Company Profile
Mass Energy is one of the nation’s largest combination utility companies, providing gas and electric service to more than 6 million of Michigan’s residents. Mass Energy employs approximately 8,000 individuals, many of whom have been with the company the majority of their working years and are members of the Baby Boomer era. These individuals are approaching retirement age and are forced to work with and train a younger work force, emerging from the generations known at Generation X and Generation Y.
Culture
The culture at Mass Energy is one of formal structure; the work is divided into separate functions or departments. For example, accounting, purchasing, payroll, human resources, accounting, as well as others, make up this structure.
Each individual as Mass Energy sets goals and accomplishments each year, and from these goals and accomplishments the performance appraisal system is developed which fuels the yearly merit increases. Employees meet with supervisors quarterly to review the progress and discuss any problems or concerns either may have. This is also a time to develop job enrichment and specialization concerns that may have developed throughout the year.
Mass Energy employees are expected to display personal and professional values, such as respect, professionalism, appearance, and individual growth and learning. Mass Energy encourages employees to further their education; which, under certain terms is reimbursed by the company, increase their knowledge and skills.
The leadership at Mass Energy is one of autocratic and democratic characteristics. Certain decisions are dictated in a top-down hierarchical manner to subordinates, while other decisions are shared between management and subordinates. The type of leadership portrayed depends on the type of decisions that are to be made.
Mass Energy provides its employees with safe and ergonomic working conditions and has formed teams throughout the organization to insure all conditions are safe for its employees and ergonomically correct for the future of its employees safety and wellness.
The team environment is a strong factor throughout Mass Energy as well. Each department is made up of several different teams; these teams are required to work independently from other teams to accomplish daily goals and tasks. An efficient team environment makes for an efficient department, ultimately reflecting positively on Mass Energy as a whole.
Generation Characteristics
Baby Boomer
The Baby Boomer generation refers to the individuals born between 1946 and the early 1960s and has approximately seventy-six million boomers. Some of the characteristics of the baby boomers are difficulty managing their time and money, unlike generations before them. Baby Boomers are also faced with their parents living longer than expected, they are having children later in their lives and these children tend to seek a longer college education. These characteristics are forcing Baby Boomers to take care of their elderly parents while still taking care of their young children.
Baby Boomers are the first generation to be raised with televisions in the home, discovering rock and roll music; all of which allows this generation to form a generational identity.
Generation X
Generation X includes individuals born between 1965 and 1980, and is a much smaller generation than the Baby Boomer generation. However, Generation X members are forced to live in the shadow of the Baby Boomers. Generation X is criticized for being whiners, slackers, and the doomed generation. Generation X seeks individual freedom; associate themselves with the civil rights movement, gay and handicapped rights.
Generation Y
Generation Y are those born from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. This generation is faced with higher costs, they remain at home much later in life, are more ambitious, and tend to be more brand conscious. Generation Y sees their jobs as portraying themselves as individuals and saying something about themselves; however, Generation Y tends to change jobs more often than generations before them.
Generation Y has also seen higher divorce rates, lived in home with two working parents; causing a different type of relationship with their parents and grandparents than other generations. This generation is known for its openness in regards to sexual life-styles, expression, and experimentation; yet less likely to become attached sexual or romantically to one individual.
Corporate Integration
Being a member of Generation X, and having been employed with Mass Energy for 15 years, I have been involved in working with members of my generation as well as members of the Baby Boom era and Generation Y. My career began with the Baby Boomer generation and gradually has been integrated with other generations.
The experience of working with all three generations is remarkably different by example. From my own observation the Baby Boomers are a generation that comes to work, puts in their eight hours per day, five days a week, goes home for the weekend and starts all over again on Monday morning. They do not favor working over or coming in on the weekend; feeling the company does not acknowledge their efforts in any way, therefore, what is the point of additional effort? My thought is they are just putting in their time until they are of the retirement age and will “get on with their life”.
During my 15 years of employment at Mass Energy, I have obtained my Associates, Bachelors, and working towards my Masters Degree. I started with the company as a receptionist and felt this was not how I wanted to spend my working careers. I wanted more, wanted to make more money, make a difference, and be an important asset to the company. I have met several people of my generation with the same thoughts and ambitions, all of us working with the Baby Boomer generation and noticing a remarkable difference between our work ethics and theirs.
