Defining The Generations

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Silent Generation

The Silent Generation was born during the Depression, and came of age after WWI. These individuals entered adulthood during the 1950s and believed in choosing a good and safe job, getting married and starting a family at a young age. They tended to adapt to the world around them and encouraged conformity (believing that "children should be seen and not heard" for example). They identified themselves as patriotic and loyal to America. This generation is referred to as "silent" because they never really had a specific cause of their own. In addition, this is the only generation without a member who became President of the United States.

For the Silent Generation, work is seen as an inevitable duty and something that you do to support your family, which is the ultimate goal of life. Members of this generation are described as stable, detail-oriented, thorough, hardworking and incredibly loyal. They are the ultimate team players because they dislike conflict in the workplace and will not speak up when they disagree with something, especially when it comes from someone further up on the company hierarchy. Workers from this generation are most comfortable when workplaces are structured as a hierarchy, so that everyone knows their place and role and doesn't step outside of, or even think outside of, those bounds.

Members of the Silent Generation believe that even if a job has drawbacks or makes people miserable, they should stick it out and remain loyal to the organization. They dislike ambiguity and change. Therefore, job-hopping, "bucking the system" or even simple complaining or disagreeing publicly (even when they believe something is wrong) is not something this generation would ever dream of doing on the job. Instead, people should be quiet, do their work, and be grateful for what they have. Jobs can be easily taken away, resulting in debt and despair (such as during the Depression). Members of this generation think that saving money is crucial in order to provide for their family's needs and prevent the suffering that they experienced during the Depression.

Leisure can be a reward for hard work and meeting goals, but it is not something that is really important to this generation. Recreation occurs only when the job is done and everything else has been completed. The goal of this generation is not to get enjoyment out of life, but instead to fulfill their duty and provide for their family. Balancing work and family needs is not something that this generation even thought about. Hard work and the job are paramount, even if it means not seeing family very often.

Members of this generation view work as a duty that must be endured and gotten through. As a result, this generation would never expect, or even be very comfortable with, having fun in the workplace. A job requires hard work rather than social activities and parties. You are there to meet the needs of the company and as a result, get your paycheck, which can be used to meet the needs of your family. In addition, this generation views retirement is something that will eventually occur when they are forced out of the workplace in old age, but not something that is longed for, or even desirable.

This generation is not overly fond of working women, especially those in a leadership or authority role. A male employee that must report to a female supervisor will likely be very uncomfortable. However, because this generation believes that authority is always to be respected and never challenged, he will likely do his best to keep his discomfort hidden and work to meet the goals of the job regardless of the female supervisor.

Silent Generation members are not very comfortable with technology. Technology did not play a large role while they were growing up, and most were near the end of their careers before technology entered the workplace. However, some members of this generation are beginning to accept and enjoy technology during their retirement years, particularly as a way to connect with their children and grandchildren and stay up to date with distant family members.

This group is described by the Baby Boomers as "dictatorial and rigid" for their beliefs that authority is to be respected, never questioned and always followed. The biggest complaint from Generation X is that the Silent Generation needs to learn to use e-mail and other technological options to communicate, instead of always calling a meeting to discuss things. Generation Y, on the other hand, typically sees Silent Generation members as trustworthy, good leaders and brave because of all they lived through and survived, as well as their drive to protect and support their families.

Baby Boomers

In contrast to their parents from the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers grew up in a time of prosperity and created/defined the American middle class. Because of the sacrifices of their parents, Boomers see education as a birthright. Work is viewed as an exciting adventure to undertake, not a duty that must be tolerated. Instead, a person works in order to gain their desires and live a life of leisure as much as possible. To the Boomers, leisure is the point of life and should not be relegated to the bottom of the list after work and other duties.