Originally posted by Matt Charney, one of #TChat’s moderators, on MonsterThinking Blog
In 2012, the first members of Gen Y turn 30. And while thought leaders and academics continue to depict millennials as this strange, unprecedented breed to be studied and analyzed (Bieber fever being an obvious symptom), that generation’s cutting edge has been busy acclimating into the workforce, where they’ve been for over 5 years.
Of course, this potentially disruptive force on the workplace entered a market where the workplace was already disrupted by forces far stronger than helicopter parents and socialized narcissism.
Contrary to popular myth, it’s not Gen Y who’s changing the workplace; it’s the workplace that’s changing Gen Y. Those lucky enough to get the paucity of jobs are no longer naïve idealists, but battle hardened survivors.
While some Gen X and Boomers struggle with being overqualified, most of Gen Y haven’t had the chance to pick up those qualifications. This new world of work, of virtual offices and inter-connectivity and contract gigs, looks a lot like the kind of impact Gen Y workers were supposed to have made. Instead, they’ve inherited what’s become their – and our – collective reality.
They call Gen Y digital natives, but in fact, most of those millennials in the workforce remember life without an internet; those who can’t remember life without social media are still in diapers. When those true “digital natives” enter the workforce, the millennials of today are going to look a lot like Gen Xers do now. Who’ll look a lot like Boomers today.
For Gen Y, home ownership is likely a dream that will never be realized; so too is the possibility of a defined and linear career path, job security, employer benefits, pensions or a gold watch at retirement. Even retirement itself looks iffy.
So, it turns out that generations in the workplace share more in common than a workplace.
We’re all just trying to do the best we can, while learning as much as we can along the way. And aspiration is a trait that transcends generations. We’re hoping to do the same with tonight’s #TChat, where the topic tonight is: “Do Generations Matter At Work?”
Do Generations Matter at Work? – #TChat Questions and Recommended Reading (3.1.11)
Whether you’re a Boomer, a Gen Xer, a Millennial or an “other,” we hope you can join the #TChat conversation about generations at work tonight at 8 PM ET.
Here are the questions we’ll be discussing, along with some recommended reading to help inform, and inspire, your understanding of tonight’s topic of generations in the workplace.
Q1) What myths exist about workplace generational dynamics? Generational realities?
Read: Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number by Matt Charney
Q2) Are there emerging personality traits, skill sets for hiring GenY, GenX, Baby Boomers, etc.?
Read: The Non-Generational Talent of American Workers by Peter Weddle
Q3) Who is currently the most “invisible” generation in the workplace and why? Most “visible”?
Read: Just Shut Up and Listen to What Younger Workers Have to Say by Ron Thomas
Q4) How do savvy workplace cultures recruit, engage, manage and lead all generations?
Read:A Modern Perspective on Generations and Engagement by Ryan Estis
Q5) How does new media and global connectivity help/hinder generational gaps in the workplace?
Read: The Aging Workforce and Gen Y: Bridge the Social Media Generation Gap by Rob Salkowitz
Q6) How can inter-generational workforces spark innovation and evolve culture?
Read: The ‘Whys’ for Gen Y: Workplace Culture Considerations by Heather Huhman
Q7) How does the term “reverse mentoring” help bridge generational divides in the workplace?
Read: Manager’s Tips to Mend Intergenerational Communication by Kate Wildrick
Visit www.talentculture.com for more great information on #TChat and resources on culture fatigue and how to overcome it!
Our Monster social media team supports the effort behind #TChat and its mission of sharing “ideas to help your business and your career accelerate – the right people, the right ideas, at the right time.”
We’ll be joining the conversation live every Tuesday night as co-hosts with Kevin Grossman and Meghan M. Biro from 8-9 PM E.T. via @monster_works and @MonsterWW. Hope to see you tonight at 8 PM ET for #TChat!
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