Subject of Generational Values

Literature Review

According to Cox (2008), the subject of generational values was highly noticed by employing managers and human resources. Cox concluded that in the workplace, members of certain generation wants to work for satisfaction but each in their own distinct approach and specific attitudes. This change in the workforces needs to be catered especially when the environment is becoming more diverse with different values and opinions due to the workplace containing employees from different generation. In Cox’s (2008) article, he labels the different generation and names the different characteristics and approach towards their careers and their workplaces.

According to Chester (2002), he believes that workers from generation y should be hired because youths are the ones being connected to your customers and he quotes, “…your front line is the key to your bottom line”. It is clear that we have many conflicts as to which generation are to be hired but is it based on biased and hypocrisy or because the goal is to make money and hiring managers are just striving for the best to make money. Many perspectives and many disagreement but later on in the research proposal, the methods as to how we can prove if stereotypes and stigma places a role in the decision making or the credentials on the curriculum vitae is the deciding factor will give a viewpoint to how we can decipher and prove this analysis.

According to the Hoey (2009), there has been a notice issue in the skills gap in the workforce. Australia’s Workforce is a report composed relating to the issue of hiring people and the skills portrayed in the workforce, especially some results are portrayed in this report about the generation theory and how partially it is true about employees are being hired due to their characteristics and the differences between the generations and how they behave at work. This paper will assist the research and to clarify possible questions that may arise. This research will hopefully conclude as an update to Hoey’s report and finalise whether the generation theory are effectively used or seen as a biased method of recruitment.

According to the McCrindle (2009), there are proposed studies and programs to train the later generations of work ethics and placement. This research shows that generation theory has been divided and that values are more demanding rather over experience. This paper supports the notion of the theory being proven and results shows that previous managers of the selected areas are somewhat depending on the generation theory. As an addition to this research study, strong evidence are portray in mentioned areas thus making the proposed research reliable. Furthermore, as last research was conducted two years ago, this research will finalise the definite theory and practices that the employers have seen to develop and will be concluded and discussed the flaws and relevant findings that may be resulted from the study that is going to be carried out. 

Birkinshaw and Crainer (2008) wrote a number of ways how they can encourage Generation Y to more productive and creative. Throughout the research, it has been mentioned that Generation Y needs to trust the employer, rewarding constantly every week, whether it be free pizza to win over votes within the workplace. This shows that Generation Y seems to be a materialistic generation and needs to be rewarded rather than congratulated. Furthermore, Birkinshaw and Crainer also mentioned that Generation Y needed to be reaching out with simple approaches such as playing games. This is because this generation is known for their spirit of gaming and by interacting with games; their behavioural responses in the workplace are much more efficient. This research shows the rule breaking of the assumption where employers are trying to work with Generation Y rather than deciding a more suitable candidate in other generation due to their characteristics of the Generation they are in.

McCrindle (2009) stated the reasons why an individual from different generations is employed because they have a saving goal. Research shows that,

For Y-ers (57%) and X-ers (48.5%), the main saving goal for them in their

20s is/was holiday/travel; for the Boomers, it was a mortgage (46%).

McCrindle (2009)

This statistic explains how the employer divides their employees into generations and what purpose they have in the work force. Furthermore, detailing at age 20 what each individual in each generation is working for. Furthermore, McCrindle also noted that job security are becoming a priority due to the fact that it is becoming more difficult to find a job and that most applicants that are accepted by employers were assumed to have certain characteristics. This research explains how employers are dividing the applicants into the generations that they belong to and judging accordingly to what sort of characteristics they have and intended to gain while holding the status of being employed.