Wanted: a few good nurses - President's Message

AORN Journal, July, 2002 by Donna S. Watson

Wanted: A few good nurses. Must be willing to travel with the finest team. Name the location, shift, and wages. Receive free health insurance, free deluxe housing, subsidized vacation, travel allowances, and a $5,000 to $10,000 sign-on bonus.

Advertisements like these are appealing to the various generations within the workplace, and they are recruiting nurses to areas where the nursing shortage is acute. Coaching in a workplace that employs workers from a variety of generations, however, can be a challenge for the management team and the staffing team alike. Everyone on the perioperative team is different, but many people of certain ages have characteristics in common. This has led the media to assign traits to groups of people based on their ages (eg, Generation X, Baby Boomers).

The differing generations on the perioperative team today can create communication problems as members of each generation struggle to understand the other's point of view. Nurses need to work together to create a solution to the nursing shortage and promote nursing as a career choice. Only by understanding the unique characteristics of the Gen Xers and the Baby Boomers can the two generations come together and work effectively.

GENERATION X

Generation X is the label the media has given to the group of people born between 1964 and 1980. (1) These individuals are children of Baby Boomers (ie, those born between 1946 and 1964). (2) Gen Xers frequently are the group that is the subject of ongoing conversations among managers and staff members. These conversations focus on the frustrations and lack of insight when coaching this dynamic group of young nurses. Complaints from Baby Boomers include that Gen Xers are unwilling to pull their load or work 16-hour shifts, weekends, or holidays. They even are seen as self-serving with loyalty only to themselves.

To better understand Gen Xers, older nurses need to listen to how Gen Xers describe themselves. This is the most educated group of individuals in our country. This group of bright, articulate people grew up with opportunities frequently not afforded their Baby Boomer parents. Many come from two-parent working families and are accustomed to the luxuries that double incomes afford. Gen Xers also come from families with one of the highest divorce rates in the country. (3) Their parents rarely worked the traditional 40-hour work week; instead it was in the range of 40 to 60 hours per week. (4) They have experienced first-hand the effects of a demanding workplace with long hours and the corresponding impact on the family unit. They also are very clear about their intent not to follow this same path of long work hours and decreasing personal and family time.

This group of adults is accustomed to taking care of themselves. They are the largest group of latchkey children, so they are adept at managing themselves and their environment and are comfortable with independent decision making. Loyalty to the organization is not a priority for this group because they personally have experienced the effects a seesaw economy had on their parents, who often devoted an entire career to a single company only to lose their job or have their role altered with little or no warning. Gen Xers' parents sacrificed personal hours and missed important school events, activities, and leisure time only to have their jobs lost because of downsizing, reengineering, mergers, and closures. Gen Xers' commitment is to their profession and career, not the organization.

BABY BOOMERS

Baby Boomers' values and experiences are very different from Gen Xers, and it often is the difference in fundamental values between the two generations that creates workplace tension. This group experienced all the gains from a thriving economy. They embraced the attitude of "only the best." Many members of this generation were raised in a two-parent family, where the mother's responsibilities were related to caring for the children and the home. The father was viewed as the authority figure and rarely questioned. (5)

They experienced firsthand many social reforms in our country. This is the group that spoke out against traditional norms of society at the time (eg, civil rights, antiwar protests) and spoke against the values of their parents and government authorities. (6) Baby Boomers have had cultural experiences that taught them to challenge authority and ask questions. They are committed to making the world a better place and often are driven to work 12- and 14-hour days on multiple projects, which is related to their idealism.

This group can best be classified as workaholics, and they take great interest in material rewards. (7) They value promotions and recognition. Baby Boomers entered the workforce and made long-term commitments, and later, they experienced the shock of downsizing, reorganizing, and, often, job loss. (8) They also are frequently referred to as the Sandwich Generation because many of them take care of aging parents while their children still are living at home.