A MULTI GENERATIONAL WORKFORCE

 The world`s population is continuously becoming multi generational as we grow to over 7.4 billion people. As a result, our workforce is greatly experiencing conflicts due to the difference in generations and mindsets.  We closely focus on how these different generations we have are continuing to influence our work behavior today.

Baby Boomers (51-70)

They are referred to as baby boomers because they were born during a boom of births after World War II. Stereotypes around this generation are that they are very difficult to manage because of their superiority complex and belief that they have been in the game for long.

 With these boomers dominantly taking over the public service and political offices in countries, their experience always comes in handy as it is “the best teacher” and guides them in making good political decisions for the Country.

 Furthermore, the boomers play a vital role in the cross generational transfer of knowledge through interaction with other generations. With their rigidity and negative attitude towards change, many of these baby boomers have outlived their stay in the workforce by going past their retirement age which has also led to increase in youth unemployment.

The tough global economy has therefore led many into individual ventures such as agribusiness whilst some continue to tassel out with employment.

Most saddening is their pre-dominant ignorance about technological advancement that results from their negative attitude towards learning new skills.

Generation X “X-ers” (36-50)

These were born right after the baby boom during a period within which their parents worked so hard to stay afloat and take care of the many children that had been born during the baby boom. This perhaps explains why the X-ers strive to have a very strong sense of family that they did not have. X-ers are motivated by good causes. This is evident in the fact that most social enterprises and Non-profits are started by their generation.

 They greatly value constructive feedback and prefer flexible work schedules since most of them during this age have families and desire to have a work-life balance. Their preference for flexibility often leads some of them to start their own businesses in order to have control over their work lives.

 According to “Work Place Warfare” by Ellisa Collie, the x-ers are best placed at work places because they are the most suitable for leadership since they combine their knowledge with the experiences that are passed on from the boomers.

They have a positive attitude towards change and this has enabled them adapt to the ever changing technological world giving them a favorable spot in this competitive workforce.

Millennials “Generation Y” (16-35)

With countries such as Uganda having 78% of its population below the age of 30, it is ironic that the Millennials occupy a small portion of today`s workforce. Many employers attribute this to their alleged arrogant, unethical, selfish and lazy work styles. If these allegations are anything to go by, it should be noted that they originate from the fact that the “Generation Y” has grown up with mobile phones tied to their ears and computers right in their faces. This has made them very lazy since whatever they want is just a click away from the internet.

 On the other hand, employers that have mastered the art of handling Millennials are reaping big due to the generation`s strong desire to learn, great multi-tasking ability, extreme creativity and high productivity.

 Furthermore they are awesomely comfortable with technology. They require constant financial and morale stimulation and this explains why the financial sector experiences a 25% millennial labor turnover annually according to Bernard Salt.

There is great need for managers to understand and appreciate the needs of these three different generations and work towards harmonizing them for a higher quality of productivity.