Traversing The Generation Gap In Work Places

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If you look around you, you are likely to observe people of all ages working together in offices and private businesses. While everything may seem to be just “perfect” as far as office work is concerned, it is worthwhile to know that subtle differences do exist between co-workers in work places. One of the main causes which attributes to such differences is the generation gap. Individuals of varying age groups just can’t see eye-to-eye as far as working processes and methods are concerned. What is more frustrating is the fact that each generation genuinely feels it is correct in its way of thinking, and that other generations are at a fault. This attitude often creates problems for the management and business owners. It is important to come to terms with one’s personal beliefs and make efforts to appreciate other generation’s viewpoint and working methodology.

Generally, the age groups are understood as:

Age Group Known As	When They Are Born
Traditionalists	Before 1945
Baby Boomers	Between 1946 and 1964
Generation “X”	Between 1964 and 1980
Generation “Y”	Since 1980

Gen “Y”

The millennium generation “Y” is not lazy. Their approach to work and attitude may appear to be in contradiction, but in fact, GenY does not list “work ethics” as their distinguishing trait, and values other qualities to be more important than obedience. It prefers to work smarter, and not harder as what is expected from a typical employee. They fail to understand the need for sitting in front of a desk for eight hours when they can accomplish the same amount of work in half the time. They like to multitask, and are more used to employing shortcuts in meeting their working objectives. They like to work faster and better. They do not desire to climb the corporate ladder or get their personal office and abode, instead they are more ambitious and are driven by different priorities. They like being in a field where they can enjoy, and get professional fulfillment. They like to take opportunities as they come, and are ready to work very hard to pursue what they believe in, even if it means sacrificing some of their comforts and advantages.

Boomers

Even after considering their lack of attitude in being open to new ideas and their stubbornness in accepting radically new processes, the fact remains boomers are more mature and have more “worldly” experience. They have “been there” and have “done that”. While a college education can take you far, their experience and wisdom can take you even further. They are not old fashioned. It’s just that they have been brought up at a time when computers and technology were not so developed, and so they are not used to them. Moreover, they are not rigid, they just prefer to make sure they don’t make any serious mistakes while accepting new ideas. They prefer to work in their particular ways because they have been doing it since decades and have benefited by it.

Generation X and Y, with their own professional attitudes and skill sets, have defines the modern workplace. so how they compare against the next generation? Here is the infographic so you can understand it easily.

Infographic by: nextgeneration