Compare and contrast Gen Z to previous generations

Today's workforce is tremendously unique in several different respects. Jobs that traditionally functioned as 9 to 5 office jobs are now distributed remote or hybrid. Growing percentages of people take on side hustles as gig workers or entrepreneurs. And there are even growing numbers of people who earn their entire incomes as influencers on social media. Having worked full time since the mid 1980s, these sort of changes make my head spin. Keeping pace with the youngest generations in the workforce has taught me new lessons time and again, as each cohort brings their own flavor to the party. In this lesson, I'll clarify the special sauce each generation brings to the workforce so you can recognize the trends and orientations characterized by the various generational groups. First up, the silent generation or traditionalists. Those born between 1925 and 1945. They're the last generation to remember the years of the Great Depression. Yet they are still influencing the largest institutions today. Next comes baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, named, appropriately because by the time the baby boom ended in 1964, 76 million babies have been born in the US, more than the current population of France. At the core of the huge culture breaking trends of the 60s and 70s was the boomer brand of individualism. Not only the widespread rejection of outdated prejudices, but the centering of individual choice. Then there's Gen X, born between 1965 and 1979. They were born after TV was invented, came of age with computers and then the internet, and got smartphones and social media accounts as adults. The most cataclysmic technologies that we currently rely on laptops, smartphones and the internet were all invented by Gen X. The following generation are millennials born between 1980 and 1994. They currently comprise the largest cohort in today's workforce. While boomers introduced individualism in the popular culture, Millennials raise the bar. The individual self was not merely important, it became paramount. The latest generation to enter the workforce, Gen Z, was born between 1995 and 2012. They're just at the beginning of leaving their mark on the world. That makes a compelling collection of five generations of workers that need to collaborate as creative and cohesive teams. What does that even look like? I mean, just imagine if you had to get Rock Hudson, Sylvester Stallone, Chris Rock, Adam Driver, and Timotheé Chalamet to make a movie together or bring together Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Snoop Dogg, Beyonce and Billie Eilish to cut an album? That seems equal parts amazing and terrifying, right? In the exercise files, you'll find a worksheet to help you learn more about each generation. The great news is you have a chance to embrace this amazing opportunity to bridge these multiple generations in the workplace and give extra attention to the newest one, Gen Z, so you can welcome their contributions. They are worth the investment.