Content about Demographics

March 27, 2012
Bridging Generational Workplace Chasms

The Department of Labor projects that by age 32, today’s young adults will have had approximately eight jobs, an average of about 1.5 years at each company. Here are best practices Ambius employs to attract and retain Gen Y/Millennial workers while honoring and empowering its Gen X and Boomer employees.

By Jeff Mariola, President, Ambius

 “All Baby Boomers who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964, are afraid of technology.” “Gen Y/Millennials (born between 1982 and 2001) don’t want to work hard.” Have you heard these stereotypes? As a “Boomer” who oversees thousands of people in North America and Europe, I believe there are inherent challenges in managing divergent generations of colleagues, but the opportunities for growth and renewal are far greater.

October 10, 2011
War of the Generations: (Re) Entering the Under-Employed Workforce

A war of the generations is emerging. Employed, under-employed, and unemployed workers of all generations are colliding in the marketplace. And no one is going home soon. Everyone is seeking meaning, motivation, and above all, money. Be prepared to compete—and compete fiercely.

By Jim Finkelstein, President and CEO, FutureSense, Inc.

August 1, 2011
Millennials: Better? Worse? Or Just Different?

Perhaps the biggest clash in the workplace is that of Millennials with other generations. Employees struggle in dealing with this group calling them, “tech-savvy, entitled, high-maintenance, silver-spoon-fed brats.” The fact is, Millennials are not better or worse than any other generation—they are just different. They have an enormous skill set, and they will shape the landscape of business in years to come—if we learn to work with them.

By Brad Karsh, President and Lead Trainer, JB Training Solutions

A sixty-something worker reflected…“We wanted what they want. We just felt we couldn’t ask. Herein lies the truth: What young workers want isn’t so different from what everyone else wants. However, younger workers are asking for it.”

“What’s up with the kids these days?”

July 22, 2011
Managing the Millennials: Effective Managers vs. Challenged Managers

The single most important differentiator between the good managers of Millennials and those who were challenged is that the good managers exhibited the ability to suspend the bias of their own experience, authors Chip Espinoza, Mick Ukleja, and Craig Rusch found in the research for their book, “Managing the Millennials: Discover the Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce.” In other words, they started with the Millennial’s experience and not their own.

By Chip Espinoza, Mick Ukleja, and Craig Rusch

Our research design called on the human resource department of each organization in our study to provide us with three managers who were considered to be effective at managing Millennials and three managers who were perceived as struggling with managing Millennials. We conducted one-on-one interviews with each participant and then facilitated a focus group among the six managers.

June 6, 2011
Talent Tips: Learning Across the Generations

Since we know there are certainly differences in work habits, expectations, and motivation across the four generations in the workplace today, one can expect similar unique learning characteristics for each generation, as well. The bottom line: Like the workplace itself, learning should be inclusive and respectful of each generation while sharing in a common learning objective.

By Roy Saunderson

It’s one thing to have four generations—Seniors, Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials—in the workplace, but what are you supposed to do when you get them all in the same classroom?

July 29, 2010
Generation Management

Much has been written about generational differences in the workplace, but what about generational attitudes about management? The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)'s Emerging Leaders Research Survey tackled this topic, obtaining 3,417 responses from a sample composed of 57 percent women and 43 percent men.

Much has been written about generational differences in the workplace, but what about generational attitudes about management? The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)'s Emerging Leaders Research Survey tackled this topic, obtaining 3,417 responses from a sample composed of 57 percent women and 43 percent men.

Overall, some 66 percent of respondents hold management positions, with the generational breakdown as follows: