What is a Generation?
As the big building stands tall across the street, you set foot in on a cold January morning. After returning from a long holiday, yet, you are still not energized enough, and the cold weather is not making it any better.
You thought that being away from the office for a while will bring your passion back, but, as the sliding door parts, you instantly feel your heart sink. You pep yourself, push your back straight up, fill your lungs with the cold January breeze, and into the office, you push yourself. As the automated gates slide back, you feel that kick in your stomach.
Your eye catches Dave in the corner-as usual. His cell phone skimming through some Tik-Tok videos. No matter how many times you point out that this should be during break time, yet Dave, the 25-year-old, just does his own thing.
As you try to absorb things in, Eddie approaches you, he wants to take the day off, it’s his toddler’s first day at school, Eddie would never miss such a day, he is a very dedicated 40-year-old who cherishes work-life balance.
As you are about to reply, you notice John smirk and mumble “work is work, you come to work and do your job, your daughter will be happy when you put food on her table…you’re spoiled”. You open your eyes out wide at John’s comment, this is not the first time John makes remarks about Eddie’s priorities when it comes to balancing work and family.
John who happens to be in the second half of his fifties has always been dedicated to his job, he never missed a day and hardly took any day off. He has always thought Eddie and the likes were spoiled, let alone dealing with Dave.
After all, the three of them belonged to different generations. While each generation had its priorities and differences, the clash happened frequently.
Especially when you heard Dave tell Eddie that he needed to sign his overtime papers only to have Eddie reply that Dave’s only motivator was money, “it’s the only thing you care about here” he muttered. You catch your breath, exchange glances with the three of them and, just stand there. This is becoming tough. The place is turning into a Generational Jambalaya!
What is the Meaning of the Term “Generation”?
On International Youth Day, let’s discuss the differences between generations before we go in-depth. Let’s understand the definition of the term “Generation”.
The Center for Generational Kinetics defines a generation as:
"... a group of people born around the same time and raised around the same place. People in this birth cohort exhibit similar characteristics, preferences, and values over their lifetimes1."
Youth from Different Generations
Now, that we have clarified the term “Generation” let’s look at the different generations we currently have within the workplace. It should be noted that the name and date range sometimes vary by research and country, but the general concept remains the same.
- Generation X: Born between 1965 – 1980 (though some researches insist on 1978)
- Millennials or Generation Y: Born between 1981– 1996
- Generation Z: Born between 1997 – 2012 (some researches suggest GEN Z were born between 1997 – 2015)
1Carter McNamra, Understand Generational Differences, Accessed 1 June 2021, https://managementhelp.org/interpersonal/understand-generational-differences.htm
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