Generational Expectations at the Workplace

Running Head: GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES AT THE WORKPLACE 1
Generational Expectations at the Workplace
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Generational Expectations At The Workplace 2
In the workplace, the employees’ behavior, attitudes and work values may be influenced
by their economical, historical, cultural and even age differences. This is an element that should
not be overlooked then. As a result, there may arise conflicts and tensions in the workplace if the
different generations do not understand or fail to acknowledge the divergent characteristics of
each group. This can lead to disharmony in the organization. It therefore becomes important that
the employers learn how to manage the often conflicting views and expectations from these
assorted age groups. There is need for appreciation and understanding the linkages between
employee expectation and provision in the workplace in planning and arriving at solutions.
(Alsop, 2013).
There has been advanced healthcare which has resulted in an extended lifespan hence
people working longer. In workplaces, there are up to five generation ranging from Baby
boomers to generation Z. As a result there arises a challenge in managing the older workers and
at the same time attracting and retaining young employees mainly Generation Y and Z. There
would be chaos and disharmony if employees from one generation blames others in different
generations when there is failure to achieve goals whether personal or collective. (Kapoor &
Solomon, 2011).
In the workplace there exist differing generational expectations. First, there are the
veterans. This generation includes those workers who were born between1922 and 1945. They
are also referred to as the as seniors or traditionalists. They grew up with a sense of duty and
view work as an obligation which needs to be respected. (Espinoza & Ukleja, 2016). The
veterans prefer a clear leadership through control and command and strongly value ethics and
discipline in the work environment. (Chamberlain, 2016). They also prefer communication

Generational Expectations At The Workplace 3
formally maybe through a memo. They also have training and experience in high-value skills and
tend to be mission driven.
The Baby Boomers are those employees born between 1946 and 1964. They can be
considered as also having good ethics in the workplace. In contrast to the veterans, baby boomers
prefer and embrace teamwork. They also would like to be involved in the decision making
process in the workplace which means that they prefer consensual leadership in their workplace.
Baby boomers are diligent, dedicated, self-motivated and also expect a promotion based on their
loyalty and seniority. In communication, baby boomers expect a personal touch best achieved in
person contrary to the veterans who prefer a memo.
Generation X in the workplace are those employees who born between 1965 and 1976.
They have been reported to be expecting that they will less be successful materially than their
parents (Bovée & Thill, 2012). Often, they are seriously underemployed and have a different
relationship to work. They view work as a contract and prefer self-reliance and doing things their
own way. From this expectation, they would stem conflict with the veterans who would want to
be respected as they in the workplace challenge those around them. They expect to see all as
equal and are not easily going to abide by the laws. They expect immediate feedback on how
they are performing in their duties at the workplace and also expect to be rewarded when they
have achieved or performed well. (Ng, Lyons & Schweitzer, 2018)
Generation Y are those born between 1977 and 1997. They are have a participative work
approach and see work as means to an end. They seek to strike a balance between work and
family. Generation X also have high work expectations, are goal oriented and seek achievement.
They are motivated when they are working with creative and innovative people and can
multitask. Generation Y expect to climb up the ladder and or get promoted and would resist hard

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work. They also have high regard and interest to leadership to advance career wise. They also
expect job rotation instead of a more demanding promotion. Equally, they prefer teamwork and
collective decision making, instant feedback, trust and transparency.
Generation Z in the workplace include those employees born after 1997.They have a
different understanding of the world comparing to other prior generations in the workplace. They
embrace technology and also want to be their own boss rather being directed and controlled in
the workplace. This generation is loyal, open minded and responsible. Often, they view their
colleagues as having curiosity and competition. Due to their transformation by technology, they
are seen as competent and accept new ideas which will make them better employees. They
expect everything to happen fast and are impatient and have a short attention span. Generation Z
expects better standards of living, wealth and prestige than previous generations. (Kinicki &
Fugate, 2016).
As the expectations, behaviors, values, beliefs and attitudes of the employees in the
workplace differ across the generations, there is likelihood that conflict, disharmony and strife is
likely to occur. The employers therefore should be on the forefront to devise strategies that will
deal with such misunderstandings with aim to enhance harmony at the workplace in a number of
ways.
The employers or the management can take practical measures and interventions to
address the differences. Mainly and often, perceptions are based on a person’s beliefs, ideas,
attitudes and intuition and how one views others and not necessarily depending on facts. The
management should therefore come up with a mechanism of dealing with these expectations and
perception in the generations such as educating the employees on the uniqueness of each
generation and how they can appreciate and acknowledge the differences existing irrespective of