Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, Millennials and GenZ:

Appreciating Generational Diversity in the Workplace

MEGAN E. THOMPSON, PHARMD

U N I V E R S I T Y O F C O LO R A D O S K A G G S S C H O O L O F P H A R M A C Y A N D P H A R M A C E U T I C A L S C I E N C E S

Generation Defined• A “generation” is defined as a group of people who share the same formative

experiences

• Most frequently, birth year is used to define a generation

• ~20-year span

• Each generation shares a unique set of values and traits

• Generational characteristics are not universally shared by all in that group

• “Cuspers” may have a blended set of characteristics (born on the “cusp” of a generation)

Bova, B. (1993).

Generations – Age Groups

Generation Born Age of adults in 2018

The Greatest Generation 1910-1928 90-100+

The Silent Generation 1928-1945 73-90

Baby Boomers 1945-1965 54-72

Generation X 1965-1980 38-53

The Millennial Generation 1980-1995 22-37

Generation Z/Digital Natives/Post-Millennials

1995-2012 6-21

Pew Research Center, 2015, 2018

Society’s Definition Baby Boomers

◦ Predominantly white◦ Conservative◦ Say they don’t like millennials

Generation X◦ America’s neglected “middle child”◦ Less conservative, but not liberal either◦ Less distinct than the other two, but don’t care

Millennials◦ Ethnically diverse◦ “Entitled”, “everybody gets a trophy”◦ Viewed as being very liberal◦ Techies

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Generation Seminal Events

Silent WWII, The Great Depression, The New Deal, Korean War, Rise of Labor Unions, the discovery of penicillin (products of depression, sacrifice important, “seen but not heard” = loyalty is everything)

Baby Boomer Rosa Parks refuses to move to back of bus, first nuclear power plant, Congress passes Civil Rights Act, birth control pills introduced, National Organization for Women established, Martin Luther King Jr. leads march in DC, JFK elected/assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy assassinated, first moon landing, Woodstock (optimistic about future; team oriented, health/wellness important, work, involvement = engaged, satisfied with their job)

Generation X Intel’s first chip invented, MTV, CDC’s first report on AIDS, first email system, personal computer introduced, Reagan assassination attempt, Watergate scandal, Three Mile Island meltdown, Corporate layoffs, Rodney King beating, Iranian hostage crisis, Stock Market decline, Desert Storm, fall of Berlin wall, Challenger explosion, Lockerbie flight bombing, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (survivors of traumatic events; established institutions and leaders in society failed = skeptical, self-sufficient, independent)

Millennial Prozac introduced, Google, Ebola, World Wide Web opens to public, O.J. Simpson trial, Oklahoma City Bombings, 9/11, MA issues same-sex marriage licenses, Recession begins, CDs/DVDs, Y2K, Obama elected, rise of social media, school violence, early exposure to adult issues, diversity (cautious; culturally/racially tolerant, accepting of change, “Everybody wins!” = open communicators, want leadership/opportunities to learn; fixing social injustices a major focus)

Generation Z/Digital Natives/Post-Millennials

Children of Generation X, Recession still present, domestic/foreign terrorism, Swine Flu, Hurricane Katrina, iPod, Facebook; will be smarter than any generation previously, will not be team players, creative, more self-directed, little concern for privacy or personal information, thrive on speed, highly connected to use of communications; entrepreneurial, innovative; want to actually “save the world” not just talk about doing it

Zemke, R., Rianes, C., Filipczak, B., 2000; Schuman H, Rodgers W. 2004; Smola KW, 2002

Baby Boomers still Largest Generation

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GenZ Millennials Baby Boomers Generation X Silents

Population by GenerationIn millions

Pew Research Center, April 2016

Workforce Statistics by Generation

Pew Research Center, May 2015.

Millennials are largest generation in U.S. labor force

Major Shifts in U.S. Society and Culture

Pew 2018.

