GTRI GENERATIONS
“For the first time in modern history, workplace demographics now span four generations, meaning that
20-year-old new hires can find themselves working side-by-side with colleagues who are older than they
are by 50 years (or even more).”
“Leading a Multigenerational Workforce”
by Susan A. Murphy, PhD (AARP 2007)
Today’s Workforce
Workforce Generations
Traditionalists Baby Boomers Generation X MillennialsAlso Known As
• Veterans/War Heroes
• Greatest Generation
• Boomers• Me Generation
• Baby Busters• Post-Boomers
• Echo Boomers• Gen Y• Generation
NextBirth Years 1922 - 1945 1946 -1964 1965 -1980 1981 – 1999
Age Now 66 - 83 48 - 65 27 - 47 6 - 26
% of Workforce in 2011 / 2016*
5% (7 million) /
7.6% (slight increase)
38% (60 million) /
27.2% (major decrease)
32%(51 million) /
33.2% (slight increase)
25% (40 million) /32% (major
increase)
Position At the end of their careers; retired; working to stay active, earn more money
Large #’s soon exiting the workforce, leaving knowledge/experience void
Cynical, skeptical due to company/leaders lying, high divorce rates and layoffs
Growing up during unprecedented technological advancements
* Projections by Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) in the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment
Think of a workplace where you are working alongside your grandfather, mother, brother, child and younger cousin.
1. What would work well with this mix in the workplace?
2. What challenges could arise in the workplace?
Imagine….
Traditionalists Baby Boomers Gen Xers Millennials
• Dedication & sacrifice
• Civic duty• Fiscally
conservative• Hard work &
loyalty• Respect for
authority• Rule following• Delayed reward• Honor
• Optimism• Personal
gratification• Health &
wellness• Personal growth• Ambition• Workaholic –
live to work• Forever young
• Think globally• Skeptical• Risk-taking• Balance work &
life• Techno literacy• Fun• Informality• Self-reliance• Entrepreneurial• Pragmatism
• Optimism• Civic duty• Achievement• Sociability• Street smarts• Globally aware• Work that has
meaning• Overt
recognition• Techno savvy• Change
Workplace Values
What do you think GTRI’sgenerations look like?
GTRI Generations
Traditionalist5% Boomer
30%
Gen X26%
Mil-lennial
38%
GTRI Workforce (including students) – July 2011
What do you think GTRI’sgenerations look like?
GTRI Generations – Part 2
Traditionalist6%
Boomer38%
Gen X32%
Mil-lennial
24%
GTRI Workforce (excluding students) – July 2011
Breakdown of Workforce by Employee Class
GTRI Generations – Part 3
Classified Staff Research Faculty Tech Temp0
50
100
150
200
250
300
TraditionalistBoomerGen XMillennial
RECRUITING
Recruiting and Retaining Y
Millennial video clip
Source: 8095 Project, Edelman
Important Sources
Important Factors
Company Website
Family
Friends
Career fairs
Professors or teachers
Past supervisors, mentors,
New stories or blog posts
Social Networking
Campus Career Svcs
Alumni at company
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
It’s not simply about money.
Or a recognizable business name.
The millennial is more internet savvy and wants to use modern technology to
accomplish business goals.
Corporate culture is an important factor for both recruiting and retaining good employees from this generation.
Corporate values mean a lot to the millennial crowd.
Luring the Brightest Minds
The values that the business supports must reflect a modern attitude toward
diversity and “going green”.
Luring the Brightest (cont’d)
• GTRI’s Green Efforts – “Teaching Old Buildings Green Tricks”
• Princeton Review Names Georgia Tech One of Greenest Colleges in U.S.
• GTRI Researchers Assist Scouts with Merit Badges
GTRI’s/GT’s Efforts
DEVELOPINGAND REWARDING
What Millennials Hear Us Say. . .
“That we’re unmotivated and irresponsible.”
- Male, 27
“That we’re lazy and feel entitled to a big paycheck.”
- Female, 25
“That we’re unmotivated and self-centered.”
- Female, 25
“That we deserve a pat on the back for doing minimal work.”
- Male, 19
“That we expect praise just for showing up.”
- Female, 24
“That we think we’re supposed to start at the top and are not willing to work our way up.”
-Female, 24
Source: 8095 Project, Edelman
• Work best in teams
• Prefer flexible work environments
• Lines between work and play blurred
• Special treatment?
How Millennials Like to Work
• Want to see the bigger picture and their role in it
• Crave (and seek out) constant feedback from multiple sources
• Millennials appreciate honesty (without condescension)
• Provide positive reinforcement through multimedia
Feedback for Millennials
iAppreciate iPhone and Android app
Feedback for Millennials (cont’d)
Source: O.C. Tanner iAppreciate iPhone and Android app
• Recognize a job well-done (not all trophies are bad!)
• Heroes in the workplace
• Rewards that motivate – awards, certificates, tangible evidence of credibility
Rewards and Recognition
• Take advantage of common values between generations
• Reciprocal mentorships
• Explore opportunities beyond formal titles
• Job rotation programs
Career Opportunities
RETAINING
Provide meaningful workStructured Career
Paths Advocate Programs
Community Outreach
Benefit from team environment
Bored/Burned out
Keeping Them Around
• CareerLINK• Sponsors, Buddies• Professional Development Program• GTRI Training• Mentor/Protégé program (sponsored by DDO)• Mentor Tech Program• Masters Series Executive Development Program
Retention Efforts at GTRI and Tech
“[Companies] will benefit from this generation’s best and brightest, who possess significant strengths in teamwork, technology skills, social networking and multitasking. Millennials are bred for achievement.”
-- Ron Alsop (author of The Trophy Kids Grow Up)
Millennials in the Workplace
Regardless of our generation:• To be respected• To be recognized for a job well-done• To be coached• To be consulted• To be connected
We just want these things presented in different ways. . .
We All Generally Want the Same Thing. . .
Want to Learn More?
The GTRI Leadership Library has several books on this and related topics:
Geeks and Geezers by Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas
Generations at Work by Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, and Bob Filipczak
1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Bob Nelson
Winning the Talent Wars by Bruce Tulgan
Effective Mentoring by Norman H. Cohen
QUESTIONS?