younger workers have to hold themselves accountable in front of their employees to effectively hold their younger team members accountable. While this puts managers under heightened scrutiny, it works extraordinarily well and allows leaders to create a powerful culture of accountability.