Meet the most diverse workforce in history.

There are now five generations present in the American workforce, with a potential age gap of more than 50 years between the oldest and youngest workers. This presents a huge challenge for employers, who are now faced with the task of managing employees with vastly different experiences, as each generation brings with it distinct values, expectations, attitudes, behaviors and needs. After all, the needs of people just starting their careers are vastly different from people who are looking to retire in the next two years. Ignoring these generational differences and trying to manage every worker the same way simply won’t work, and could even cause intergenerational conflict. Employers who learn to effectively balance and manage the diverse needs of their multigenerational workforce, however, will benefit of people with multiple perspectives working together to accomplish the organization’s goals.

The first step to understanding how to effectively and efficiently managing the needs of the multigenerational workforce is to learn more about what makes each generation tick. Our infographic, “Defining The Multigenerational Workforce,” takes a look at the unique values, motivations and communication styles common to each of the five generations now in the workforce: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z.