Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X & Boomer Employees Have Very Different Professional Values
PeopleImages | Shutterstock Just like everyone has personal values that guide them in their lives, they also have professional values that shape how they do their jobs.
There are a lot of different things that influence someone’s professional values, including the way they grew up. That’s why every generation has its own unique values that set its members apart. Each generation has different professional values that make it hard for them to understand each other.
Boomers are the kind of employees who work hard for one company their whole lives.
If one generation could be described as having the strongest, most traditional professional values, it would be boomers. Many boomers are so devoted to their jobs that it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to call them workaholics.
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Boomers were fortunate enough to enter “a labor market that rewarded long tenure, respected hierarchy, and delivered job security to those who showed up, kept their heads down, and stayed loyal,” said Fortune business editor Nick Lichtenberg.
That environment shaped the workers they became. Company loyalty and respect for authority are very important to them. They’re dependable to the point of sacrificing their work-life balance because their work comes first.
Gen X employees can take on the unexpected and still come out on top.
Gen X employees care much more about having a healthy work-life balance than boomers do, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t committed to their jobs. They get their work done quickly and efficiently with pretty minimal supervision.
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They’re the kind of employees who want to show up, get the job done, and go home. From observing his own employees, Jotform CEO Aytekin Tank noted that Gen X is made up of strong leaders who know how to work together.
Gen X has also proved themselves to be up for pretty much any challenge in the workplace. They’ve adapted to changing technology flawlessly. The bottom line for this generation has always been getting results, and they’re good at it.
Millennials have made professional values more personal than other generations.
Millennials ushered in a new era of unique professional values. Unlike the generations that came before them, they want to do work that feels purposeful and matches their values, even if it means making less money.
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Just doing their job and collecting a paycheck isn’t enough for millennials. They want to feel engaged at work. They also want career development opportunities. Millennials don’t want to miss the chance to set themselves up for future success through what they do now.
This generation doesn’t expect to work for one company forever like boomers. They know investing in their career means investing in themselves. That perspective affects the way they act in the workplace.
Gen Z struggles to live out their professional values as much as they would like.
Like millennials, Gen Z thinks about how their personal values fit into their professional lives. Having opportunities to learn and grow at work is often more valuable to them than a higher salary.
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Although they’re at the beginning of their careers, Gen Z has already found that it doesn’t have the same freedom older generations enjoy. Financial constraints are impacting what they do for work in a big way. Sometimes they have to put paying the bills over everything else.
Gen Z values flexibility and feeling appreciated. The sad thing is that they sometimes have to ignore those professional values so they can make ends meet. This has given them a pessimistic view of the workforce where it’s every man for himself.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
