It doesn’t matter if I’m in a professional meeting or chatting with friends at the gym, generational differences seem to be a hot topic for many among all generations. The IUAA has adopted the “Six Seasons of Lifetime Engagement,” a way of identifying where our alumni are throughout their lives in order to bring relevant content and value to our continued relationship with your alma mater, but how can you use it in your every day life as a parent, co-worker, volunteer, and leader?

First, let’s start by profiling each generation’s collective persona in order to give context.

Generation Y, aka Millennials, Born 1980-1995

• Raised by both Baby Boomers and Generation X, Millennials grew up with quickly evolving technology, cell phones, and instant feedback/gratification.
• By 2020, over 50% of the workforce will be made up by Millennials
• They value more flexibility and work-life integration. It’s not always about the money. Social consciousness is important to them as well as the opportunities for professional development growth.
• Due to the Great Recession, many of them have invested in education due to under- and un-employment. Being the most well educated generation in history, they are graduating university with high student debt loads, averaging $30,000.
• If they feel under-valued or that their current organization is not a good cultural fit, they won’t hesitate to make a professional move. Retention and motivation are driven by personal relationships and maintaining their personal lives.

Generation X, aka X’ers, Born 1965-1980

• Many of the X’ers grew up as “latchkey” kids of divorced parents, instilling a sense of self-sufficiency and independence. The first generation to grow up in dual income households with two working parents.
• As the smallest of the three generations in the workforce, we consider Generation X a “sandwich” generation since they are raising children as well as caring for aging parents.
• They value independence and no micro-management, being loyal to their work rather than to the employer. This is the next generation assuming leadership roles, so asking for what they need to be successful is key as well as learning from baby boomers before they retire. Consider the value of flexibility (especially for your family) that Millennials are requesting. Job security and salary have also been identified as top retention motivators.

Baby Boomers, aka Boomers, Born 1945-1965

• Boomers were the first generation to grow up with television and a record number attended college, rapidly growing college campus enrollment in the 1960s and 1970s.
• Boomers have decades of work and leadership experience, however they’re feeling the pressure of evolving technology and skills. Many are not retiring at the traditional ages of 60-65 and are looking for a second career. They’re experiencing “ageism” in the workplace and during the Great Recession, were laid off due in part to high salaries and had difficulty finding work in the competitively, high-skilled job market.
• Looking forward to the next step may liberate Boomers. Mentoring the succession plan and beginning a second career if they’re ready to retire from their first, Boomers are living so much longer, healthier lives with more time to continue to contribute.

I recently gave a webinar on the multi-generational workplace in our IU Alumni Career Navigator Series. Despite all of the differences in the collective persona profiles above, which life experience and historical events contribute to, I found a trend. What was fascinating during my research was that the three generations have more professional values in common than not. Among those values included teamwork, flexibility, a job that challenges, and growth opportunities. Check out the webinar recording for additional takeaways on how you and your co-workers can better navigate personalities of the three generations as well as recruit and retain multi-generational top talent.