Gen X & Gen Y: How can we all get along?
I recently had this conversation with my Gen X friend (disclaimer: I am also in Gen X) that went something like this:
Friend: This intern, she would just come to work whenever she was available.
Me: You mean, she didn’t come in during her regularly scheduled hours?
Friend: No! She would call and tell me that she “Had class,” or “Something came up.” She just wouldn’t come in. She was an intern, we gave her this job, which was a pain in my butt to organize and manage, and she didn’t show up!
Me: So what happened?
Friend: She eventually asked me to meet with her and said “I’m sorry, but unless you have a specific project for me, I don’t think that I can keep working here.” I was psyched! I told her that the internship wasn’t working out, that I was sorry and that I wished her the best of luck. But good riddence!
Me: What was her deal?
Friend: She’s Gen Y.
Generation X - Those born from approximately 1961 to 1981, 51 million people.
Generation Y - Those born from approximately 1981 to 1995, 75 million people.
There are some pretty significant differences between workers from Gen X and workers from Gen Y (just as there were differences between Baby Boomers and Gen Xers). There are also some pretty significant stereotypes and perceptions floating around on both sides. We may not always get along, but we do always need to understand each other to be able to work together.
In the spirit of teamwork, here are some generalizations about each generation that may help. (Remember - these are generalizations, which means that they will not apply to everyone!)
Generation X:
- Move in and out of workforce to accommodate career and kids.
- Practical and pragmatic.
- Self-reliant, individualistic.
- Want flexibility & freedom.
- Don’t trust institutions.
- Want to learn and have new work experiences.
- Value relationships over work.
Generation Y:
- Pampered, nurtured and programmed with a slew of scheduled activities since birth.
- High-performance. High-maintenence.
- Believe in their own worth.
- Question everything.
- Like to work on a team.
- Want a structured and supportive work environment.
- Tech-savvy.
- Financially smart.
- Think work-life balance is essential.
- Line between work and home is blurred.
- More than half move back home after college.
- Friendship is a strong motivator.
- Searching for meaning.
- Internet super-users.
- Incredible multi-taskers.
So how does this all combine when Gen X and Gen Y are working together (which is fairly standard these days)? Here are some great resources that are must-reads for understanding the dynamics of working with someone outside your generation:
- The Rising Rift Between Gen X and Gen Y
- Gen Y, Gen X and the Baby Boomers: Workplace Generation Wars
- Generation Y Rules: The Flexible Workforce Revolution
- Management Techniques for Bringing Out The Best in Generation Y
If you have a favorite article on this topic, please leave a link in the comments.
X photo by PixelFixer
Y photo by exfordy
Tags: Gen X, Gen Y, Generation X, Generation Y, Millenials
August 14th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I find it amusing when the author is so clearly part of one generation that the “characteristics” are very positive for one group, and mostly negative for the other.
Get some objectivity.
August 14th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Anna,
Wow, I wrote this article awhile back and re-read it when I got your comment, and you’re right…this article does seem really focused on the positive characteristics of Gen X and the negative characteristics of Gen Y. My apologies. In thinking about this, it seems that opposite qualities of each generation could be highlighted to twist the article the other way. Making Gen X look “positive” was not my intention going into it, but I’m really glad that you pointed out my bias. thanks.
-Melissa
February 16th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Wow. Now I understand that this piece is biased, personally I wouldn’t expect otherwise, but that conversation! That is really insulting to the Generation Y’s. I mean, it says to me that the Generation X who was having trouble with their intern was miserable and complaining. Still they didn’t do anything about the problem. In fact the situation was, from what I’ve read in this article, only resolved when the intern took the initiative to remove herself from the workplace in question. Still, it seems to “save face”, the Gen. X employer blamed the whole ordeal on the Gen. Y employee because she was doing what she felt was in her best interest. For me this raises the question; Is it better to suffer in a difficult (please take the word with a grain of salt) position, or to move on from a discordance where both parties feel uncomfortable? On top of that, is it right to tarnish someone’s reputation when they are actually doing something that benefits, not only them, but you as well?
February 16th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
@Rae Thanks for your insightful comments - they are appreciated. I do just want to point out that not only did I (unintentionally) skew the characteristics of GenY/GenX with my list, but I also left out a lot of the details to make my point. The GenX’er in question in this conversation had multiple discussions with the GenY’er about how she needed to come to work when she had scheduled time to come in, and the requests were repeatedly ignored. The GenX’er also repeatedly informed the GenY’er that she didn’t like the job in question and wanted more challenging work, which the GenX’er appreciated, but didn’t (think she) had the means to provide. So there was a lot more going on than this simplified dialog that was meant to point out (and probably did so effectively) that there are workplace biases in play between the generations.
All these issues with the post, though, are mine. And I do appreciate you bringing them up. They will hopefully lead to more thoughful and considerate writing in the future. Thanks!