On Monday I made a post titled "What kind of Intelligence Are You?" Most of you stated that you were not surprised with the results of the quiz. And most of you felt that the quiz described your characteristics fairly accurately.
Now on the same line, I was reading an article today title "Young,old,in-between: Can they all get along?" They go on to say ...."Four different generations, each with different outlooks, now rub elbows at work." they talk about employers striving to cut the friction caused by these generation gaps. They call it the corporative diversity initiative: Mulitgenerational diversity. Wow! Now that is a mouthful. To me it sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo....but maybe that is why I fit in with the Baby-boomer group and not the "Gen-Xer and the Gen-Yer" I had never even heard of the Gen-Yer group.
For those of you feeling a little in the dark about who fits into what group here is an oultine of who is who:
Traditionalists
(Born between 1922 and 1945):
They have a strong sense of duty, sacrifice, loyalty and a great faith in institutions, people and governments. They are unlikely to rock the boat, break the rules or disrespect authority, and usually stay with employers until retirement. They measure work ethic on timeliness, productivity and the ability to blend in, and believe promotions, recognition and raises should come from job tenure.
Baby boomers
(1946-1964):
They run governments, they're the managers and CEOs - in short, they are in control. They believe in teamwork and relationship building, but are skeptical about technology, as they believe it brings with it as many problems as it provides solutions. They measure their work ethic in hours worked (and like to be seen working them). These are the workaholics.
Gen Xers
(1965-1980):
They are more skeptical toward authority and cautious in their commitments. They prefer free agency to company loyalty, and - as the first generation of latchkey kids - are self-reliant and independent workers. They value control of their time, flexibility and freedom; they embrace technology as a way to maintain control of their lives. They respect production, open communication and having options.
Gen Yers
(born after 1980):
They are ubiquitous with technology. Also known as Millenials, Gen-Yers value altruism, have positive can-do attitudes, and expect positive reinforcement from employers. They have a bit of a pack mentality (wanting to connect with their peers) and enjoy material comforts and the good life. At the same time, they will not take just any job, but will spend time searching for a job that provides the greatest personal fulfilment.
Source: Monster.ca report Generation Clash!
This report goes on to say that the role of the manager has never been so difficult...."There are significant differences in terms of work styles, familiarity with technology ... [and] attitudes" among the different generations, he says. They even like to sleep and work at different times.
So I started to think about my work environment and the age gap and attitudes of the staff. Currently the majority of the staff I work with are of the Baby-boomer group. But we still have our traditionalists and our Gen-Xer's in there as well. So yes I guess I do work in a diverse work environment. What I have noticed is that the Gen-Xer's thrive on the technology, don't mind working the overtime....but are really enjoying their down time. The Traditionalists do have a hard time with technology and feel that the sense of work ethic is lacking and will often regale the staff with their times when they stood when the doctor entered the nurses station and would also give up their chair so the doctor could sit down. The also find it necessary to tell us about when they wore all white and the nursing cap and their uniforms were crisp and starched. I have heard them say on many occasions that the younger staff look sloppy when they come to work and feel they don't take pride in their work. I don't believe that to be so and I think the Traditionalists sometimes just have a hard time accepting change.
Now as for us perfect Baby-boomer workaholics....well. Yes I believe we are leery of change, but we do accept it and have attempted to become proficient in the area of technology. It hasn't been easy, but I think we are more accepting than the Traditionalists.
You know now that I have read this it actually all makes sense. It has given me some insight as to how to deal with some of the dynamics that takes place in my work environment.
I think that if you strive to work with the diversity rather than against it, we may find that our work might be a little easier. What do you think?
If you would like to read more about this you can find it here .
Now on the same line, I was reading an article today title "Young,old,in-between: Can they all get along?" They go on to say ...."Four different generations, each with different outlooks, now rub elbows at work." they talk about employers striving to cut the friction caused by these generation gaps. They call it the corporative diversity initiative: Mulitgenerational diversity. Wow! Now that is a mouthful. To me it sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo....but maybe that is why I fit in with the Baby-boomer group and not the "Gen-Xer and the Gen-Yer" I had never even heard of the Gen-Yer group.
For those of you feeling a little in the dark about who fits into what group here is an oultine of who is who:
Traditionalists
(Born between 1922 and 1945):
They have a strong sense of duty, sacrifice, loyalty and a great faith in institutions, people and governments. They are unlikely to rock the boat, break the rules or disrespect authority, and usually stay with employers until retirement. They measure work ethic on timeliness, productivity and the ability to blend in, and believe promotions, recognition and raises should come from job tenure.
Baby boomers
(1946-1964):
They run governments, they're the managers and CEOs - in short, they are in control. They believe in teamwork and relationship building, but are skeptical about technology, as they believe it brings with it as many problems as it provides solutions. They measure their work ethic in hours worked (and like to be seen working them). These are the workaholics.