Recently, Generation Y has emerged as employees of Mass Energy, gradually being noticed on an individual basis through their clothes, mannerisms, hair styles, and especially their unfriendliness. Approximately 18 months ago, I entered the elevator in the morning and stood next to an individual with dreadlocks, a pierced lip, and a tattoo emerging over the collar of his shirt. I was speechless and tried my best not to stare; however at that point, I knew we were being invaded by Generation Y. This individual was just that, an individual, different from all the rest; and it was as if he did not care what he looked like or what others thought of him. He did not care to befriend anybody on that elevator, make eye contact, give a quick nod, or even the slightest smile. Although I was in shock, I am always willing to say Good Morning.
Another difference that I have noticed with Generation Y is their daily schedules. They tend to arrive to work around 9:00 a.m., gathering for a late lunch with members of their own Generation, working until 7:00 p.m.; at which time they seem to leave together and gather at a local establishment for dinner before heading home. Home usually is an apartment, where they live alone, with very few personal belongings. Befriending individuals of this generation, I have come to notice they have very few belongings since they change jobs regularly, continually looking for another job which pays more money, location of little importance. Generation Y appears to show no signs of settling down and starting a family and having one place to call “home”.
Technology
Membership in the Mid-Generation employed at Mass Energy has been a learning curve for me as an individual. Especially recently, when Mass Energy integrated an entirely new computer system, involving each individual employee. Prior to this implementation, there were approximately 100 different computer programs, developed by individual departments, all bridged together over the last 30 years. This implementation force the three Generations to come together and learn a new way of doing daily tasks, together. Since the implementation, mass amounts of Baby Boomers have chosen to retire, making way for Generation X and Generation Y to gain the majority as employees.
Making way for the younger generations may have been the drive behind the new system, pushing the Baby Boomers towards retirement, and allowing Generation X and Generation Y to become more involved and learn a new way of doing things. A new system, one developed by individuals of our Generation, for those same individuals. One will never know the thoughts behind Mass Energy’s reasons, yet I will be the first to tell you the younger Generations have picked up on the new system much quicker and understand much easier, than does the Baby Boomer Generation.
Conclusion
The information on the previous pages has provided a brief overview of the Baby Boomer Generation, Generation X, and Generation Y. From an inside point of view at Mass Energy, I have given an idea of my own experiences as a member of Generation X, working with members of the Baby Boomers and Generation Y.
As members of these Generations, what experiences have evolved in your own working careers and how have you overcome differences in work ethics, dress code, or individual relationships? Do you feel encouraging departments to develop and work as teams to accomplish tasks reflects positively on the organization as a whole? Mass Energy has formed numerous teams throughout the state to push for safe working environments and safe behavior. Do you feel having individuals’ main focus strictly on the safety of the company and its employees is important for the organization, or is safety something that should be the responsibility of the individual employees and something that employee should just be expected to be aware of? Thus eliminating the jobs of those focused on safety alone.
Please support your answers using proper APA style citing.
6 comments:
I was born before, “television, penicillin, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill.” I was born before “radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry-clothes” and 24 years before we walked on the moon. I was born before FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, word processors, and guys wearing earrings. When I was born, a “chip meant a piece of wood, and software had not been invented” (Anonymous, n.d.). Some call my generation “Baby Boomers,” and those born 1954-1965 “Generation Jonsers.” Others define “Baby Boomers” as those born from 1946-1965. I am not quite sure where to place myself, born in 1945.
That being said, when I first began working, women wore dresses to work, and men suits. Jeans were unheard of in the workplace, except for occasionally in the “factory,” and even then, gabardine was the material of choice. Personally I have overcome differences is dress code, simply by wearing what everyone else wears—sometimes before they wear it. I have worked in the laboratory since 1964. I probably invented the wearing of jeans in this environment, since most women (there were very few of us) wore lab coats over dresses back then. Because I was too poor to replace my good clothes, ruined despite the lab coat, I took to wearing jeans to work. My colleagues, both male and female, soon followed. Today, some women wear what I would consider to be “evening attire” to the office. Most do not, however. To date, I have yet to see the “ripped jeans” look in the office, even on “dress-down Fridays.”
