At about 6:00 p.m. while wrapping up a Monday evening coaching call, Hagemann asks her client to participate in our survey on the shifting demographics in the workplace. The response, one that we have grown accustomed to, is that of exuberance. This chief nursing officer in a large healthcare network in Florida excitedly jumps into a story about a nurse manager who has been asked by some of her Gen Y employees to “meet with their parents.” That’s right: instead of a parent/teacher conference, it’s a parent/manager conference. Are you shocked? Well, that’s just the beginning of the new world order in the workplace. The changes going on in today’s work environment are shocking, funny, and even a little scary from time to time. But, one thing is for sure: the changes are not boring. So we think you are going to enjoy our journey into both the macro and the micro theater of today’s workplace with features including the massive shift in the demographics, the technology revolution, and so much more. We have a lot to tell you and hopefully a little guidance and comfort to offer along the way, so we better get started.
Let’s begin with a foundation…
We now have three primary generations in the United States’ workforce. This workforce is currently estimated at approximately 140 million between the ages of 20 to 60.
1. The massive Generation Y (born between 1985 and 2004)
2. The small Generation X (born between 1965 and 1984)
3. The current king of the mountain—the Baby Boomers (born between 1945 and 1964)
In his book, The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm,1 Gronbach describes it as the “generational parade.”
Every twenty years or so, the United States creates a new generation. Each generation is bound together by similar wants, needs, motives, and events. As they pass through time, all generations age and consume as they go.
In other words, there’s a parade moving through our marketplace. But instead of marching, the parade is aging. Those at the front—the oldest—are already disbanding, while the youngest in the back of that parade are just now forming at the fairgrounds. The parade has a pace of its own and we can’t slow it down, speed it up, or change the order of each section…
…for the most part the personality of the generation is determined by something very obvious: its size relative to the generation it follows.
So what are the personalities in the workplace?
Well, on a high level, the Boomers’ mantra has always been a desire to change the world, and now that they are at the helm of the majority of today’s American businesses, government, and education and religious institutions, that is exactly what they are endeavoring to do. They are willing to work hard because they like their fancy toys and big houses, but they are encumbered by situational ethics, and their time at the helm is limited with the progression of the parade—a sticky point for those who do not intend to grow old with grace.
The Gen Xers, on the other hand, have been labeled as entitled, lazy, and lacking in political participation, including voting and contributing to their political parties. However, a closer look reveals that they are not lazy (for the most part), they do vote, and they do participate politically; there are just fewer of them— 11 percent fewer to be exact. There were 78.2 million Boomers and only 69.5 million Gen Xers, so they are entitled because of their size. They can insist on bringing their dogs to work and can just leave a job that doesn’t suit their work-life balance picture because they can go get another job tomorrow—probably a better job that pays more. At least that has been the case until now….
Enter Gen Y.
Gen Y is a whole new ball game. They are a massive group, even larger than the Boomers, with an estimated 79.5 million members. They are entering the workforce as an organized, multitasking, techno-savvy mass that has demands of its own. According to Bruce Tulgan,2 a founder of New Haven, Connecticut–based RainmakerThinking, Gen Y, “unlike the generations that have gone before them, has been pampered, nurtured and programmed with a slew of activities since they were toddlers, meaning they are both high-performance and high-maintenance.” They are massive consumers and are used to having what they need and want. They are used to having their parents involved in every aspect of their lives, especially when the bill comes. And they, too, are entering the workforce somewhat entitled, but don’t worry leaders. It won’t last long. More on all this later.
So back to the employee/manager conference…. This is really just one small example of how the workplace is shifting at a sometimes mind-bending pace, and we have to learn how to lead and manage both the changes and the change makers. With the diverse generations, changes in technology, globalization, and competing agendas, the leaders of today and the future must be razor sharp and extremely adaptable.
To break down the issues effectively, we have divided this book into two sections. In the first section, we describe the diverse generations and shifting demographics, allowing you to gain an in-depth understanding of who they are and what they think about each other. In the second section, we will focus on how the demographic shift is impacting leadership and the overall workplace and provide some practical applications on how to deal with it.
Let’s start with a look at our current business leaders.
Notes
1. Gronbach, Kenneth W. The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm. New York: American Management Association, 2008. Print.
2. Armour, Stephanie. “Generation Y: They’ve Arrived at Work with a New Attitude.” USATODAY.com. 08 Nov. 2005. Web. 24 July 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/ 2005-11-06-gen-y_x.htm.