Where Have They All Gone?
Addressing Generational Changes in the Fire Service
Generational changes are becoming commonplace with the fire service. The Baby boomers were born between 1945 and 1960, generation x between 1960 and 1980 and generation y (also known as millenials) between 1980 and 2000 . The fire service has Baby Boomers, Generation x and Generation y personnel. Given the retirement age starting at 48 years old, we are rapidly losing our baby boomers and Generation x and y work groups are becoming the predominant workforce in our department.
The fire service is fortunate in the respect that it possesses a large number of Generation x and y employees that share many similarities regarding their work traits. Generation x and y workers are technologically savvy, want to be challenged mentored and require feedback for job satisfaction. Being technologically savvy, they are capable of using technology to their benefit enhancing their capabilities and providing for a more efficient and effective employee. This increased level of efficiency enables these groups with multitasking, rendering them capable of juggling work and personal life better than previous generations.
Generation x and y groups also desire to be challenged at work. They thrive on learning new skills and practices and without being challenged in these areas are likely to move on to other employment. In addition to being challenged they both prefer to be mentored and require feedback on their performance. Generation x grew up in a generation where both parents were working, or divorced, and they weren’t nurtured as much as the prior generations. This forced them into developing independent and resourceful skill sets to be successful. They thrive on projects where they can work independently without being micromanaged and expect feedback on the results of their work. Similarly, Generation y personnel want to be challenged and crave for feedback for their efforts.
Generation y employees expect to excel in everything they do and thrive in an environment where they were often being praised. Their parents were more engaged with them than the Generation x parents and they tended to dote on their children and rendered them praise often. This expectation has followed them into adulthood and into the workforce.
Generation x and y share in their belief to balance their life between work and leisure. Generation x grew up watching their parents work long hours all the while sacrificing themselves of leisure and relaxation. Generation x put more value more on their time off than working more hours and making more money. This can negatively impact employee retention rates for companies that do not recognize the employee’s value for a balanced life. Generation x and Generation y have been falsely characterized as “slackers” for their desire to have more time off. They value their personal time and want to live a full and well-rounded life unlike their preceding generations that identified themselves through their work.
Up to this point I have pointed out the similarities between Generation x and y work groups yet the Baby Boomers do share some similarities to the other two groups. Baby Boomers like Generation x have distrust for organizations. Generation x distrust originates from their parents losing what was perceived as a life-long job at the hands of a poor economy. Baby Boomers distrust for organizations came from acts they witnessed, such as the Watergate Scandal. The scandal was resultant from acts of our own government, who we are supposed to trust, and Boomers felt that if one cannot trust the government, then who they can trust.
More significantly, Baby Boomers identified themselves through their work. Conversely, Generation x and y perspectives on work is that it should be fun, exciting and that they don’t have the sense of loyalty to their employer much like the Boomers. Baby Boomers have the expectation that they will remain with the same company throughout their career while Generation x and y have been described as “drifters” for their affinity to move from job to job . Boomers work long and hard and have been described as workaholics where the younger generation places an importance on balance in their life. They value their free time where the Boomers value the recognition that they receive for the jobs they perform. Where Generation x and y people are adept at multi-tasking and juggling work and personal life, Baby Boomers struggle. This may be a direct result on their lack of technological skills; Generation x and y have grown up with technology and have implemented its efficiencies into their everyday lives.
The fire service has a multi-generational workforce consisting of Baby Boomers, Generation x, and Generation y personnel. A multigenerational workforce can lead to leadership and management challenges. Significant conflict in the workplace can result from the differences in values between the generational workforces. It will be incumbent on the leader or manager to use the strengths of each generation to make the team stronger. The boomers, having been around longer, can explain the history of why the organization does things a certain way. For example, over time experience dictates the most effective means of completing assignments and a Boomer can explain this rationale to the Generation x and y personnel that will save time and improve efficiency. The strength of Generation x and y personnel can be leveraged by the organization to provide insight to the Baby Boomers in understanding the value of putting one’s life in balance. Utilizing the values of the differing generations in this manner can enhance the team’s strength as a whole and will reduce internal conflict between the differing generations.
It will become increasingly important for fire management to adapt to the values of the younger generation as boomers retire. Where the Baby Boomer’s lives were centered on their job and making money, the younger folks prefer to have more time off to enjoy life. Fire management will have to adapt to the values of the Generation x and y personnel and their needs to balance life and leisure. With the younger generation becoming more prevalent in our workforce, fire management will be challenged to also integrate their technological skills as necessary. For example, with web-based training becoming increasingly popular and significant, fire departments can leverage Generation x and y skill-sets to meet training demands.
The diversity created by the difference between the Baby Boomer, Generation x and Generation y provides challenges for the modern public safety manager. The Baby Boomers have been around longer and bring experience and history to the table and their value to the organization needs to be addressed. However, Generations x and y, although younger and newer to their departments, have values and needs that must be addressed. Failure to meet their needs may result in losing personnel to other departments. All of the generations bring with them unique personalities, capabilities and values. Fire management will be challenged to leverage their strengths so they complement, rather than compete against, each other.
