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Diversity Matters
is edited by
Annette Merritt Cummings
Vice President,
Diversity Services
800.438.9911
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Generational Shift in the Workforce
More than 3.5 million baby boomers have left the workforce since 2001, an incredible loss of brain power and expertise. Concurrently, Generation Y, also called Millennials, is the fastest growing segment. Organizations are in the unique predicament of having to stave off the drain of seasoned professionals as they grapple with how to integrate the new generations into their offices. This month, we focus on how companies may strategize to meet the demands of these complex generational shifts.
Flip flops, neckties and the gaps in between
By now, it’s a stereotypical scene that plays out on today’s work landscape: Members of Generation Y, many of whom are straight out of college, idle in with flip flops, brushing by their buttoned-up, tie-wearing office mates who’ve been in the workforce for decades. Over the next five years, roughly 10 million Gen Y-ers will join the workforce, adding on to the 31 million already there. Meanwhile, more than one million Americans, age 75 or older, part of the Silent Generation, are still active in the workforce. Finding harmony among these groups can be a daunting task.
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Flip flops, neckties and the gaps in between (continued)
Bruce Tulgan, president and founder of RainmakerThinking, Inc. in New Haven, Conn., which conducts research on the changing workforce, says it’s important to first acknowledge that Gen Y is different from any generation before it.
“The most important thing to know about Generation Y employees is that they look at every employer as a hub of resources,” says Tulgan. He says Gen Y is seeking the kitchen sink in a work environment, including learning opportunities; relationship opportunities; the opportunity to tackle creative challenges and collect proof of their ability to add value; flexible work conditions, and financial and non-financial rewards.
Tulgan says the best way to hire Generation Y is to build a recruiting message that answers the tough question, “What’s the deal?”
“They want to know exactly what you want from them and what you have to offer them—today, tomorrow and next week,” he says. Gen Y-ers, he explains, are singular in their overwhelming desire to own their tasks and responsibilities, and to immediately understand where exactly they will be adding value.
“Gen Y-ers want to get on board and up to speed very fast,” says Tulgan. “Put them into a high-activity, high-learning environment immediately.”
The flipside of the wealth of Gen Y talent available is the baby boomers who are departing in droves. Many, he says, have been downsized, restructured, and reengineered out of jobs. Some are taking early—retirement whether they can afford it or not—and returning to the workforce in one capacity or another. Tulgan says it is the smart HR and recruiting professional who will make note of how these workers are reinventing themselves and reshaping the meaning of “retirement.”
It is also strategically crucial, says Tulgan, to pay close attention to the more than one million Americans, age 75 or older, who are still active in the workforce. Another 1.4 million are ages 70 and 74 and still another 2.7 million are ages 65 to 69.
“Those five million workers collectively represent an incredible store of skill, knowledge, wisdom, institutional memory, relationships, and the last vestiges of the old fashioned work ethic,” says Tulgan. He says it is essential to begin strategizing on this issue now. “Prepare to implement knowledge transfer programs and flexible retirement programs to stem the tide,” he says.
Making room and creating rewarding work opportunities for all four generations in the labor force—Gen Y, Gen X, the Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation—means understanding the value all those generations have to offer. D. Mark Hornung, senior vice president, Bernard Hodes Group, says it’s important to acknowledge that “regardless of race, religion, national origin, or gender we are all members of generations. And just as the experiences of various people from different backgrounds shape their points of view, so did the way the generations were raised influence their respective views on the workplace.”
Hornung cautions that people are liable to have prejudices about co-workers from other generations without even knowing that they do. “When a baby boomer manager thinks his Gen X worker is a ‘slacker,’ that is a stereotype,” says Hornung. “When a Millennial worker thinks her boomer manager is a dinosaur because she isn't as tech savvy—that is a prejudice as well.”
Hornung says the thought process is much the same as it should be for other diversity related work issues: We all need to learn to understand appreciate the differences between generations just as we do the differences between other groups.
The concept of inclusion, says Hornung, takes into account the points of view of all people. That includes the different points of view of the respective generations. “Just as various cultures and races have a rich legacy to share,” explains Hornung, “so, too, do the various generations have values and experiences that can enlighten their colleagues.”
ESTIMATED U.S.A. CIVILIAN NONINSTITUTIONAL WORKFORCE BY GENERATION
TOTAL 148 million
Generation Y (born 1978-1989) 31.5 million 21%
Generation X (1965-77) 43.5 million 29.5%
Baby Boomers (1946-64) 61.5 million 42%
Silent Generation (born before 1946) 11.5 million 7.5%
(Source: RainmakerThinking, Inc.)
RELEVANT DIVERSITY SITES
Hodes Recruitment Directory
www.hodesrecruitmentdirectory.com/
Workforce Management
Ethnic Majority
www.ethnicmajority.com/about.htm
Catalyst
www.catalyst.org/knowledge/topics.shtml
DiversityInc
Generations at Work
www.generationsatwork.com/bookvideoaudio.htm
RainmakerThinking Inc.
www.rainmakerthinking.com
Bernard Hodes Group Diversity Services
Workshops & Presentations/Exhibitions & Sponsorships
Annette Merritt Cummings, vice president, Diversity Services, Bernard Hodes Group, will participate in the following:
7.28.06
2006 National Urban League Conference
Atlanta, GA
www.nul.org
8.30.06
2006 SHRM State Conference
Indianapolis, IN
www.indianashrm.org/exhibitors.htm
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