Engineering Inc. - November/December 2007 - 22

mployees want to feel like they are contributing, and if not, they’ll go somewhere else. CIndI POlyChROnIS davId evanS and aSSOCIaTeS, InC. E ment to the workplace, Polychronis says. Younger workers typically look for more career opportunities and a chance to grow and give back to their communities. “The type of work they do is hugely important. They don’t just want a job and a place to park for the rest of their lives. They want to feel like they’re contributing, and if not, they’ll go somewhere else.” Meanwhile, the industry is watching engineers with six to 10 years of experience disappear. Making Generational Peace “Probably 25 percent of our workforce is over 50 right now,” says Diane Lenius, a vice president at Parametrix, Inc., a Bremerton, Wash.–based engineering, planning and environmental services firm with 550 employees in 12 offices. “In the next 10 to 15 years, we would anticipate a pretty significant group of folks looking at retirement. Although we also see people who want to continue to work and shift to more of a part-time, on-call role, and we really try to take advantage of that as much as possible.” For the first time, the engineering workplace spans four generations as employees aged 62 and older choose to stay in the workforce, while Millennials—those employees 25 and younger—enter the profession. “We’re in one of those periods of time for the next five to 10 years where these generations need to coexist, and we need to take advantage of the synergies inside engineering firms,” says Kyle Davy, president of Kyle V. Davy Consulting in Berkeley, Calif. Work expectations can vary greatly between generations. “I’ve heard horror stories from human resources (HR) in general of really entitled people coming in and creating disruption. We haven’t had that in our company, but I’ve heard of mothers and fathers calling [employers] and saying, ‘How dare you treat my child that way!’” acknowledges Davy. More often, Generation Y (born 1980–1996) and Millennial employees simply have a different type of commit22 ENGINEERING INC. NovEmbER / DECEmbER 2007 “Each of the generations has some characteristics that define them,” Davy says. It can be beneficial to figure out how to take advantage of each group’s strengths. Though not all workers born in the same decade have the same characteristics, Davy breaks down the generations this way: Traditionalists—This generation represents the oldest workers in our society. Traditionalists, also known as the Silent Generation, typically value trust and hard work and believe in formal organization and structure. Though many have reached—even surpassed—retirement age, better health and a commitment to work keeps them on the job longer. Baby Boomers—The largest generation, the first wave of workers will turn 62 this year, while the rest stretch into their mid-40s. Most boomers model their parents’ attitudes about hard work. They are generally idealistic, with a sense of purpose and loyalty to their company. Generation X—This group came of age in the 1970s and early 1980s. They are characterized as able to take care of themselves, are sometimes cynical, tend to jobhop and are not particularly idealistic. Generation Y—This generation grew up in the 1980s and early 1990s. Most of them were brought up with heavy parental involvement, structured free time and ample praise. Today they are a generation “bursting with self-esteem and individualism and fully confident about their own ability to do things, succeed and make a difference,” Davy says. They’re also fairly idealistic, willing to commit to something that they believe in, are team-oriented and love to learn. Millennials—This youngest batch of professionals, a subset of Generation Y, is fresh out of college and under age 25. Communication is the key to the effective relations between generations, explains Gary A. Smith, co-founder of Ivy Planning Group, LLC, a Maryland-based diversity consulting firm. The challenge is to make sure that communication goes both ways. “Different generations of workers require very different ways of being managed, led and cared for,” says Smith. “Their motivations are different. Gen Xers, for instance, want to be treated and engaged differently. They’re asking more questions, such as ‘Why aren’t we doing it that way?’ and ‘Why can’t I be on that project?’” As an executive, manager or HR professional, “I have to find ways to engage them the way they want to be engaged.” Conversely, younger generations must realize that boomers have knowledge to share and should actively seek mentors and advice, while corporate programs should promote knowledge sharing. Experience Drain The number of new engineering degrees awarded to U.S. and foreign students W e’re in one of those periods of time where these generations need to coexist. Kyle davy Kyle v. davy COnSulTInG

Engineering Inc. - November/December 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - November/December 2007