Comparing Two generations in the Workplace: Millennials and Baby Boomers

Comparing Two generations in the Workplace: Millennials and Baby Boomers

Introduction

There are several generations in the workplace which play a crucial role in ensuring that the organization is able to operate accordingly. Some of these generations include Millennials, Generation X, as well as baby boomers, among others.  Most generations have physical traits that are in line with their generation. This means even though the organization may put emphasis on the need for teamwork unless these two generations are able to work together, it will be a huge challenge for the organization to have an effective team that is easy to cooperate and pull together their energy. The study will be based on comparing baby boomers and millennials. These generations have a few similarities when it comes to working place related issues. There are equally a huge number of differences that exist between the two generations that have the basis of how the human resource department deals with each of them with regards to resource allocation as well as training of the workforce.

Background

Millennials are individuals who are aged between 23 years and 39 years. Most of them were born between 1981 and 1996. There are a number of scholars that have cited different years, all based on their definition. They are also known as generation Y. This is the generation that came after generation X. There is a very ambitious generation that is trying to be better than they actually are hence the reason a number scholars have referred to them as megalomaniac people who always will always try to act and look as though they are very important or they know so much, but in reality, they do not.   On the other hand, the baby boomers are named after the “baby boom” period during world war II. They were born mostly between 1946 and 1964. This means that in terms of age, they are mostly between 55 years and 73 years. In terms of the global population, it has been established that the Baby Boomers make up 76 million people out of the total U.S. population, on the other hand, the millennials are about 95 million people of the total U.S. population. It is the generation Z that makes up the biggest block of the U.S. population. Despite the fact that these two are not bigger than generation Z, it is evident that these two generations play a key role in the U.S. election. Hence they are key in influencing an election outcome.

Even though the Baby Boomers are almost getting to their retirement age, they are certainly working longer than those before them. In the U.S. alone, based on the 2017 statistics, the workers aged 55 years and above made up 25 percent of the total working population in the U.S. This is huge because the generation before them did not manage to achieve such a feat. Millennials are currently one of the largest chunks in the U.S. workforce. It is clear that they make up 35 percent of the total workforce in the country hence the need to understand them much better for the purpose of better economic performance. There is a need for an organization to come up with programs that will ensure that institutions are able to tap into the huge potential presented by this generation. It is clear that it is for the key values to be passed on as well as mentorship from the other generation so that the people can be able to understand key values that will be the epicenter of the future growth of the organization. There is a need to instill the spirit of hard work for this will the current entitlement approach that exists within this particular generation.

Similarities that Exists between Baby Boomers and Millennials

It is clear that all these generations are ambitious. It is clear that for the Baby Boomers, they are trying to give the very best of them before they retire. Since they are advanced in their career, many are not concerned with the promotions or the money (Johns, 2017). All they want to achieve is to leave behind a legacy as well as a lasting change. This is anchored on the understanding that failure to do so is likely to haunt them since they do not have any other chance to make amends. At the same time, it is clear that they are also concerned about how people will price them after they have left. It is almost similar to millennials when it comes to being ambitious. The only variation is what makes them ambitious. They are motivated by the need to be successful quickly. They are mostly motivated by money as opposed to being motivated by the need to deliver something on the table.

Both Baby Boomers and Millennials have a huge sense of community. This is key in understanding, unlike the case such as generation Z, who are so terrified of what the management can do, these two are hardly moved by what leaders or managers want. All they are focused on being able to operate within a community of their choice, and they prefer working based on their job description. This explains why, just like the millennials, the Baby Boomers are very expressive. They hardly hold on what they believe is correct and should be shared with the rest of the team. This explains why they play a key role in group discussions and well-brainstorming sessions. The fact that they will both share their opinions is indeed great.

Key differences between the Generations: Work Style and Habits

Loyalty

The Baby Boomers have a habit of being loyal to the employer and the company at large. The fact that they are used to the current set up of things they are likely to remain loyal to that; hence they hardly look for new job opportunities (Calk & Patrick, 2017). A huge number of them stay with a single company all their lives since they usually feel as though it will amount to betrayal if they left the company in search of greener pastures. Most of them have a sense of contentment in that they get satisfied with what they have, and as a result, they see no reason to shift the companies at the slightest opportunity. To them, it is immoral to betray your employer by shifting loyalty to the former competitor, all in the name of money, among others. On the contrary, the millennials are the opposite of the Baby Boomers when it comes to loyalty. To them, loyalty is slavery; hence they cannot accept to be at a place for a longer period solely because of the previous history they have with that employer. This means if they get any chance to leave the organization, they will. All the millennials look for is the fact that they can earn more money than what they have been earning before. All the other factors do not count much as money does. The idea of moving from one employer to another is what they do on a daily basis, all in the name of looking for better opportunities.  They are not motivated by what they can achieve in the long run, but they are motivated by the money that can enter into their wallets now.