Gen Xers
(1965-1980):
They are more skeptical toward authority and cautious in their commitments. They prefer free agency to company loyalty, and - as the first generation of latchkey kids - are self-reliant and independent workers. They value control of their time, flexibility and freedom; they embrace technology as a way to maintain control of their lives. They respect production, open communication and having options.
Gen Yers
(born after 1980):
They are ubiquitous with technology. Also known as Millenials, Gen-Yers value altruism, have positive can-do attitudes, and expect positive reinforcement from employers. They have a bit of a pack mentality (wanting to connect with their peers) and enjoy material comforts and the good life. At the same time, they will not take just any job, but will spend time searching for a job that provides the greatest personal fulfilment.
Source: Monster.ca report Generation Clash!
This report goes on to say that the role of the manager has never been so difficult...."There are significant differences in terms of work styles, familiarity with technology ... [and] attitudes" among the different generations, he says. They even like to sleep and work at different times.
So I started to think about my work environment and the age gap and attitudes of the staff. Currently the majority of the staff I work with are of the Baby-boomer group. But we still have our traditionalists and our Gen-Xer's in there as well. So yes I guess I do work in a diverse work environment. What I have noticed is that the Gen-Xer's thrive on the technology, don't mind working the overtime....but are really enjoying their down time. The Traditionalists do have a hard time with technology and feel that the sense of work ethic is lacking and will often regale the staff with their times when they stood when the doctor entered the nurses station and would also give up their chair so the doctor could sit down. The also find it necessary to tell us about when they wore all white and the nursing cap and their uniforms were crisp and starched. I have heard them say on many occasions that the younger staff look sloppy when they come to work and feel they don't take pride in their work. I don't believe that to be so and I think the Traditionalists sometimes just have a hard time accepting change.
Now as for us perfect Baby-boomer workaholics....well. Yes I believe we are leery of change, but we do accept it and have attempted to become proficient in the area of technology. It hasn't been easy, but I think we are more accepting than the Traditionalists.
You know now that I have read this it actually all makes sense. It has given me some insight as to how to deal with some of the dynamics that takes place in my work environment.
I think that if you strive to work with the diversity rather than against it, we may find that our work might be a little easier. What do you think?
If you would like to read more about this you can find it here .
Well I hope you all have a fantastic Wednesday.....
Cheers all!
13 comments:
Ok -by age I am a tradionalist, but I'm pretty close to the Baby Boomer edge too. I worked with computers way back when a computer took up two-three good sized rooms and it was faster then than the old type equipment before that. Some things of the comparisons I agree with, some now. I've always believe money should follow ability, talent, work ethics -not just seniority. I've tried, as much as I can as one person trying to comprehend computerese instructions to keep up with some of the new stuff there. A lot of it, my brain won't absorb due to use of many technical terms that all too often the geeks think everyone automatically understands their language. I've seen lots of others in my age range steer clear of anything computer related, claiming it was ALL too confusing, not giving it or themselves any chance to learn how useful it can be. I've also seen my kids do the same thing too though!
I was taught way back when that timeliness, reliability, responsibility were very important as was appearance but having worked at a high-tech facility near here for over 8 years -while at an "advanced" age and their dress code was virtually non-existant, I love the idea of really, really casual dress now to work in -much more comfortable than having to worry about runless pantyhose, things like that! I'd love to learn more about working with computers -software stuff - but can't afford classes and as I said above, many manuals or other instructions are written too much in the technical jargon to be easily understood by any age range not working with the higher levels. Speed with computers today though sometimes actually seems slower -especially if you are locked into a dial-up situation -as you spend way too much time having to wait on things to load or flipping from one url to another at times to search for what you really need.
My point is stop generalizing all of us by our age because each age range has a few things in common yes, but all too often, we oldsters get tagged with too many things that appear to be bad habits when in fact, often they are very good work habits too. I thrived on overtime or working two jobs up until I was diagnosed 4 years ago with cancer. Ok, much of it was done out of necessity to stay financially afloat but I generally enjoyed working too! Sorry to write a book but you put the question out there, so I guess you reap what you sow there too! LOL
Excellent post and I think the article hit everyone (each segment) on the nail-head!
:)
Jeni....I love your response...you know I too feel like I flow in and out of those generation gaps they talk about....There are things is my life that I am such a tranditionalist about I don't think I can ever change...as far as technology...I am not very good at all....I plunder along in the hopes that I don't wipe something out of the hard drive....termonology is beyond me...yet I do try and perservere...my children are much more fluent in the computer jarrgon...I don't mind change...but sometimes it can be overwhelming....I work overtime but still want my downtime....I think the all groups bring something to the table. I think that was what this report was trying to tell us...we all bring something to the table.
