Generations of workers
Currently employers have to deal with three generations of workers: generation X (people born between 1965-1979), generation Y (1980-1994) and generation Z (1995-2010). Each of these generations have different abilities, skills, priorities and work styles.
BEFORE YOU READ:
Try to predict whether the following is true or false:
Gen X feel comfortable working under somebody's control and supervision _____.
Gen Y are not very good team players ______.
Gen Z are not willing to work for somebody ______.
Gen X think you can get promoted easily ______.
Gen Y consider that the boss and the employees must be of equal authority _____.
READING TASK:
Read the article below and mark the statements you were able to predict correctly.
Gen X are the best workers overall. They are happy to have a boss but they hate working extra hours and want to achieve work-life balance. They think that promotion comes from years of hard work, experience and expertise in the field. Xers believe in proper step-by-step power structure where a boss is a symbol of authority. They use technology as a tool to help them make their work easier. One of the most defining characteristics of Generation X is their individuality and independence. They have a "conveyer-belt concept" of teamwork, meaning that they like to work on their part of the project alone and in their own style, and then pass it on to the other person to do their job on it.
Gen Y consider you should get promoted if you are good at your work no matter how long you have been working. This attitude sometimes makes them impatient towards promotion and career growth. Telecommuting, flexible work hours (especially for students and new parents) and relaxation opportunities on the office premises are very important for them, as they mean work-life balance, freedom and flexibility. Gen Y believe in "flat hierarchy" where the executives, managers and directors are simply each other’s colleagues. For them use of technology is a part of their lifestyle. They are not very good team players; they prefer working independently at their specific task. Teleconferencing, group chats and cloud sharing are common alternatives of teamwork.
Lots of Gen Z are currently employed in part-time jobs, some of them are job shadowing. Most of them want to start their own business and hire workers. They are natural entrepreneurs and true "digital natives", connected 10+ hours a day. Their ambition is to boost their people management skills. These are career multitaskers: they will easily move between organizations and pop-up businesses
OVER TO YOU:
Do you agree with the description of your generation?
How similar and different are Gen Y and Gen X?
Can different are Gen X and Z?
Who gets the job?
You are the board of a small commercial company. Three men applied for the same job in your company. Which man do you think should get the job? Discuss this with your teammates and decide which is the best candidate.
The men who applied for the job are:
JACK: Jack is well qualified for the job. He has a good education. He is now working for a respected company and earns a good salary. However, Jack thinks he needs a change in his life. His wife died a few months ago. He has been sad since then. He thinks a job change would be good for him.
BILL: Bill has a good education and is also qualified for this job. However, he was fired from his previous job because of a drinking problem. Bill says he has stopped drinking. He says he needs this job to prove that he has changed and will not drink anymore.
MARK: Mark is not as well qualified for the job as Jack or Bill. But Mark is a very hard worker. He learns very quickly and is always dependable. He lost his job 3 months ago because the company he worked for went out of business. Now he really needs a job to support his wife and 3 children.