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Which generation do you belong to?
Each generation has its own distinct set of values that is developed from the social environment in their early years. Different generations have different values and beliefs regarding family, career, the work/life balance, training and development, loyalty, gender roles, the work environment and expectations of leaders. Demographers have named the different generations around today as Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z.
Understanding the differences between generations is useful in communicating with people from different age cohorts. It is also vital for employers to understand the different generations so that they know how to recruit and retain people from different generations. Marketing campaigns also need to be targeted quite differently for the different generations if they are going to be effective.
Not everyone agrees on when each generation started, but the dates given below agree with most of the literature. Some generations include two or more subsets which can have different characteristics.
Characteristics of Veterans
Veterans are people who were born prior to 1946. Their lives were affected by wars, with World War 1 from 1914 to 1918 and World War 2 from 1939 to 1945. They tend to be disciplined, respect law and order and they like consistency. This generation is not comfortable with change. They have fixed views on the role of each gender, and in the workplace are comfortable with a directive, command and control management style.
In the last decade most veterans have retired from the workplace. Veterans are often subdivided into 3 groups:
Depression Era, born 1912 to 1921, came of age 1930 to 1939
World War II, born 1922 to 1927, came of age 1940 to 1945
Post-War Cohort, born 1928 to 1945, came of age 1946 to 1963
The post-war cohort had the best work and education opportunities because of the post-war economic boom. Members of this group highly value security, comfort, and familiar activities and environments.
Characteristics of the Baby Boomers Generation
The Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 and have the largest population of any generation. In their youth they were open-minded and rebellious but became more conservative in their 30’s and 40’s. Job status and social standing are important to this generation who tend to be optimistic, ambitious, and loyal, and believe that employment is for life. They created the concepts of “workaholic” and “superwoman”.
Baby Boomers are sometimes divided into 2 subgroups as life experiences, attitudes, behaviours and society were very different in 1964 compared to 1946:
Boomers I or The Babyboomers, born 1946 to 1954, came of age 1963 to 1972
Boomers II or Generation Jones, born 1955 to 1964, came of age 1973 to 1983
The Civil Rights movements and the Vietnam War was very significant to the Boomers I while social issues such as AIDS had more effect on Boomers II.
Characteristics of Generation X
Gen X was born between 1965 and 1979. They often had both parents working, were exposed to daycare and divorce, and became known as “latchkey kids”. They are a well-educated generation with many having tertiary qualifications and are resourceful, individualistic, self reliant and sceptical of authority. Unlike the Baby Boomers they are not interested in long-term careers, corporate loyalty or status symbols.
In the workplace they focus on relationships, outcomes, their rights and skills. They tend to change employment and even careers frequently and will leave a job if they are unhappy. They often have a “what’s in it for me” attitude.
Characteristics of Generation Y
Gen Y was born between 1980 and 1995 and are also known as the Millennium or Net Generation. Millennials are very technology wise and are comfortable with ethnically diverse groups. Their values are similar to Veterans in that they are optimistic, confident, sociable, and have strong morals and a sense of civic duty.
Gen Y are not brand loyal and the speed of the Internet has led the Net Generation to be flexible and changing in its fashion, style consciousness and where and how it is communicated with. They expect great workplace flexibility and are likely to change employers even more frequently than Gen X’s.
Characteristics of Generation Z
Generation Z was born after 1995. They are not yet adults and have never known a life without the internet, computers and mobile phones. They are also known as Digital Natives and are used to instant action and satisfaction due to internet technology. They are mainly the children of Generation X and are born into smaller families with older mums.
Their means of communication is mainly through online communities and social media like Google, MySpace, Twitter and Face Book rather than personally meeting their friends and developing relationships. They are capable of belonging to huge communities and have massive collaborations using the Internet without knowing anyone personally. They may not perform well in areas such as public speaking.
http://suite101.com/article/veterans...-gen-z-a185353
Characteristics of the generations:
The Veterans
Born between 1927 and 1945, Traditionalists/Veterans (also known as the Silent Generation) are in their 60s, 70s and 80s. About 95% of the Traditionalists are retired from the workforce. Those who remain in the workforce are at or near retirement age and many work reduced hours. Traditionalists in the legal workplace are largely aging partners, managers, senior support staff and “of counsel” to law firms.
Below are a few common characteristics of Traditionalists.
Hardworking: Raised by turn-of-the-century farmers, Traditionalists brought a strong work ethic into the factories of industrialized society. Traditionalists grew up during lean times and consider work a privilege. This generation believes you earn your own way through hard work. Traditionalists are willing put in long, grueling hours to get ahead in their legal careers.
Loyal: Traditionalists are civic-minded and loyal to their country and employer. Unlike younger generations Generation Y and Generation X, many Traditionalists worked for the same employer their entire life and are less likely to change jobs to advance their careers than younger generations.
Submissive: Raised in a paternalistic environment, Traditionalists were taught to respect authority. Traditionalists are good team players and generally don’t ruffle any feathers or initiate conflict in the workplace.
Tech-Challenged: Of all four generations in today's workplace, the Traditionalists are slow to change their work habits. As a whole, they are less technologically adept than the younger generations. As technology evolves and changes the practice of law, Traditionalists may struggle to learn new technology and work processes.
Traditional: Traditionalists value traditional morals, safety and security as well as conformity, commitment and consistency. They prefer brick-and-mortar educational institutions and traditional lecture formats to online, web-based education. In the legal workplace, they favor conventional business models and a top-down chain of command.
