Advice > Generational Diversity
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Email to a FriendGenerational Diversity
Americans are staying in the workforce longer than ever before— postponing retirement or doing away with it altogether. At the same time, Generation Y— those workers born between 1977 and 1991—are now the largest segment of the workforce at 80 million strong. So at some point all of us will work for or with people who aren't our age and who, through nature and nurture, bring different work styles and work ethics to their jobs.
As a workforce, we've made great strides with tackling issues of diversity surrounding gender, race, ethnicity and even sexual orientation. But age is the new frontier; generational diversity is something that all of us – workers and employers – must pay attention to.
Workplace Generations
Much like gender, race, ethnicity and sexuality, a generational identity distinguishes each of us. Both employers and workers must handle these fundamental differences. Here's an overview of the generations, and their workplace values and attitudes.
Handling Generational Diversity
None of us can completely disavow ourselves of the work styles we bring to our jobs every day. But we can open the lines of communication and resist the urge to judge people based on age.