Understanding today’s Multiple Generation Workforce

With each new generation comes new demands for society, not to mention new expectations for companies and the workforce. In the past, the generational gap used to be so large that one generation would retire or be on the brink of retirement before the next even entered the workforce. But developments in technology have reduced the gap to around ten years.

If there’s one thing people disagree on, it’s when the different generations begin and end. There’s been a lot of conversation about the conflicts that arise in connection with the rise of new generations, and how companies are missing the point entirely, losing out on the advantages of integrating new generations in the workforce.

This multigeneration workforce presents interesting opportunities for innovation in terms of cross-generation partnerships, so it’s imperative to understand all the generations that are working together in the modern-day workforce.

Here are the seven generations that you need to know:

• The Silent Generation (born 1925-1945)
• Generation Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964)
• Generation-X (born 1965-1980)
• Generation-K (born 1977-1987)
• Generation-Y a.k.a. Millennials (born 1981-1994)
• Generation-Z (born 1995-2000)
• Generation Alpha (born 2000-2015)

If you need help to explore opportunities for innovation in terms of cross-generation teams, within your company, please visit us at www.learngen.eu,  for more on the LearnGen Project and the freely available tools that we have created that promote intergenerational learning, reverse mentoring and other interesting approaches and models.