Building a successful business today is the goal of every organization. But this often cannot be accomplished without a dedicated and highly passionate team of employees. These employees have different backgrounds and are from different generations, which often proves difficult for managers to understand and could lead to further issues in staffing.
There are four recognized generations that are a part of workforce today. Each are distinct in its own character traits, assertiveness towards work, values and KSAOs. It is in these differences we will find misunderstandings and frustrations which bring about issues in staffing. Research has identified these common attitudes towards work for each …show more content…
The Boomers were considered one of the largest impact on society because of their size and the period in which they became of age. They grew up during the Vietnam War, Civil Right Movement and a time of “prosperity and optimism and bolstered by the sense that they are a special generation capable of changing the world, have equated work with self-worth, contribution and personal fulfillment” (Yang & Guy, 2006)
Baby Boomers have had a significant influence on the corporate environments we work in today. There strong attributes and core values such as: good communication skills, strong work ethics, loyalty to careers and employers as we as their KSAOs have set them apart within the workforce.
Generation X & Millennials
As technology progresses and businesses become more efficient, it becomes very noticeable the differences between these two generations. Generation X, or those born between 1960 and the early 80’s are noticing just how difficult it is becoming to adapt to this new age mentality. Work as they know it has completely been abandoned and getting promotions are not as common as it would have been compared to the previous …show more content…
While not every traditionalist, baby boomer, gen Xer or millennial may fit within the generational stereotype mentioned through this research, understanding generational diversity is still important, especially since generational conflict in the workplace exists.
Companies that does not place emphasis on be knowledgeable about the different generations can have negative effects on communication, working relationships and the overall staffing of their labor market. The text Staffing Organization suggests depicting workforce diversity prominently in the companies recruiting materials. The text further outlines that the key to being effective is to take job functions into account, so that a positive message concerning diversity climate at the organization is portrayed (Heneman, Judge, & Kammeyer-Mueller,