Location and Nature of the Work

The work style is key when profiling any generation. In this case, it is clear that the millennials are the kind of people that would prefer a case where they work from outside the office. According to them, any work that involves working around is suitable for they believe so much in being mobile and flexible. This means if they had the opportunity to telework in that they operate their offices from home, then they would be much better off. This is key to understanding the fact that there should be much focus on the creation of jobs that will suit people who do not want to spend much time in the offices. It would have been better of the could remotely work and be assessed not on when they went to work but rather than the end of the time period outcomes. It is key to understanding that a huge number of millennials will be able to deliver, which is key to promoting performance at the same time reducing the costs incurred by businesses in running their operations.

On the contrary, the Baby Boomers are office people who prefer to work from a physical office where they can easily drive to and be able to work from. If they were given a chance to work without coming to the office, this would not sit well with them. It is indeed clear that they would struggle to work from any other place apart from home. They prefer doing things in person based on the understanding that the use of technology is not one of their strongest points. It is clear that a huge number of people have been unable to shift from office culture since this is what this category people are used to. They value face to face interactions; hence the increased reliance on emails as the main communication platform may not indeed sit well with them. They communicate in a direct fashion; hence the issue of teleworking would not be one of the things that they would enjoy.

Working with Others

Baby Boomers are team-oriented. They prefer working with others where they can be able to have extensive discussions and give their opinions on the state of things with regards to how well they can be able to change the outcomes, but this is not the case with the Millennials. Baby Boomers are true, keen on the need to have connections (Weber & Elm, 2018). It is clear that there is a need to understand how the employees or team members are going to work, and some of the effects of the connections on the output. It is clear that the millennials, on the other hand, they do not prefer being challenged, and as a result, they prefer a case where they work without being asked a number of questions about the school of thought behind their reasoning (Glazer et al., 2019). They are very individualistic in their way of doing things, and this has impacted the manner in which they operate. The idea of being accountable to the team is indeed not part of what they like hence a huge challenge that has forced many to live a life of exclusion when it comes to working. The Baby Boomers were more inclined towards sharing knowledge with others, but this is not the case today. It is clear that there is a need to understand the reasoning behind some of the activities they engage in.

Valuing of work

When it comes to the manner in which their work is valued, the millennial is inspired by their ambitions and the things they want to achieve. It is clear that a huge number of them attach more value to their aspirations as compared to their career growth. They are more into what the future has to offer than concentrating what they have as of now (Fry, 2016). It is key to understand that there is a need to understand value from the perspective of importance. It is key to note that a huge number of people think that building a great career that is full of reputation is great for the millennials, but certainly, that is not the case. They want jobs that will help them grow fast so that they can be able to get a senior position in the event there is promotion. When it comes to the Baby Boomers, they prefer or value their work so much to an extent they are ready to do pro bono that is without being paid all in the name of the positive review. The Baby Boomers, on the other hand, prefer a case whereby they are able to grow and achieve much. This is key in that they are oriented towards work. It is the work that makes them happy.

Productivity

It is key that the millennials would prefer a case where they do not have to work so much, all in the name of trying to be more effective. This has been one of the reasons that they are trying to work in a simpler way than it was the case with the use of traditional means. The use of laptops and computers at work have been key in making it easy for the millennials to operate. They are more inclined towards paper-free related things, which is indeed great (Weber, 2017). The increased reliance on technology has certainly affected the manner in which these people work. This has been backed by the fact that they have been unable to deliver much since a huge chunk of the time they spend it online, more specifically on their social media platforms. This is indeed a huge challenge based on the understanding one can actually be wasting time, but they will claim that they are working, and this may take a lot of time to address.