Again thanks for your great comments!
Feels like forever since I've stopped by!
And- gotta toss this in too in response to your e-mail - definitely I didn't feel you were saying those things, or anything like that. You were merely the messenger, bringing forward what someone else's thoughts -and hopefully -research shows. The sad thing about articles like that though is that it tends to reinforce what many in the human resources offices often use as hiring criteria. And all too often those people tend to regard anyone who has reached the old age of 40 -yes, 40 - has now entered into their "dotage" and many people, with excellent qualifications, talents, abilities, willingness to work and work hard too, will be passed over simply based on an age preference. I've worked with people older than me (in recent years) who could run circles around me and I've worked with young folks who I could outrun and outwork too. I've worked with people on all ages levels, with many differing ideas, ethics, abilities too -some who were strongly independent in how they wanted to do things; others who would rather be a part of a team. So many variables that I really don't think it can be classified by age levels. I will say this though, it's been my experience that the younger generation does have a tendency to be more "me" oriented, not giving a care as to who else may be hurt by their particular wants, etc - and that can be the company or co-worker there. Not all, but it does seem more prevalent than it was when I was a much younger worker.
That was an interesting topic Mary Anne. I, of course, am a baby boomer. When did the nurses there stop wearing white? My sister was (is) an R.N. and I can remember she wore her white uniforms and cap well into the early part of the 80s. If baby boomers there don't even remember that time, then you all must have stopped long before we in the states did.
I think this article hit it all on the head. I have also worked with all of these groups. The Traditionalists are a hard bunch. Most of them I have worked with are very hard workers but they also believe their way is the only way. I think we are of the best group. We got to be part of the traditionalists training, and then we also got to watch technology explode.
I hope you have been well?
Interesting post RN. I really enjoyed it.
Mary Anne, that's really interesting, and so bang on. And then within those groups you get the various personality types like the DISC (Dominant, Influential, Steady, Conscientious) and they have to assert their personalities as well.
I tend to be an anomaly for a Baby Boomer, in that I love technology and I'm always trying to find faster, more efficient ways to do things, which rankles the traditionalists whose mantra is "but, that's the way we've always done it" or "that can't be done".
Interesting post...!
Hope all is well in your world.
Cheers,
Josie
I'm a boomer but I admire things from the traditionalists, too. They had to fight two world wars and have many admirable traits!
Hubby and I had to go sign loan docs on a Friday and I was appalled to see the way the young women looked! Financial institutions were the last bastion of "tradition," but jeeze - no more! It was "Casual Friday," for certain! And I do mean casual! Studies have proven that people who take pride in their dress and grooming actually perform better on the job! Now, that excludes certain professions by extention. I would rather go to work sans anything tight around my waist but sweat pants??? Uh uh...
thanks for posting this! My husband and I were just discussing this topic. He belongs to a local networking group and came home shaking his head at a conversation his group had. The majority of the group consists of boomers and he's definitely a gen-Xer (as am I). His networking buddies went on and on about the lack of work ethics and laziness of the gen-Xer's. We hear it so much from our parents. They simply don't understand that we do not live our lives to work. We chose to become entrepreneurs so we wouldn't be tied to a single company, working long hours and missing out on family time. Both my husband and I were managers for large corporations and found ourselves undervalued and less respected by our boomer superiors and counterparts due to our "youth" and lack of experience despite our stellar results.
The workplace is changing, and all of us can work well together if we recognise the value each brings to the job.
I'm curious as to what my children's generation will be like. With longer maternity leaves and a higher number of self-employed and work-from-home parents and an even greater reliance on technology.
Great post, RN. I see the generational trends, and agree that they are accurate in general, but don't apply well to me. I'm a boomer, but like Jeni, I'm a techy. Sometimes I feel I am in the wrong time. I enjoy the study of everything from calculus to literature. I can relate to professionals in several fields in their own jargon, and while they have more knowledge in their specialties than I do, what they say does not go over my head. That makes me a generalist, and that can be frustrating in an age of specialization.
I think my mom would like this post a lot. She is often talking about the people she works with in terms of the "old timers" and the "new comers" and how they differ.
Too bad I keep my blogging secret from my family. :)
This is an interesting post smalltown rn. I worked in a hospital pharmacy with a lot of different ages and ethnic groups too. I found that it all worked fairly well, at least from my point of view, although sometimes I did wish the work ethic was taught a little better to some of the younger ones. I had no trouble with the technology thank goodness.
Over the years, I watched the nurses move from all white into the more casual wear they favour now. I don't think it matters what you wear as long as you give good care. But everyone needs to wear their ID so that patients can differentiate between nurses, lab people, housekeeping people, etc.
regards
jmb
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