“Another aspect of workplace diversity that almost every organization has, but remains largely overlooked by most organizations today, is generational diversity…Four different generations participate in the American labor force today – the Silent Generation (roughly ages 59 and older), the Baby Boomers (ages 41 to 58), Generation X (ages 24 to 40), and Generation Y (age 23 and younger). Each of these generations has lived through a common set of social and historic events that have helped shape their unique attitudes, ambitions, and world views. Not surprisingly, research shows that each generation approaches work and career in different ways. That is not to say that the members of any given generation think or behave exactly alike. Rather, because of their shared experiences, employees of similar ages often will bring common approaches, ideas, and values to the workplace” (Dominguez, 2003).
“For the first time in our history, we have four separate and distinct generations working shoulder-to-shoulder and face-to-face in a stressful competitive workplace. The Traditionalists, born between the turn of the last century and the end of World War II (1900-1945), combine two generations who tend to believe and behave similarly and who number about seventy-five million people. The Baby Boomers (1946-1964) are the largest population ever born into this country and number about eighty million. The Generation Xers (1965-1980) are a smaller but very influential population at forty-six million. And the Millennials (1981-1999) represent the next great demographic boom at seventy-six million” (Lancaster & Stillman, 2002).