1. BOOKEND GENERATIONS:
LEVERAGING TALENT AND FINDING COMMON GROUND
Sylvia Ann Hewlett
Maggie Jackson
Laura Sherbin
Peggy Shiller
Eytan Sosnovich
Karen Sumberg
Center for Work-Life Policy
Study sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, Ernst & Young, Time Warner, UBS

2. THE
HIDDENDRAIN
BRAIN TASK FORCE
CO-CHAIRS MEMBERS
American Express Alcoa Inc.*
Bloomberg LP Aon
Booz Allen Hamilton Bank of America/Merrill Lynch
Ernst & Young LLP Boehringer Ingelheim USA
General Electric Company Booz & Company
Goldman Sachs BT Group*
Intel Cisco Systems*
Johnson & Johnson Citi*
Time Warner Cleveland Clinic
Credit Suisse*
Deloitte
Deutsche Bank
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
General Mills
Genzyme Corporation
GlaxoSmithKline
Google
International Monetary Fund
Knoll*
KPMG LLP
Lowenstein Sandler PC
McKinsey & Company
Merck & Co.
Microsoft
Moody’s Foundation*
Morgan Stanley
New York Times Company
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
PepsiCo*
Pfizer Inc.*
Procter & Gamble
ProLogis*
Schering-Plough Corporation
Siemens AG
Sodexo
Swiss Reinsurance Co.
UBS*
Unilever plc*
UnitedHealth Group
United Nations DPKO
White & Case LLP*
Withers LLP
World Bank
*Steering Committee
© 2009, Center for Work-Life Policy. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or transmission of any part of this publication in any form or by any means,
mechanical or electronic, is prohibited. The analyses and opinions presented in this report are solely those of the authors.
Cover Illustration by Dave Calver
2 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

3. BOOKEND GENERATIONS:
LEVERAGING TALENT AND FINDING COMMON GROUND
Sylvia Ann Hewlett
Maggie Jackson
Laura Sherbin
Peggy Shiller
Eytan Sosnovich
Karen Sumberg
Center for Work-Life Policy
Study sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, Ernst & Young, Time Warner, UBS

4. THE
HIDDENDRAIN
BRAIN TASK FORCE
Founder and President BOOKEND GENERATIONS
Sylvia Ann Hewlett advisors and Lead sPonsors
Chair Anne Erni
Carolyn Buck Luce lehmAn Brothers
Co-Chairs Patricia Fili-Krushel
Joan Amble time WArner
AmericAn express
Anthony Carter Mona Lau
Johnson & Johnson UBs
Deborah A. Elam Lisa M. Quiroz
GenerAl electric compAny time WArner
Gail Fierstein Horacio D. Rozanski
GoldmAn sAchs Booz Allen hAmilton
Patricia Fili-Krushel
Billie I. Williamson
time WArner
ernst & yoUnG
Kaye Foster-Cheek
Johnson & Johnson
Rosalind L. Hudnell
intel
Lisa M. Quiroz
time WArner
Kerrie Peraino
AmericAn express
Horacio D. Rozanski
Booz Allen hAmilton
Cornel West
princeton University
Billie I. Williamson
ernst & yoUnG
Melinda B. Wolfe
BloomBerG lp

