Generational Issues: Do you have them? Rosemary Baltcha Personnel Manager (retired) Fresno County Public Works & Planning Department Fresno, California Member, APWA Diversity Committee s I sat there on a conference call with my fellow subcommittee members discussing a tip sheet, someone said maybe we should put it on Facebook. I remember hearing the words, but I didn’t have a clue what they meant. The Subcommittee on Generational Issues, a subcommittee of the APWA National Diversity Committee, is tasked with working on generational issues in the workplace. We are looking for ways to reach out, capture the attention, harness the energy, and then, even more importantly, to retain the interest of young, aspiring and competent public works professionals at the chapter level and to groom them to become our future leaders at the national level. But I sat there, mentally grasping at the word “Facebook.” Was this in itself a generational issue? What was this term? I consider myself more than reasonably intelligent, with some substantive degree of business savvy, and while I confess I’m not “techno dynamic,” I do have some basic understanding. I know what an iPod is! Well, let’s take a look—maybe I do have generational issues. By definition, I am officially a member of the Baby Boomer generation, born between 1946 and 1964. Just for the record, a generation is best described as a group of people within our society defined by age boundaries— those born during a certain period in time, in a certain era. Each generation has different experiences and exposures as they grow up that cause them to share similar values, attitudes, attributes and specific knowledge. There is an infinite amount of information out there regarding this topic which leads me to believe we are not the only ones who struggle with how to bridge the age gap. But, since public works professionals are literally known for building bridges, I have no doubt that we will accomplish this task. The name each generation is called and the dates in which each is included vary slightly from source to source, so for the purpose of this article I will use the most commonly found terms to define each group. As an additional disclaimer, nothing about any one group of people is ever set in stone, so please understand that I have relied on some generalizations to discuss this topic. There are of course many characteristics associated with each generation (optimism, idealism), but for our purposes I am focusing on how we communicate and interact. 38
APWA Reporter
April 2009
Still comprising about 5% of America’s workforce is the Silent Generation. This generation was born between 1922 and 1945; they are currently between 63 and 86. This generation respects authority (takes orders). Communication in their day was typically through a formal memo (not a lot of time spent talking). They put great stock in being respected for their experience, and typically do not mix work and family. The Baby Boomers, who currently make up approximately 45% of America’s workforce and who are also rapidly retiring, are described as being between the ages of 44 and 62. Baby Boomers are usually very committed to their jobs or professions (lifelong careers); they are consensual in nature and therefore like to meet to discuss things (they’re all about “Let’s have a meeting”); and they feel the reward of hard work is greater earning power and more important titles. They like to feel valued and needed. They don’t necessarily seek balance in their lives but rather have a “you got to work to live” mentality. They see no real choice. Generation X individuals, born between 1965 and 1980, are currently 28 to 43 and account for 40% of America’s current workforce. This generation is very self-reliant; they challenge themselves and others; their communication style is direct and immediate (need answers today); they are motivated by being able to do it their way; and they seek balance between work and family. And last, but certainly not least, is our dear Generation Y (Millennials, as some call them). This generation was born from 1981 to 2000 (so some are not even old enough to work yet). However, 10% of them between the ages of 18 to 27 are contributing members to America’s workforce. Sources say their numbers will be as great, if not greater, than the Baby Boomers once they have all entered the workforce. This group is the most fascinating to me personally because of their uniqueness. They have always multi-tasked; they have a higher tolerance level for just about everything (certainly greater than some of the rest of us); they seek a participative/collaborative work style (in your face); they have always had e-mail and voice mail, and information on anything and everything has always been “a touch of a button or keystroke away” for them; and they are not afraid but em-