The workplace is the melting-pot where three different generations are thrown together. Generation Y ((born between 1980 and ‘95), the wistful reminiscence of baby-boomers (born between 1946 and ‘63) and don’t forget the almost equally bemused Generation X-ers – born between 1964 and ‘80 – caught in the middle.

For you as a manager, these people, whatever their ages, are your people. Their inter-generational tensions are your problem. You don’t need a degree in sociology or psychology to realise that developing team spirit between such individuals may not be all that easy. Purple Squirrel is here to help. A recent survey was commissioned by Management Today to investigate the opinions of these key generational cohorts. An online survey of 1,000 people was supplemented by three extensive focus-group sessions, to try to pin down their differing perspectives.What emerges is a complex picture of a workforce in a state of flux, struggling to come to terms with the changed realities of today. This evidence is relevant to all managers who want to have a better understanding of this new world.

• AMBITION:

• 41% of Generation Y expect to progress rapidly in their current organisation, compared to only 20% of Generation X

• 38% of Generation Y define themselves by their success at work, a higher proportion than any other group

• ENTERPRISE:

• 20% of Gen Y expect to start their own business within 15 years, compared to 15% of Gen X and 11% of baby-boomers

• Gen Y men are the most entrepreneurial of all, with 16% planning to start their own business within five years

• JOB SATISFACTION:

• 66% of Gen Y are satisfied with their jobs

• Gen X men expressed the least job satisfaction, at 56%, while baby-boomer women expressed the most, at 69%

• JOB-HOPPING

•  The average job tenure is 16 months for Gen Y, three years for Gen X and over five years for baby-boomers

• 54% of Gen Y have already held three or more jobs, and 30% of them expect to have a job in a different industry within five years

• PERKS:

• 28% of Gen Y think gym membership is important, compared to 17% of Gen X and only 9% of baby-boomers5

• 0% of Gen Y think sabbaticals are important, compared to 45% of Gen X and 13% of baby-boomers

• ITCHY FEET:

• 22% of Gen Y are likely to take time off to travel in the next five years, compared with 10% of Gen X and 9% of baby-boomers

The Employers Forum on Age has long argued for the benefits of age diversity at work – the age-balanced workforce – but now we are going to have to make it work. This will require imagination on all sides. It will also require plain, old-fashioned competent management.

Are Gen Y people really such a selfish, contemptible lot? It seems unlikely. But are they different? Yes, of course. They are demanding. They want respect. And they may sometimes struggle with the concept of ‘hard work’. But if bosses have ever meant even half of what they have said about the ‘war for talent’ and becoming an ‘employer of choice’, they should not complain about their high-maintenance new recruits.

Are boomers really inflexible and resistant to change? It seems unlikely. But, of course, they grew up in a different world, and need reassurance – especially if once robust-looking pension plans have crumbled away in recent years. Boomers’ insights and experiences are priceless, and need to be shared throughout the organisation.

Are Gen X-ers struggling with all this change? Yes, they are. They are the meat in the sandwich. And they face a potentially even more daunting prospect than their boomer predecessors: being carers for their own children but also their parents for decades to come.

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