Construction’s Multi-Generational Workforce
Date Posted: January 27, 2016
Posted In: Ideas, Workforce,
From Sourceable: It’s no secret that people are living and working longer and the days of two to three generations making up a workforce will be a thing of the past.
Very soon, for the first time, we will start seeing workplaces with around five generations working side-by-side.
Forbes Magazine defines the five generations that will soon be working together are the traditionalists (born prior to 1946), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Gen X (1965-1980), Gen Y (now referred to as Millennials) and the iGeneration (born after 1997).
Interestingly, Millennials, Gen Y, Digital Natives – whatever you want to call the generation born between 1980 and 2004 – represent almost a third of the global population today and will comprise of 75 per cent of the global workforce by 2025.
Having had many discussions with various construction clients over the years, there is always a common theme when it comes to talking about their staff.
The different generations always have something to say about each other – whether it be positive or negative.
On a day-to-day basis, I have construction candidates saying to me ‘these young guys coming out of uni don’t know how to build,’ or ‘they learn everything from a textbook.’
Same goes with the younger generation, where they will say comments such as ‘they are just old school builders that don’t know how to use a computer or new construction software.’
These are generalist comments, but the key is to develop ways where we can all learn from each other and work together to create a positive and productive workforce – especially when it comes to generational differences.