To start things off, it’s important to know which generation is which because things can get really confusing, really quickly. For instance, members of Generation X end up being called Baby Boomers. While Zoomers are referred to as Millennials (who are getting on in years and becoming more Boomerish by the year. Hi!). And members of Gen Alpha are often called Zoomers.
To put it simply, Baby Boomers were born from 1946 to 1964. So the youngest Boomers would be 59 years old in 2023 while the oldest would be 77. What followed next was Generation X, aka Gen X, those born 1965 till 1979, according to ‘Caregivers of America.’
Things get slightly murkier afterward. Millennials (aka Generation Y) followed suit, but there’s some ambiguity as to what this entails. Some say that you can consider yourself a Millennial if you were born between 1980 and 1994. Others believe that the cutoff point is ‘96.
Generation Z, Zoomers, include those born roughly between 1995 and 2012. Meanwhile, Generation Alpha includes people born between 2013 and 2025. Everyone from 2026 onward will be considered part of a new generation entirely!
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It only makes sense that different generations have different values when it comes to work, life, family, and purpose. A common complaint among older generations is that young people don’t work hard enough toward their goals, lack discipline, and want results too quickly. In short (and oversimplifying things), they consider younger people entitled and presumptuous.
They’re not the only ones who are vocal, though. Millennials, Zoomers, and members of Gen Alpha are likely to point out that there’s not much point in overworking yourself when there’s nothing to aim for. Buying property is incredibly expensive, meanwhile, the cost of living is through the roof.
Younger generations aren’t fond of being told to ‘drink less coffee’ and ‘eat less avocado toast,’ as though this alone would help them save up for a house. There’s a certain level of understanding that hard work alone won’t get you everything that other generations could easily get: the global economic context matters a lot, too.
Despite sometimes tense attitudes toward one another and opinions on how to live a good life, people of all generations tend to value the same things at work. Namely, flexibility, recognition, and financial stability.
According to Forbes, referring to a LiveCareer study, all generations appreciate flexible working options: 76% of Millenials expected them, as did 69% of Zoomers, and 64% of members of Gen X.
Meanwhile, job prestige was valued as a priority by 64% of Gen X employees, 56% of Baby Boomers, 58% of Millennials, and 53% of Gen Z. Another study showed that everyone values pay rises very highly (91.4% of Gen X, 90.5% of Gen Y, and 87.2% of Gen Z). Everyone's expectations are more or less the same, so managers ought to know what helps motivate most of their employees, no matter their generation.