Although the lines of propriety have blurred, I don’t feel that ethics have changed all that much; what was unethical in my day—still is. Individual relationships have changed to the extent that today one can have “friends” of the opposite sex, without there being innuendo that something is “going on” between them. Colleagues were colleagues—then and now—and bosses were bosses.
Regarding the influx of new technology, some older workers still don’t “get it,” but I have been among those to use and make use of new technology before many others, older and younger, in my workplace. Doing laboratory work may be the underlying cause, however. When working with analytical instruments where technology is dynamic and upgradable, one has to be on top of what’s new to survive in the workplace. I was among the first to dump my 8 track for a cassette deck, and the cassette deck for a CD, and later DVD and MP3 players. New software and programs have posed no real challenge, nor have new technologies in analytical instruments. I believe education is the key. “When all else fails, read the manual.” As a proponent of lifelong learning, I feel that continuing education should be mandated for all workers during their entire careers.
Teamwork is exciting and gratifying to me; two (or more) heads are better than one. The burdens of completing a task are divided relatively equally among team members, rather than loaded onto one person’s shoulders. This is an improvement in working methodology. It makes the organization as a whole more efficient, but I am still waiting for the day when teams are financially rewarded based on team performance.
As to safety, I believe safety is everyone’s responsibility. It is management’s job to train employees in safe handling of chemicals, equipment, and the like. It is employee’s responsibility to ensure they follow safety rules, for their own safety and those of their coworkers. How would someone aware of hazards in the workplace, unless they have been educated along these lines? Laboratorians in my workplace are required to take various classes in safety, handling, and hazard awareness each year. This is vital to maintaining a safe workplace. EH&S, although some of us resent its interference occasionally, is an important and necessary asset to every organization.
References
Anonymous. (n.d.). Born before 1945: A humorous look at the generation gap. Retrieved September 2, 2008, from http://crab.rutgers.edu/~deppen/born45.htm.,
Wikipedia, T. O. E. (2008, February 1). Baby boomer (Article on the Baby Boomer Generation). Retrieved on September 2. 2008 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomer
I am part of Generation Y, I would have to agree with the characteristics you presented in your initial post. I am more ambitious and my career defines who I am. Over the course of two years my job has become my life, I am attached to my phone which is connected to company email. I rarely take more than a day vacation, and if I do, I am connected to email and call to check in, and I never take a full lunch. I have no sense of separation. I am impatient, another characteristic of Gen Y, because we are raised in a world dominated by technology and instant gratification (NAS, 2006). My bosses see me as a great asset because they know I bend over backwards in my position and for my clients. I have little if any interest in settling down or having a family, my ultimate goal is to be successful in my career. Also, because I have been trained on the computer all my life, it is generally my responsibility to train my fellow Baby Boomer and Generation X employees our new systems. Generation Y teaches older co-workers about new technologies and the power of online communities (Healy, 2008).
In terms of working, I have noticed that it does not matter how successful of a person I may be or dependable; some Baby Boomers will not see me for anything more than a twenty something. Within the last three months, I was in an argument with a fellow employee. She is a baby boomer. Because I stood my ground and stated an opinion, it was taken offensively as if I were disrespected. It was even said “they could count on one hand the individuals that have disrespected them, and I was the first twenty something to take that liberty.” Perhaps I am blunt and expressive as my fellow Gen Y, self expression is favored over self control, and making our point is the most important (NAS, 2006). However, my age, should have no basis on how I perform my job. Being 25, and working with a 60 year old I should not be spoken to as though I am a great grandchild or a child. Many times I feel this is the case. Generation Y workers do not want to be seen as children, working along side those old enough to be grandparents. This creates a clash of views and a need for cooperation between generations (NAS, 2006).
I have also observed that with the Baby Boomers and Generation X there is a lot of chit chatting. You mentioned that Generation X is not friendly, in our defensive. I come into the office, immediately get to work performing my duties for the day. Previous generations seem to talk sports, get their coffee and get breakfast; an hour passes and the day still hasn’t begun for them and I have half my checklist accomplished. Because of this, I am labeled as “moody” in the morning and everyone should wait until noon to talk to me. According to “10 Ways Generation Y Will Change the Workplace”, I am not the only one. It mentions Generation Y are productivity machines, we will figure out how to get as much done in six to seven hours as the average boomer does in eight (2008).
