Today we're going to talk about four different generations of workers that you can expect to deal with as a supervisor. Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. At the end of this video, you'll understand all of the groups better and have a good idea of how to work with them effectively. Let's get started with baby boomers. After World War II, America was very prosperous, which resulted in lots of people having kids as a baby boom. Children born between 1944 and 1965 were called the baby boomers. About 76 million of them live in America today. Boomers value personal growth, self-gratification, a comfortable life, use of logic, teamwork and involvement, and their own health and wellness. They exhibit a strong work ethic, are driven to succeed, and are willing to expand their time and effort to do so. Naturally, these factor is making generally good workers. Many boomers today are under financial pressure and caring for elderly parents and supporting their adult children, resulting in them staying in the workforce longer than they planned. As a supervisor, you will likely have a boomer to reporting to you. Gen X is like me, we're born during the two decades after the end of the baby boom. There are about 82 million of us in the USA. They tend to be skeptical, informal, pragmatic, technologically literate, risk-takers. We value relationships and having fun at work and place substantial emphasis on freedom of choice and independence. They accept diversity readily and think globally. Boomers and most Gen X'ers are over 40 and so legally considered older workers. They are generally mature, settled, experienced, and well trained, and can greatly benefit organizations. Here are some of other chief assets. They've good leadership skills because they are better communicators than younger colleagues. They know what they want and they're loyal. They're interested in stability and are more satisfied with their jobs. They tend to stay longer. Younger workers tend to switch jobs much more frequently. They have a good work ethic. They work harder and take fewer days off than younger employees. They have strong networks from being in the workforce longer and having more time to meet people along the way. They work safer and they have fewer accidents than younger workers. They have better judgment due to a variety of experiences and familiarity with a variety of work situations. They are highly skilled, and once they're acquired job skills rarely fade until very late in a worker's career. The question for supervisors is, how can you best motivate older workers? The answer is by understanding them and helping them to understand themselves. This is especially crucial when you need to motivate them to embrace changes. Keep in mind it can be difficult for anyone to change when they are content. They may also fear failure or looking foolish. For example, boomers are often characterized as being out of touch and subsequently ridiculed. So it should be no surprise when they resist new technology or concepts. To get older workers to embrace change, start by getting them to try. Help them to be less critical and less self-conscious. Show them what other workers are doing and urge them to talk to others who've changed so they can see the potential benefits. Now, let's talk about Millennials. About 95 million were born in the US between 1980 and 1994. Millennials tend to be self-confident, achievement-oriented, Internet-savvy, upbeat, impatient, and tenacious. They often love to learn, are socially conscious, and enjoy teamwork and collaboration. They can multitask, and they like to network and socialize with others. They desire meaningful work coupled with recognition, flexibility, and autonomy. Generation Z, on the other hand, was born between 1995 and 2019, and make up about 35 percent of the American workforce. They grew up during serious economic recession and are risk averse. They're motivated by stability, job security, and money. They value having a predictable job with clearly defined compensation. Unsurprisingly, the smartphone is at indispensable for them. They rely heavily on productivity apps in workplace. But they actually tend to prefer face-to-face communication at work, possibly because they prefer the reassurance that comes with personal interaction. They are also naturally competitive and driven by individual performance. They want to prove themselves and test themselves against others. A healthy sense of competition in your workplace will motivate them and also give them frequent performance feedback to help keep score against others, and to satisfy their needs for stability and safety. A supervisor can better motivate and manage young workers in a number of ways. Use your position power sparingly and only with good reason. Use assertive requests as often as possible. Learn to make changes faster. Younger workers will not wait for you to catch up. Convey the meaning of assignments. Younger workers want to know why a job must be done a certain way and how it relates to what's going on around them. Explain what results are expected of them. Provide specific goals and explain how rewards will be related to accomplishment. Provide support and assistance. A supervisor's desire to help them become proficient is welcomed as a sign of respect and confidence. Last of all, praise freely when it is deserved and when you criticize, be tactful.