5. About the Authors
sYLvia ann heWLett is the founding President of the Center for Work-Life Policy (CWLP), where
she chairs the “Hidden Brain Drain” Task Force. She also directs the Gender and Policy Program at the School of
International and Public Affairs, Columbia University and is a member of the World Economic Forum Council
on the Gender Gap. She is the author of nine acclaimed non-fiction books including When the Bough Breaks
(winner of a Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Prize), Creating a Life (named by Business Week as one of the
top ten books of 2002), Off-Ramps and On-Ramps (Harvard Business Press), and, most recently, Top Talent: Keeping
Performance Up When Business Is Down (Harvard Business Press, October 2009). She is the author of six Harvard
Business Review articles and her articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Financial Times and International
Herald Tribune. She has taught at Cambridge, Columbia and Princeton universities and held fellowships at the
Institute for Public Policy Research in London and the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at Harvard.
A Kennedy Scholar and graduate of Cambridge University, Hewlett earned her PhD degree in economics at
London University.
MaGGie JaCKson is a senior fellow at the Center for Work-Life Policy. An award-winning author and journalist
known for her coverage of U.S. social issues, her book, Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age, was
named a best summer book of 2008 by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and has been featured in publications worldwide.
Jackson writes the popular “Balancing Acts” column in the Sunday Boston Globe. A contributor to the New York Times,
Business Week, and National Public Radio, she is also a former foreign correspondent for The Associated Press in
Tokyo and London and has won numerous awards and honors for her work, including the Media Award from
the Work-Life Council of the Conference Board and a journalism fellowship in child and family policy from the
University of Maryland. Jackson is a graduate of Yale University and the London School of Economics.
Laura sherBin is a vice president at the Center for Work-Life Policy where she heads up CWLP’s survey
research. She is an economist specializing in work-life issues and gender. She is also an adjunct professor at the
School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University teaching “Women and Globalization.” She is
coauthor of the Harvard Business Review article “How Gen Y and Boomers Will Reshape Your Agenda,” as well as
the Harvard Business Review Research Report The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science, Engineering,
and Technology and The Under-Leveraged Talent Pool: Women Technologists on Wall Street. She is a graduate of the
University of Delaware and earned her PhD in economics from American University.
PeGGY shiLLer is the executive vice president of the Center for Work-Life Policy. A coauthor of The
Hidden Brain Drain: Off-Ramps and On-Ramps in Women’s Careers, Sin Fronteras: Celebrating and Capitalizing on
the Strengths of Latina Executives and The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science, Engineering, and
Technology, she is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.
eYtan sosnoviCh is an assistant vice president at the Center for Work-Life Policy. He is a coauthor
of The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science, Engineering, and Technology and The Under-Leveraged
Talent Pool: Women Technologists on Wall Street. Sosnovich received his BA in political science from the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is working toward his MIA at the School for International and
Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Karen suMBerG is a vice president at the Center for Work-Life Policy and an expert in gender, career
pathing and communications. She has led key research projects for CWLP including “Bookend Generations:
Leveraging Talent and Finding Common Ground” and Sin Fronteras: Celebrating and Capitalizing on the
Strengths of Latina Executives. She is coauthor of the Harvard Business Review article “How Gen Y and
Boomers Will Reshape Your Agenda,” as well as the Harvard Business Review Research Report The Athena
Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science, Engineering, and Technology and The Under-Leveraged Talent Pool:
Women Technologists on Wall Street. Sumberg received her BA from the University of Maryland and is
working toward her MBA at Fordham University.
i

6. Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the study sponsors—Booz Allen Hamilton, Ernst &
Young, Lehman Brothers, Time Warner, and UBS—for their generous support. We are
deeply grateful to the co-chairs of the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force—Joan Amble,
Carolyn Buck Luce, Anthony Carter, Deborah Elam, Gail Fierstein, Patricia Fili-Krushel,
Kaye Foster-Cheek, Rosalind Hudnell, Kerrie Peraino, Lisa Quiroz, Horacio Rozanski,
Cornel West, Billie Williamson, and Melinda Wolfe—for their vision and commitment.
Special thanks to the Hidden Brain Drain “Bookends” advisors and lead sponsors:
Anne Erni, Patricia Fili-Krushel, Mona Lau, Lisa Quiroz, Horacio Rozanski, and
Billie Williamson.
We would also like to thank Kathleen Christensen and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
along with Velma Monteiro-Tribble and the Alcoa Foundation for grants which
supported case study research.
We appreciate the efforts of the Center for Work-Life Policy staff members, in particular
Shelley Haynes for her administrative support, Diana Forster and Ripa Rashid for their
research support and editorial talents. We also want to thank Bill McCready, Rick Li
and the team at Knowledge Networks who expertly guided the research and were an
invaluable resource throughout the course of this study. A special word of thanks goes
to Adi Ignatius, editor-in-chief, and Julia Kirby, editor, of Harvard Business Review, whose
inspiration and leadership were critical to this project.
Thanks to the private sector members of the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force for their
practical ideas and collaborative energy: Elaine Aarons, Barbara Adachi, Rohini Anand,
Diane Ashley, Asli Basgoz, Denise Berger, Dolores Bernardo, Ann Beynon, Karen Boykin-
Towns, Rachel Cheeks-Givan, Ilene Cohn, Desiree Dancy, Nancy Di Dia, Esi Eggleston
Bracey, Stephanie Ferguson, Michelle Gadsen-Williams, Valerie Gervais, Paul Graves,
Laurie Hodder Greeno, Mary Hildebrand, Nancy Killefer, Frances Laserson, Mona Lau, Jill
Lee, Kedibone Letlaka-Rennert, Cindy Martinangelo, Ana Duarte McCarthy, John Morland,
Patricia Nazemetz, Annmarie Neal, Judith Nocito, Christine Osvald-Mruz, Julie Oyegun,
Erika Ozer, Rhodora Palomar-Fresnedi, Bruce Pfau, Kate Quigley, Linda Riefler, Ellen Rome,
Lori Sweere, Geri Thomas, Jo Weiss, Joan Wood, Helen Wyatt and Meryl Zausner.
Thanks also to Shaheen Akram, Rosie Allen, Rosalind Arlott, Linda Bernstein, Fleur
Bothwick, Jennifer Bruno, Serena Cheng, Debbie Cohen, Patricia David, Alicia Dick,
Lauren Doliva, Corbette Doyle, Tamara Erickson, Bet Franzone, Marc Freedman, Tim
Goodell, Maryella Gockel, Marcia Golibart, Joanne Gordon, Jody Hu, Tim Jarman,
Jackie Jones, Priscilla Kauff, Sara Laschever, Melissa Lavigne, Beth McCormick, Jeff
Merrifield, Janice Marron, Margaret Quilter, Farrell Redwine, Christiane Ribeiro de Sa,
Jim Rotman, Lisa Starzyk, and Yulee Tang.
ii | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

7. Contents
ABOUT THE AUTHORS i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
ABSTRACT 1
KEY FACTS 2
INTRODUCTION 5
PART I: GEN Y 9
Chapter 1 Loyalty vs. Quest 9
Chapter 2 The Connected Tribe 12
Chapter 3 At Ease with Multiculturalism 16
Chapter 4 Choice, Flex and Balance: A Generation’s Demands 18
Chapter 5 Contributing: A Coddled Generation Gives Back 22
Chapter 6 A Space That Works 24
Chapter 7 Rewriting the Inspiration Curve: A Rewards Remix 26
PART II: BOOMERS 29
Chapter 8 “Retiring Retirement” 29
Chapter 9 From “Me” to “We”: An Idealistic Generation Gives Back 33
Chapter 10 Generation Squeeze 35
Chapter 11 Tapping Boomer Talent: The Opportunity of a Rewards Remix 38
PART III: COMMON GROUND 41
Chapter 13 Shared Values, Common Bonds 41
Chapter 14 Synergies and Interaction 47
iii

8. PART IV: CUTTING EDGE POLICIES 52
Modularized Work Schedules and Second Acts 52
American Express: Phased Retirement and Retiree Network 52
CVS: Snowbirds 52
E.ON: OneE.ON 53
Harvard: Advanced Leadership Initiative 54
Novartis: PrimeForce 54
Rich Menu of Flex 54
Best Buy: ROWE 54
Citi: Alternative Workplace Strategy 55
City of Houston: Flex in the City 55
Opportunities to Give Back 56
UBS: Investment Bank Graduate Deferral Program 56
Ernst & Young: Corporate Responsibility Fellows Program 57
Goldman Sachs: Community Teamwork 58
Ernst & Young: Partnering with Kiva.org 58
Goldman Sachs: 10,000 Women 59
Pfizer: Global Access 59
“Progressive” Work Environment 60
Bloomberg: Transparency in the Workplace 60
Boehringer Ingelheim: Workplace of the Future 60
Genzyme: Green Office 61
REI: Environmental Consciousness 61
Intergenerational Mentoring Programs 62
Cisco: Legacy Leaders Network 62
GlaxoSmithKline: Early Career Network 62
Heidrick & