Today’s Unprecedented Six-Generation Workforce
Today’s workforce comprises an unprecedented six generations. At one end is the Silent Generation, the youngest of whom turn 80 this year. At the other end is Generation Alpha (aged 15 and below), whose members have begun landing retail jobs and internships. Organizations that are thinking about how best to manage a (very) multigenerational workforce may need to abandon some commonly held assumptions. Due to stereotypes propagated by academic researchers, media outlets and others, many ascribe certain characteristics to different generations. The reality is not so simple. In fact, there is no empirical evidence that generational membership is the source of differences in the workplace — or anywhere else. Perhaps what really matters isn’t your birth date at all. It’s how old you are.
“We gain lived experience as we age, which shifts our preferences, beliefs and values over time,” says Veronica Barber, lecturer in Management, whose research focuses on leadership, culture and leading change. “That’s what creates the differences we see across generations, as opposed to when we were born or what was going on in the world when we were growing up.”
External, Not Internal
Gary David, professor of Sociology and Experience Design, similarly contends that differences among generations are the result of outside forces as opposed to intrinsic characteristics of the members.
Take work-life balance. Compared to hard-charging Baby Boomers, the argument goes, Millennials and Gen Zers are less likely to let work take precedence over their personal lives. In fact, David observes, younger workers have good reason to put themselves — rather than their employers — first.
“The idea of staying with a company out of obligation ended when companies no longer felt obligated to their employees,” he says. “This also is leading to a reconsideration of a ‘work-life balance’ as something that should be expected instead of something that is unique or an outlier.”
But as younger workers have taken steps like advocating for remote work options and establishing firmer boundaries between their work and personal lives, they have gained a reputation in some quarters for not working hard.
“I’ve continually heard how lazy Gen Z is. It’s the same thing I used to hear about Millennials,” says Jeff LeBlanc, lecturer in Management, who wrote his dissertation on Gen Z’s leadership preferences and expectations. He has since published several other papers based on his research, which involved interviewing Gen Z employees and their elder supervisors. “I see how hard they’re working and trying to figure out life in a very challenging time. It’s just that they have a different approach to things than the older generations. People who have been in the workforce for a long time probably have no idea what it takes to land an internship or entry-level job in 2025.”
Giana Manganaro Cronin ’15, MBA ’21 is director of donor experience at Bottom Line, which advises first-generation and low-income students on their higher-education pursuits. Manganaro Cronin maintains that people naturally form negative presumptions about the generation that follows their own.
“Everybody thinks they had more drive, or more this or that than the younger generation,” Manganaro Cronin, a Millennial, says. “My husband and I choose to live in Boston because being surrounded by people who are younger than you and learning is only positive. With most younger folks I’ve met, I’m only excited about what they’re going to do and not nervous at all about their ability to do it.”
More Similarities Than Differences
Looking beyond generational-based stereotypes is a must for employers that want to optimize workforce performance. A paper published in 2024 in the Journal of Organizational Behavior cites research showing that generalizing “characteristics to a large group of people can de-motivate individuals who perceive that their organization has already developed a schema about who they are and how they work.”
Barber warns that managers who attempt to group employees in a stereotypical way are making a big mistake: “Rather than falling into the trap of looking at people as members of some group, which sometimes happens when we stereotype, look at them as individuals,” she says.
In developing practices and policies, Barber continues, managers must focus on understanding individual needs. “That will help you see diversity in needs and preferences within every generational group,” she says. “And you’ll see there are more similarities across generations than differences.”
Diversity Transcends Race
The subject of diversity is also on the mind of Antoine Junior Melay ’05, MBA ’15, president of the National Association of Black Accountants Boston. He notes that people tend to associate diversity with race when, in reality, diversity encompasses many variables, including age. “People from different generations can learn a lot from each other. Having a team of 25-year-olds isn’t necessarily ideal. If you have a Boomer in the room, a Gen Xer, a Millennial, everyone will see more value,” he says.
“Whether it’s age diversity, cultural diversity or gender diversity, look to leverage it,” Barber adds. “We should always seek out those people who have different experiences that we can learn from.”
Organizations can foster this type of environment by making mentorship central to the corporate culture. Amanda McCormick ’17, MSMA ’18, director of growth marketing at the public relations and digital marketing agency Three Rings, says relationships with older coworkers have helped her in many ways, especially with client communication.
“They have such a wealth of knowledge and experience with different types of clients,” she says. “I’ve learned a lot about how to interpret a client’s tone and voice, and how to read between the lines to identify their pain points and anticipate their needs. It’s made me a better listener and communicator.”
Scott McManus ’87 offers an interesting perspective on navigating age gaps in the workplace. As a customer success manager at Salary.com, he reports to a manager who is nearly 30 years his junior. He tries to approach their conversations with a positive attitude and works to avoid coming off as parental.
“I’m a parent, so that tone can easily creep into conversations,” he says. “If I can stay away from that and stick to being curious and focused on solving the business problem, everything goes great. If I start to pontificate or slip into parental recommendations, it usually goes sideways and makes them uncomfortable.”
LeBlanc points out that many of us grew up in multigenerational households or communities and fondly recall conversations with grandparents and other elders. Having similar generational-bridging conversations at work can be gratifying as well. “That’s how you build community,” he says. “If everyone takes the time to talk to each other and learn from each other, they’ll relate to each other better. And once you do that, then you can break down misconceptions.”
How the Generations Got Their Names
born 1928–1945
“The most startling fact about the younger generation is its silence,” reads a 1951 Time magazine essay. “It has been called the ‘Silent Generation.’” The name stuck.
born 1946–1964
The return of soldiers from World War II sparked a “baby boom” that brought the U.S. population from about 140 million in 1945 to nearly 191 million by 1964.
born 1965–1980
Douglas Coupland popularized this moniker in a 1987 article and his 1991 novel, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. He may have been inspired by the punk band Generation X, which took its name from a 1964 book by Jane Deverson and Charles Hamblett.
born 1981–1996
Neil Howe and William Strauss coined the term “Millennials” in a 1991 book. Their reasoning: The oldest of this group would graduate high school at the turn of the millennium.
born 1997–2009
Since they came two generations after Generation X, this cohort was (unimaginatively) labeled Generation Z.
born 2020–present
As the first generation to be born entirely in the 21st century, Generation Alpha represents a new beginning. Since “Z” marks the end of the Latin alphabet, social researcher Mark McCrindle proposed turning to the start of the Greek alphabet: “Alpha”
