Life Path or Career Path? Age May Determine Your Answer

“Understanding the nature of the modern workforce can seem like a three-dimensional puzzle. With factors such as living longer combined with increased costs of living, economic challenges, and new and divergent values, one size does not fit all, and may not even fit very many people at all.”

Consider this fact: every seven seconds a baby-boomer turns 60? Every 7 seconds. This means that for the first time there are four generations working along side one another. The names may vary from Millennials, also called Gen Y to those called Matures, those born between 1920 and 1940. Here is a simple chart that shows how these generations are grouped.

Four Generations, One Workforce

Matures are born from 1920 to 1940 and are now ages 62-82

Boomers were born from 1940 to 1960 and are ages 42-62

Generation X were born from 1960 to 1980 and are ages 22-42

Millennials (Gen Y) were born from 1980 to 2000 and are <22


Each generation is known for various core values that define the way they interact with the world and others. In an article on www.multiculturaladvantage.com titled Generational Diversity in the Workplace each of generations traits are well described as follows:


Matures

This generation is strongly influenced by family and religion, and accounts for about 5% of the current U.S. population. As people who experienced the discomfort and chaos of the Great Depression and WWII they may show the following core values:

Dedication

Sacrifice

Hard work

Conformity

Law & Order

Respect for authority

Patience

Delayed reward

Duty before pleasure

Adherence to rules


Boomers

This group lived through the relative calm of the 50ís, the revolution of the 60ís and the womenís liberation of the 70ís and they account for 45% of the workforce. They believe in hard work, however they applied in the direction of creating the life they desired, versus saving up for a life they might have some day in the future as their parents did. They may be driven by these core values:

Optimism

Team orientation

Personal gratification

Health and wellness

Personal growth

Youth

Work

Involvement


Generation X

Often part of a dual-income family or children of single parents this generation is about 40% of the workforce today. They entered the workforce in the wake of corporate downsizing and transitions in numerous sectors set them on a different career path. While there parents may have lived to work, they work to live, and nothing more. Instead of seeking to replace the current leadership they are more likely to ignore them in pursuit of more fulfilling adventures. This group is likely to show a connection to these core values.

Diversity

Thinking globally

Balance

Techno-literacy

Fun

Informality

Self-reliance

Pragmatism


Millennials (Gen Y)

Members of this generation are not much older than 22 years of age, yet they make up about 20% of the workforce. Being raising in a technologically advanced environment has created a highly communicative group of individuals. With their on-demand world view timing is managed and experienced in a very different way. This group is becoming known for the following core values.

Optimism

Civic duty

Confidence

Achievement

Sociability

Morality

Street smarts

Diversity


What makes inter-generational employee and such a powerful subject is that this is a global change, there is not a single country that is not experiencing the growing pains associated with a change that will be as powerful as the industrial revolution. So what should we do to address emerging needs and secure a powerful workforce? The first step is to generate awareness; in fact some of the experts involved in the research complied by the Familes and Work Institute suggest age needs to become as standard a discussion as race and gender. Here is a link the summary of the findings reported by the Families and Work Institute