There's a big gap between generations X and Y,
and yesterday's 'Greatest Generation'.
Can we bring them together?
AMERICA'S GENERATIONS GAP
In
an article appearing in the Orlando Sentinel, Harry Wessel
reported that there's a generation gap in America's workplace
that's serious enough to cause a big brain drain in coming
years. According to Randstad USA, an Atlanta-based employment-services
company:
"U.S.
businesses risk a shortage of skilled labor -- not because
of the lack of manpower in the wake of retiring baby boomers,
but because of the limited transfer of knowledge.
According
to a Harris Interactive survey, there is little interaction
among the four Generations of U.S. employees.
It
defined the four Generations as the Mature Generation (those
born before 1945), the Baby Boomer Generation (born 1945-1964),
Generation X (born 1965-1980) and Generation Y (born 1981-2000).
The
different Generations rarely interact with one another and
often do not recognize each other's skills or work ethic.
Employers
should help close the knowledge gap by instituting ways for
each Generation to recognize the strengths and value of all
colleagues."
The
four Generations share the same objectives but not the same
experience. Their respective perceptions have to do with diversities
in background and life experience. Thus each of the Generations
must simultaneously appreciate the skills, and tolerate the
shortcomings of all colleagues in order to move forward successfully.
*TBD:
This group has not spent much time in the workforce.
This
characteristic has yet to be determined.
