Generations Defined

Baby Boomers (1946-1954): These are the children of “The Greatest ” as Tom Brokaw named them, born after World War II. This is the first generation that had wide spread access to higher education. Their world view was shaped by the space race, sexual freedom, social movements and the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. Their critical years for joining the work force – between the mid-1960s and the end of the 1970s – were a period when most countries enjoyed significant progress. This led to great expectations of success. Currently, this group occupies positions of higher corporate responsibility and has the largest proportion of workaholics in history.

Generation Jones (1954-1965): You might not be too familiar with the younger cohort of Boomers by name because they have generally been lumped together. However, with the election of , born in 1961, this historically overlooked generation has gained new prominence. Members of Generation Jones were young children during the Summer of Love and missed the protests for civil rights and Vietnam. They did, however, experience Watergate, the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. This generation is so populous that the competition of “Keeping up with the Joneses” ensued. This generation also popularized the slang term, jonesing, meaning “to crave”.

Generation X (1965-1979): Coined by author Douglas Coupland in 1991, this generation was shaped by the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the first Gulf War. They were the first “latch key kids” since both their parents worked and they were told to “Just Say No!” They were shaped by the Reagan presidency, the AIDS epidemic, the recession of the early ‘90s and the advent of mass media. This generation has the best academic training and they have made a break with traditional patterns of behavior. They have pioneered policies that involve flexibility and conciliation. This generation is rich in entrepreneurs because personal initiative predominates within a context of skepticism toward large enterprises.

Generation Y, The (1980-1995): This is the last generation born wholly in the twentieth century and experienced their “coming of age” during the millennium. Their childhood was shaped by the technology boom: internet, cell phones, TVs in every room, DVDs, iPods, YouTube, Facebook. Their childhood has been shaped by the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and the War on Terror, globally. The “Great Recession” also affected this generation’s world view. Like members of , for many, their childhood was comfortable and prosperous. They are more individualistic than earlier and demand autonomy in their opinions and behavior. They emphasize personal activities above social and labor considerations.

Generation Z, the iGeneration (born 1995 and later): Gen Z lives in a world of continuous updates and processes information faster than other generations, thanks to apps like Snapchat and Vine. While their attention spans might be significantly lower than Millennials, they are excellent multi-taskers. Many Gen Z identifying factors can be traced back to the recession in 2008, from their frugality, to their value of experiences, and increased likelihood to become entrepreneurs. This generation is predicted to go straight into the workforce after high school, opting out of the traditional route of higher education, and attaining their degrees online, if at all. Gen Z is expected to value individualism and diversity more than previous generations.

Excerpt from The Cultural Fit Factor, Creating an Employment Brand That Attracts, Retain and Repels the Right Employees, published by the Society for Human Resource Management. [email protected]