Do you feel encouraging departments to develop and work as teams to accomplish tasks reflects positively on the organization as a whole?
Yes, by working as a team employees can build on one anothers ideas. It will create better working relationships and overall more brainstorming and creative ideas.
Do you feel having individuals’ main focus strictly on the safety of the company and its employees is important for the organization, or is safety something that should be the responsibility of the individual employees and something that employee should just be expected to be aware of?
Safety should be a 50/50 split. Not only should a company provide proper safety restrictions and protocol but a individual should be responsible enough to look out for themselves. We are a society that places the blame on others and never takes responsibility for our own actions.
Resources
Unknown. “Generation Y: The Millennials.” NAS Insights.
Retrieved September 2, 2008, from http://www.nasrecruitment.com/talenttips/NASinsights/GenerationY.pdf
Healy, R. (May 23, 2008). “10 Ways Generation Y Will Change the Workplace.” Employee Evolution. Retrieved September 2, 2008, from http://www.employeeevolution.com/archives/2008/05/23/10-ways-generation-y-will-change-the-workplace/
Great dialogue here, team. How might an intergenerational work group be designed? One that was intentionally constructed to create synergy from workers from varied generations. What might the structure look like? The culture? Is it even realistic to try something like this?
I think we all could benefit by learning how to work in an intergenerational environment. Since people are living longer and working longer, inevitably we all find ourselves in this type of environment. It does little good to dig one’s heels in and butt heads with those from other generations feeling that ours is the only generation that has merit. Generations X and Y have the fluidity of youth on their sides while the Boomers have experience and decades of expertise behind them. Companies cannot do without either, and be successful.
Learning how to work in an intergenerational environment can be beneficial in overcoming ageism, bridging the gap between the generations and providing an opportunity for older people to maintain their quality of life. Intergenerational workforces can be advantageous for younger people in terms of improved learning, broadening skill sets, and developing tolerance. Thus, intergenerational work groups could offer some benefit the two groups in society who are most likely to experience marginalization and exclusion. (Age Concern Kingston upon Thames, 2005)
References
Age Concern Kingston upon Thames. (2005). Intergenerational work 2004-2005 (Annual report on Intergenerational Project). Retrieved September 12, 2008, from Age Concern Kingston upon Thames: http://www.ageconcernkingston.org/IntergenerationalProjectAnnualReport2005.htm.
To design an intergenerational work group, I think it would be a good idea to bring in a person who specializes with diversity in corporations. This person would assist those creating the work group with the characteristics to look for, what to expect from the different generations, the work ethics of each, attitudes, and talents to expect.
The structure would need to be rather flat, since there will ultimately be three different generations. If the structure is that of a hierarchy, favoritism may become an issue with the superiors.
The culture would be a mixture of each generation’s skills, talents, knowledge, and experience. Bringing each of these characteristics in from each generation will create a broad range of work ethics to the table, and each generation will learn from the others being members of the same work group.
Creating a work group with members of each generation is a great idea for organizations to move in to the future. Eventually Baby Boomers will be, shall I say, "extinct" from the working generation. Generation X and Y needs to pull the knowledge from the older generation, as a reference for the future.
The formula for success involves three steps: 1) Be aware of differences 2) Appreciate the strengths 3) Manage the differences effectively.(Kruk, n.d.) These are excellent steps for sucess, and following these steps will bring the generations closer together.
References
Kruk, Tanya (n.d.). "Intergenerational Work Issues". Retrieved September 14, 2008, from www.icatt.net/documents/IntergenerationalIssues.doc.
At my organization, I am somewhat at a generational gap issue, as well as two different work groups. For example, I am a salary employee, working in a distribution center full of union employees. I am not a union employee. 99% of the union employees I work with are Baby Boomers; I am a Generation X'er. I have difficulty working with these individuals because it seems everything they do, they stop and think about "the rules". Everything is done by rules and if one of these rules are broken in any way, they threaten to file a grievance.
For example if we need to do a call out for overtime and somebody is on vacation, yet gets called, they file a grievance because they should not have been called. Seems like everything I do, that affects their day, I have to know their union contract inside and out so I don't "offend" them in anyway.
There are definite times this is very taxing on me and my daily tasks. It truly can make for stress levels to increase and conflict to be right around the corner, so to speak.
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