Baby Boomers
Born between 1946 and 1964, Baby Boomers are predominately in their 40s and 50s. They are well-established in their careers and hold positions of power and authority. This generational segment constitutes a large majority of today’s law firm leaders, corporate executives, senior paralegals and legal managers. In fact, nearly 70 percent of law firm partners are Baby Boomers.
Labor statistics indicate that nearly 80 million Baby Boomers will exit the workplace in the next decade. These employees are retiring at the rate of 8,000 per day or more than 300 per hour. This unprecedented loss of skilled labor in the legal profession, consisting largely of partners, executives, senior support staff, legal managers and other legal thought leaders, may dramatically impact the legal industry.
Below are several common characteristics of the Baby Boomer generation.
Work-Centric: Baby Boomers are extremely hardworking and motivated by position, perks and prestige. Baby Boomers relish long work weeks and define themselves by their professional accomplishments. Sine they sacrificed a great deal to get where they are in their career, this workaholic generation believes that Generation X and Generation Y should pay their dues and conform to a culture of overwork. Baby Boomers may criticize younger generations for a lack of work ethic and commitment to the workplace.
Independent: Baby Boomers are confident, independent and self-reliant. This generation grew up in an era of reform and believe they can change the world. They questioned established authority systems and challenged the status quo. In the legal workplace, Baby Boomers are not afraid of confrontation and will not hesitate to challenge established practices.
Goal-Oriented: With increased educational and financial opportunities than previous generations, Baby Boomers are achievement-oriented, dedicated and career-focused. They welcome exciting, challenging projects and strive to make a difference.
Competitive: Since Baby Boomers equate work and position with self-worth, they are quite competitive in the workplace. They are clever, resourceful and strive to win. Boomers believe in hierarchal structure and rankism and may have a hard time adjusting to workplace flexibility trends. They believe in “face time” at the office and may fault younger generations for working remotely.
Generation X
Generation X encompasses the 44 to 50 million Americans born between 1965 and 1980. This generation marks the period of birth decline after the baby boom and is significantly smaller than previous and succeeding generations.
Members of Generation X are largely in their 30’s and early 40’s. On the whole, they are more ethnically diverse and better educated than the Baby Boomers. Over 60% of Generation X attended college.
Generation X legal professionals hold junior partner, senior associate, mid-level paralegal and mid-level support staff positions in law firms. They also hold middle-management positions in the government, corporate legal departments and other legal practice environments.
Below are a few common characteristics of Generation X.
Individualistic: Generation X came of age in an era of two-income families, rising divorce rates and a faltering economy. Women were joining the workforce in large numbers, spawning an age of “latch-key” children. As a result, Generation X is independent, resourceful and self-sufficient. In the workplace, Generation X values freedom and responsibility. Many in this generation display a casual disdain for authority and structured work hours. They dislike being micro-managed and embrace a hands-off management philosophy.
Technologically Adept: The Generation X mentality reflects a shift from a manufacturing economy to a service economy. The first generation to grow up with computers, technology is woven into their lives. As law firms and corporate legal departments integrate new technological tools, Generation X has learned and adapted. This generation is comfortable using PDAs, cellphones, e-mail, laptops, Blackberrys and other technology employed in the legal workplace.
Flexible: Many Gen Xers lived through tough economic times in the 1980s and saw their workaholic parents lose hard-earned positions. Thus, Generation X is less committed to one employer and more willing to change jobs to get ahead than previous generations. They adapt well to change and are tolerant of alternative lifestyles. Generation X is ambitious and eager to learn new skills but want to accomplish things on their own terms.
Value Work/Life Balance: Unlike previous generations, members of Generation X work to live rather than live to work. They appreciate fun in the workplace and espouse a work hard/play hard mentality. Generation X managers often incorporate humor and games into work activities.
Generation Y
Born in the mid-1980's and later, Generation Y legal professionals are in their 20s and are just entering the workforce. With numbers estimated as high as 70 million, Generation Y (also known as the Millennials) is the fastest growing segment of today’s workforce. As law firms compete for available talent, employers cannot ignore the needs, desires and attitudes of this vast generation.
Below are a few common traits that define Generation Y.
Tech-Savvy: Generation Y grew up with technology and rely on it to perform their jobs better. Armed with BlackBerrys, laptops, cellphones and other gadgets, Generation Y is plugged-in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This generation prefers to communicate through e-mail and text messaging rather than face-to-face contact and prefers webinars and online technology to traditional lecture-based presentations.
Family-Centric: The fast-track has lost much of its appeal for Generation Y who is willing to trade high pay for fewer billable hours, flexible schedules and a better work/life balance. While older generations may view this attitude as narcissistic or lacking commitment, discipline and drive, Generation Y legal professionals have a different vision of workplace expectations and prioritize family over work.
Achievement-Oriented: Nurtured and pampered by parents who did not want to make the mistakes of the previous generation, Generation Y is confident, ambitious and achievement-oriented. They have high expectations of their employers, seek out new challenges and are not afraid to question authority. Generation Y wants meaningful work and a solid learning curve.
Team-Oriented: As children, Generation Y participated in team sports, play groups and other group activities. They value teamwork and seek the input and affirmation of others. Part of a no-person-left-behind generation, Generation Y is loyal, committed and wants to be included and involved.
Attention-Craving: Generation Y craves attention in the forms of feedback and guidance. They appreciate being kept in the loop and seek frequent praise and reassurance. Generation Y may benefit greatly from mentors who can help guide
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Originally Posted by Alex Delarge
would be older than my mother 
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