On the other hand, Baby Boomers are very hard-working people who are ready to give it all. To them, the increased reliance on technology is unnecessary, for it wastes time. They prefer a case where they are allowed to work in a very professional and ethical place and manner. To them, they are more concerned about what people will see as opposed to what they are pretending to be doing. Over 90 percent of them have Facebook profiles; they hardly spend any significant time on their social media profiles. Some have social media platforms, not for themselves, but simply not to look outdated.

Millennials vs. Baby Boomers: Lifestyles

Education

One of the key aspects of a lifestyle that has certainly stood out is the issue of education. The millennials are indeed extremely educated. To them, having a single undergraduate degree is seen as one that has a paltry level of education. It is clear that they tend to live a life where they show what they know, which has been one of the biggest impediments to their ability to learn. It is clear that while about 40 percent of the millennials have university degrees, only 15 percent of the Baby Boomers have a university degree.

When it comes to gender dynamics, it is clear that both men and women are educated in this generation, but this is not the case when it comes to the Baby boomers. By the days the Baby Boomers were getting an education, the women had little or no success at all. By the early days of the Baby Boomer generation, the women had less education compared to now. There were about 21 percent educated women, and there was a 36 percent educated male. On the other hand, women have over 43 percent educated as compared to the past.

Family and Health

Children of post-war America started to grow up with huge and snappy upgrades in the clinical field, yet frequently characterize “sound” as not being wiped out. Twenty to thirty-year-olds are bound to incorporate day by day life propensities in their meaning of sound, explicitly eating great Nine out of 10 Millennials accept that good dieting is one of the central matters of wellbeing, contrasted with a little more than one out of 10 Baby Boomers that is 12 percent. They’re regularly considered answerable for driving the charge in late nourishment inclinations, such a sans dairy, without gluten, veggie-lover, vegan, and characteristic choices. They’re effectively battling against nourishment ventures that shroud their nourishment practices and support privately sourced nourishment alternatives.  However, while the battle for smart dieting rehearses compensation on, Millennials are not so much dynamic but rather more stout than prior populaces. New innovation has to lead to an expansion in sedentary behavior and can effect sly affect rest, feelings of anxiety, and passionate prosperity.

When it comes to family, sixty-seven percent of Baby Boomers were hitched when they were between the ages of 25 to 37, contrasted and under portion of the Millennial age. Twenty to thirty-year-olds are a piece of the move to marriage further down the road, yet the portion of grown-ups who never wedded is likewise expanding with their age. As per Pew Research, it’s anticipated that a fourth of grown-ups will have never been hitched when they arrive at their 40s or 50s. Twenty to thirty-year-olds are slower in framing their own family units and beginning their own families. They are probably going to stay in their folks’ home for longer stretches than ages before them. When Millennials do have kids, they have them sometime down the road; in any case, they, despite everything, represent most of yearly U.S. births. Their kids (Generation Z and past) are on target to be the most different and taught age yet.  The fight between the oldies and the adolescents is a war that has been pursued, paying little heed to time, place, or innovative contraptions. These distinctions can inspire an emotional response between individuals from different ages; however, by understanding the conditions of particular childhoods and social patterns, there can be intergenerational congruity.

References

Calk, R., & Patrick, A. (2017). Millennials through the looking glass: Workplace motivating factors. The Journal of Business Inquiry, 16(2), 131-139.

Ferrara, S. J., Mohammadi, N., Taylor, J. E., & Javernick-Will, A. N. (2017). Generational differences in virtual teaming in the United States: culture, time, and technology.

Fry, R. (2016). Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation. Pew Research Center, 25.

Glazer, S., Mahoney, A. C., & Randall, Y. (2019). Employee development’s role in organizational commitment: a preliminary investigation is comparing generation X and millennial employees. Industrial and Commercial Training.

Johns, K. J. (2017). Exploring the Motivational and Hygiene Factors of Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials in the Workplace (Doctoral dissertation, Northcentral University).

Vega, A. V. (2017). A Comparison Study of Organizational Rumors and Gossip, Engagement, and Generations in the Working Sector of Puerto Rico. Revista Interamericana de Psicologia Ocupacional, 36(1), 49-61.

Weber, J. (2017). Discovering the millennials’ personal values orientation: A comparison to two managerial populations. Journal of Business Ethics, 143(3), 517-529.

Weber, J., & Elm, D. R. (2018). Exploring and Comparing Cognitive Moral Reasoning of Millennials and Across Multiple Generations. Business and Society Review, 123(3), 415-458.