Jasmin Awad / EyeEm / Getty Images/EyeEm

Posterexplosion.comAncientsymbols.comhttps://phspa.org

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Educational Trends• Greater share of Millennial women have a bachelor’s degree than

their male counterparts

• Today’s graduates have spent less than 5000 hours of their lives reading, but have spent over 10,000 hours playing video games and over 20,000 hours watching television

• Technology: in 2013, 71% of the U.S. population age 3 and over used the internet

• Grade inflation

• College attainment has spikedEsaac.com.pk

Generational CharacteristicsBaby Boomer GenX Millennial GenZ

Outlook Optimistic Skeptical Cautiously Optimistic System is “rigged”

Work ethic Loyal; driven; “My way orthe highway”

Responsibilities have to align with values

Described as poor work ethic; self-centered

Skeptical about education

View of authority Pay your dues Competence; do not micromanage

Respect must be earned Internet is the authority

Communications In person Email or voicemail; informality Text/Social Media(Instagram, Twitter,

Snapchat)

‘Instinctual” relationshipwith technology

Relationships Personal gratification Reluctance to commit Inclusive Desire for deeper social connections

Work-Life Balance Responsible for balancing everyone else

Would be nice Flexibility and options ?

Perception of feedback

“Once a year, with lots of documentation”

“Sorry to interrupt, but how am I doing?”

“Whenever I want or seek it”

Honest, transparent and authentic

Zemke R, et al. 2000; Chronicle, 2018.

Gen Xers – Changing the Nature of Work•Accounts for 51% of leadership roles globally

•~20 years of experience

•Comfortable/proficient with technology• Use social media >40 minutes more per week than Millennials

• More likely to use cell phones at dinner table to conduct work

•Can bridge the gap between conventional/traditional leadership styles of Baby Boomers and unorthodox styles of Millennials

• “Hypercollaborators” – work with and through others to generate faster results

•Overlooked for promotions and expected to take on heavier workloads than other generations

Ddiworld.com

Generation Z – “Digital Natives”• Born 1995-2012 (now in high school and

early college)

• 61 million

• More practical and financially driven than

Millennials

• Prefer to learn by doing

• Want future to reflect specific, personal

interests (versus Millennials who seek to

make an impact on others)

• Diversity is the norm

• Social leanings are progressive

• “Innovative”, “Self Aware”, “Resilient”

• Highly entrepreneurial and reluctant to

spend money

• Interested in an education they can apply

and focused on the value of a degree

• Technology is indispensable but not always

a net positive

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/innovative-resilient-woke-ready-not-generation-z-arrived-000106846.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/fashion/move-over-millennials-here-comes-generation-z.html

More about Millennials…

Image credit: headcount.org

Millennials = Safest Generation

• Car seats up to age 8

• Bicycle helmets

• Participation trophies

• “Stranger danger”

• Product of “helicopter parents”

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Technology

• Information access (internet) is not a luxury; it’s a

requirement• No longer nice to have → necessary to have

• There have been more changes in technology in the last 5 years than the previous 50

• Robotics

Image credit: 33rdsquare.com

Economic Environment

• Entering adulthood during one of the largest recessions the U.S. has ever had

◦ Companies merge, acquired, and close

• Facing challenging/increasing college tuition rates

• Savvy shoppers

• Ownership of goods not a priority◦ Will invest in expensive goods, but do the research first

◦ Evaluate purchases (and expenditures) carefully

◦ Home ownership, automobile ownership decreasing

◦ Car-2-Go; AirBnB; Uber

◦ Millennials dominate rental market

Sladek,S. Knowing Y: Engage the Next Generation NowPew Research, 2017

Image credits: alternativeconsumer.com; Airbnb.com; uber.com

Housing market•Baby Boomers: NIMBYism (“Not in my backyard”)

◦ The idea that you oppose something that might be built in your neighborhood (landfill, waste plant), but you don’t oppose it being built somewhere else.

◦ Boomers edging out Millennials for homes in urban areas because they can afford it

◦ Boomers typically have a NIMBY mentality

•Millennials: YIMBYism (“Yes in my backyard”)◦ Debt, urban housing becoming too pricey, affordable housing not being built

◦ Millennials want smaller, Boomers have bigger

◦ Millennials want to do something about environmental factors (owning cars) but if they can’t buy in urban areas it forces them to rely on their own transportation

•GenX: Still in debt from 2007 housing crisis◦ Wrong place at the wrong time

◦ Little to no equity from when they purchased their first home

Information Generation

• Access to global information ◦ Tragedies happen frequently◦ Violence◦ Live video as events are happening

• Public scandals ◦ National leaders◦ Sports heroes

• “Do-it-Yourself”o YouTubeo Craigslist

Image credit: www.workflexibility.org

Changing Trends…Ownership

Community

Loyalty (jobs, political parties)

