Generation Flap At Work.
Within the last month I have seen article after article on what has been referred to as “a generation gap” in the work place, notably in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and More Magazine.
As Baby Boomers and generations X and Y continue to inhabit and compete for the same positions, promotions and benefits in the work force — we now have a diversity stew that is becoming very difficult to manage. The grumbling about salaries, flex time, dress codes, parents’ rights and a whole myriad of ideologies is loud and getting louder:
The authors of Generations At Work cite some real doozies:
- “A hiring bonus! Wet behind the ears and he wants a hiring bonus! At his age, I was just grateful I had a job.” Or “So I told my boss, ‘If you’re looking for loyalty, buy a dog.”‘ Or “He asks me,” ‘Do you have an e-mail address?’ I felt like telling him, ’since you were in diapers, buddy!”‘
Sound familiar? As if human resouces specialists don’t have enough on their plate, now through education and communication, they must address the fact that at no other time in our history have we had so many and such different generations working together.
I, for one, am so glad I never had to work for someone younger than myself. Why? Because as a boomer, I subscribe to the “Xers as greedy and lazy” school of biased thought. And they probably see me as obsessive and single-minded.
What should be done? According to the authors of Generations At Work, we should “get a portrait” of each generation: learn their values, assets, abilities and work ethics. Get curious about the events that shaped Baby Boomers’ lives: Woodstock, the Cold War, the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation movements…and for Xers it was Watergate, PCs, the Challenger disaster and the Internet.
And keep in mind there is another group about to enter your space: NeXters (1980-2000). As web builders, touch-typists, critics of older generations’ computer skills, and boasters of having brought the word “whatever” into our everyday lexicon…there is a lot we must learn about them so that we are not tempted to give them a big old slap when they come to work.
Tags: baby-boomers, generation-gap, More-Magazine, USA-Today, Wall-Street-JournalRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Fabulous Coffee Break
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