Generations' Impact on the Workplace

I have spoken extensively on generational demographics in the workplace and specifically in transportation for over a decade. A “generation” is a group of people who experienced significant world events and societal norms during their formative years. This shared experience creates similar values and behaviors within a generation. As these generations enter the workforce, they often demand changes that draw criticism from those who have grown comfortable since the last societal shift in workplace expectations.?

When I started talking about generations, people were often shocked to learn I am a proud millennial. I think many were surprised to learn I was a millennial because it had become a term synonymous with “16-22-year-old entitled person” and I was closer to 30. Next, I think people were equally as surprised to learn I shamelessly embraced the generational attributes of being a millennial.?

However, the narrative of the youngest generation being “lazy, disrespectful, entitled and self-centered” is a cycle of change we go through until that generation gains the experience overtime to enter management and substantially alter workplace standards. Then the cycle repeats with the next generation.?

For example, guess what generation this is referencing??

“A few [35-year-old friends] just now are leaving their parents’ nest. Many friends are getting married or having a baby for the first time. They aren’t switching occupations, because they have finally landed a ‘meaningful’ career – perhaps after a decade of hopscotching jobs in search of an identity. They’re doing the kinds of things our society used to expect from 25-year-olds.”?

It’s got to be the millennials, right? Oops...actually it is about the Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964. This was published in the Wall Street Journal in 1984.?

What about this one??

“What really distinguishes this generation from those before it is that it's the first generation in American history to live so well and complain so bitterly about it.”?

Drum roll...this one is about Generation X born between 1965 and 1980, published in the Washington Post in 1993.?

But don’t worry. It’s not just recent generations getting snubbed. What did they say about the Baby Boomers grandparents? In the 1920s, the Hull Daily Mail said:?

“We defy anyone who goes about with his eyes open to deny that there is, as never before, an attitude on the part of young folk which is best described as grossly thoughtless, rude, and utterly selfish.”?

So, as I have started speaking on Generation Z (born 1997-2012), anticipated to be 30% of our workforce by 2030, and Generation Alpha (born 2013-2025) who will be in the workforce before we know it, I point out these generations will expect change as they have experienced life differently than we did. However, the fact that they will expect change is no different than when our own generation came into the workforce and expected changes that suited our values. Rather than recycling the same quotes condemning youth that were used on us, let’s embrace these young people to help us integrate the latest societal changes into the workplace in a way that will engage them and propel us forward. Whether we initially agree or not, these generations are our future, and they will eventually become the majority as we retire. The companies who adapt sooner will better attract, retain and develop these generations into the leaders who will be driving our companies in just 1-2 short decades.?

We all recognize that the workplace is wildly different now than it was 50 years ago, or even just 10 years ago. Companies who do not change with societal norms and technological advances eventually fail. But who has been responsible for the changes we’ve seen in the workplace??

First, it is important to know the defined starting and ending birth years of each generation. See the table below produced by Pew Research Center in 2019 (so add 5 years to the ages on the right). Roughly every 15 years, the experiences of people during their formative years have shaped their values and behaviors to be measurably different, and created a new status quo. It has been generally accepted that Generation Alpha starts in 2012.?

On the heels of the Civil Rights and Women’s movements of the 1960s, the Baby Boomers entered the workforce expectation more integration and equality. They also saw the invention of personal computers and were some of the first to begin pushing computers in the workplace. Following the Boomers, each subsequent generation tends towards expectation more equality and embracing the latest technology.?

Generation X grew up with mothers in the workforce but ahead of the childcare revolution, so they grew up as the “latchkey kids”. They came into the workforce demanding to stick to regular work hours only so they could show up more in their personal lives than their parents were able to. Being left to their own devices more often as kids rather than being consistently included in the adult world, they were not taught to value formality. They expected more casual dress and communication in the workplace. They were also the generation that pushed embracing the internet in the workplace, and further pushed computer use.?

Millennials grew up during the childcare revolution, meaning they were used to having an adult present on a regular basis. As such, they expected managers more involved in their development.? In the 1990s and 2000s, climate change became a regular part of education so Millennials appreciate companies who minimize negative impact on the environment. As they entered their teens and young adulthood, cell phones, the internet and social media were beginning to become a regular part of life, so in the workforce, they expected more digital communication. They pushed to blend their personal and work hours through the expectation of being able to be connected to either one at any time through phones and internet, and in exchange to be allowed to work from any space they could be connected rather than a designated desk. Millennials also saw a profound Gay Rights movement as they came of age, so they expected more equality for homosexuals in the workplace.?

Generation Z is still new to the workforce, but is already having an impact. They do not remember a time before cell phones, the internet and social media. They grew up with unlimited access to information and the ability to look up what they wanted to know and to teach themselves, and are more interested in managers providing the tools they need to succeed than providing personal development. Many were entering the workforce during the onset of the COVID pandemic, so remote work feels like a given to them. They have also grown up with AI being a far more prominent aspect of culture, and they are very comfortable using AI and technology to do work for them.?

These are generalities, and in no way should they replace getting to know an individual’s values and expectations; however, it is intended to highlight how young people are not just disrespectful and lazy individuals burning traditions to the ground, but instead are consistently re-invigorating our workforces with the latest societal changes.?

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In my next article, I will tackle the topic of the societal shift around cannabis and how I believe the shift has impacted Generations Zs and Generation Alphas expectations for workforce policies around cannabis.?