Status = success

Advocacy

Access

Globalization

Social awareness/Loyalty to a cause

Relationships/Inclusion = success

Open-mindedness

Changing Environments

• Changing jobs every 3-5 years

• YOLO

• Aversion to “old school”

• Eager to acquire more information

• Trust: must be earned, but once earned, fiercely loyal

• Entitled: brutally honest (electronic) feedback

Feedback• Frequent feedback sought

• Product reviews

• “Rate your Doctor”

• “Likes”

• Digital Badging

Image credit: facebook.com

Image credit: www.grubhub.com

Image credit: npr.org

Image credit: matadornetwork.com

Get out of your comfort zone…

Image credit: Thinkstock

Potential Challenges

Within your group think of examples when you have had challenges working with a member of another generation in some of the following areas:

Productivity Recognition

Engagement Feedback

Learning Styles Communication

Mentorship Professionalism

Discussion Questions

• What are ways to bridge the generations?

• How is your work environment adapting to different generations?

• In what ways could you effectively communicate your expectations for any generation employee?

• What management strategies might best fit a generation different than yours?

• Provide an example of a way that you would give feedback to an employee who is a Baby Boomer vs. a Gen-Xer vs. a Millennial

Working with Baby BoomersCHARACTERISTICS

Large generation

Optimistic

Skewed work-life balance

Brought up in competitive environment

Will revolutionize retirement

“Work ethic” and “loyalty” are synonymous

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Recognize their experience as a valuable asset

Use them as mentors

Recognize role overload and conflicting demands

Assist with time demands

Not always comfortable with working at speed of technology

Zemke R, et al, 2000.

Working with Generation XCHARACTERISTICS

Dedicated to people, projects, ideas and tasks, but not longevity and lifetime employment

Parallel thinkers

Independent and resourceful

Comfortable with diversity

Direct with feedback and requests

Accepting of change

THINGS TO CONSIDER

They like and want flexibility

Want to be developed

Enjoy engagement

Want affiliation

Want others to “lighten up”

Want to be appreciated

Want balance

Zemke R, et al, 2000.

Working with MillennialsCHARACTERISTICS

Using computers since Pre-K

E-Learners

In a state of continuous partial attention

Used to instant communication and feedback

Accustomed to giving feedback

Cautiously optimistic

Oriented toward collective action/team-oriented (https://youtu.be/8Amu3UBj-qw )

Speed

Diverse

THINGS TO CONSIDER

May change jobs every 2-4 years

More free agents

Hop-scotch approach will replace linear career pathing

Expect to work 8-10 years then seek extended time off

Technology allows them to work remotely

May not want to work traditional hours but will be dedicated to completing a task

Don’t force them to fit your definitions

They don’t respect authority just because

Myers KK, 2010.

Attracting Millennials to your Workplace

• Millennials like perks, but culture is most important

• Perks can help attract, engage and retain employees• Millennials are assessing workplace culture, the value of their own

role and whether they believe in management or not

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” Richard Branson

WSJ, 2018; Meyers KK, 2010

Working with Millennials: Do’s • Group work/collaborative projects

• Specific tasks and outside the box – grab info from various sources

• Have a plan for their long term goals

• Make sure timeframe is short enough for them to envision

• Time sensitive projects – efficient

• Creativity/fun environment

• Feedback – direct, frequent, meaningful

• Electronic is fine (email, text, digital badge, etc.)

Working with Millennials: Don’ts•Try not be defensive when

questioned

•Don’t break promises – they will become jaded

•Don’t guarantee anything• Nothing is a guarantee in their world

• Self-centered work ethic but dedicated to completing a task

• Not interested in climbing corporate ladder

• Promises of promotions and titles don’t interest them

• Using technology is not necessarily disrespectful

• Don’t expect them to fill downtime

• Don’t expect loyalty, longevity in a job

• If not stimulating they will move on

Bottom Line• Wishing people were more like you is not a good strategy

• Adapt

• How will interact with, motivate and reward all generations at

your workplace?

“To better understand who your Millennial employees are

and what drives them to succeed, perhaps it's easiest to

understand who they are not. You.”

~Cam Marston, leading expert on generational change

Questions?

Thank you for your attention!

