Managing Multiple Generations in the Workplace

Managing Multiple Generations in the Workplace

Introduction

“Those young workers have no sense of professionalism.” “Older workers are so inflexible.” There are many stereotypes about different generations in the workplace. The question is, is there any truth to them? Have experienced workers who have been on the job for upwards of 30 years always thought that the new young crop of employees was disrespectful, and have the newest generation of workers always thought that senior workers were too set in their ways? Are there indeed differences between workers of different generations? The American workforce is made up of individuals of various ages. In many organizations 25 year olds are working alongside 65 year olds, or even serving as their managers. Employees belong to several different generations, including those referred to as Veterans or Matures, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and now Generation Y or Millennials (Szamosi, 2006).

The daily interactions of these groups can influence organizational functioning, so understanding these groups and how they may differ is very important. Failing to realize that others may be different from ourselves can lead to tensions that will negatively impact the organization (Kupperschmidt, 2000). There are two main schools of thought about why there are differences between individuals of various ages. One school believes that individuals change as they age, and differences between young adults and older adults are due to these maturational changes. The other school of thought attributes these differences to generational differences.

Discussion

America is beginning to experience a fundamental change in the workforce for which there is no precedent. The change in the age, culture, abilities, and work habits of American workers is not bound by industry lines. Experts in educational studies have begun to warn university leaders that they will need to begin to adapt to a new culture as the age of professors decreases. Studies that have examined generational differences across several private sector industries recommended that employers reconsider human resource policies based on new chronological-age and age-related factors. The theoretical framework for this study was founded from prior research that presented evidence to support the notion that generational differences have an impact on the employees of an organization.

However, generational differences and goal orientation that failure to recognize these differences could cause higher levels of dissatisfaction and turnover among younger employees. Generational differences have been recognized in psychological traits and workplace habits. However, generational differences are psychological as well as technological, and these psychological differences can have a big influence on workplace behavior. On age differences and varying perspectives to explain the different mindsets between older and younger workers

Generational differences were found to be the best perspective to explain why younger workers desire personal recognition more so than older workers. A stronger desire by younger workers to be recognized by managers and peers could lead to a change in organizational incentives to reward performance. Some research has been accomplished on generational differences and specific workplace influences, but there is still much research to ...