Image credit: fyi.uwex.edu/youthadultpartnership.com

References•Bova, B. Education that Promotes Democracy in Multicultural Society. Leadership in Schools. University of Oxford, 1993.

•Millennials Surpass Gen Xers as the Largest Generation in U.S. Labor Force. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/11/millennials-surpass-gen-xers-as-the-largest-generation-in-u-s-labor-force/ft_15-05-11_millennialslargest/ Published May 8, 2015. Accessed March 22.2016.

•http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/02/millennials-stand-out-for-their-technology-use-but-older-generations-also-embrace-digital-life/ .Accessed May 29.2018.

•http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/16/how-millennials-compare-with-their-grandparents/ . Accessed May 29.2018

•Millennials Overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest Generation. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/25/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers/ . Published April 25, 2016. Accessed May 2, 2016.

•5 Facts about Millennial households. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/06/5-facts-about-millennial-households/ Published September 6, 2017. Accessed September 8, 2017.

•Selingo, J. “The New Generation of Students: How Colleges Can Recruit, Teach, and Serve Gen Z.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. September 2018.

References•Schuman H, Rodgers W. Cohorts, Chronology, and Collective Memories. American Association for Public Opinion Research. Public Opinion Quarterly. 2004: Vol 68, No. 2.

•https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/11/millennials-home-buying-generation-priced-out/574840/

•Smola KW, Sutton CD. Generational differences: revisiting generational work values for the new millennium. J OrganizBehav. 2002: 23, 363-382.

•Zemke R, Raines C, Filipczak B. Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace. New York, N.Y.: American Management Association, 2000.

•A Profile of Older Americans: 2012. http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/Profile/2012/docs/2012profile.pdf Accessed March 22.2016.

•Gordon, Edward E. The 2010 meltdown: Solving the impending jobs crisis. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005.

•https://www.yahoo.com/news/millennial-engagement-youth-are-spurred-by-causes-not-party-loyalty-093001863.html .

•National Center for Education Statistics. Percentage of 18-24 year-olds enrolled in degree-granting institutions, by level of institution and sex and race/ethnicity of student: 1967 through 2012. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_302.60.asp Accessed April 22, 2017.

References• National Center for Education and Statistics. Educational Technology rates. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=46 Accessed April 22, 2017.

• National Center for Education and Statistics. Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012046/chapter7_4.asp Accessed April 22, 2017.

• The Physician Foundation 2014 Survey of America’s Physicians. http://www.physiciansfoundation.org/uploads/default/2014_Physicians_Foundation_Biennial_Physician_Survey_Report.pdf ; Published September, 2014. Accessed March 22, 2016.

• The Physician Foundation 2014 Survey of America’s Physicians.http://www.physiciansfoundation.org/uploads/default/Biennial_Physician_Survey_2016.pdf ; Published September,

2016. Accessed April 27, 2017.

• 2014 National Pharmacist Workforce Study. http://www.aacp.org/resources/research/pharmacyworkforcecenter/Documents/FinalReportOfTheNationalPharmacistWorkforceStudy2014.pdf . Accessed April 27, 2016.• 2015 National Nursing Workforce Study. https://www.ncsbn.org/workforce.htm ; Accessed April 27, 2017.

• National Center for Education Statistics. Degrees conferred by degree-grating postsecondary institutions, by level of

degree and sex of student: Selected years 1869-70 through 2023-24.

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_318.10.asp Accessed April 22, 2017.

• The Millennials Are Coming. http://grmworks.com/the-millennials-are-coming/ Accessed March 22, 2016.

• https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-perks-no-longer-cut-it-for-workers-

1543846157?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2 Accessed December 4, 2018.

• Myers KK, Sadaghiani K. Millennials in the Workplace: A Communication Perspective on Millennials’ Organizational

Relationships and Performance. J Bus Psychol 2010: 25; 225-238.

• https://www.ddiworld.com/glf2018/generation-x-leaders Accessed May 29.2018

• https://www.thebalance.com/tips-for-retaining-millennial-employees-1918679 . Accessed December 12, 2018.

• http://www.chronicle.com/article/A-Future-Full-of-Badges/131455. Accessed April 10, 2016.

• https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/08/09/digital-badging-spreads-more-colleges-use-vendors-create-

alternative-credentials . Accessed December 3, 2018.

References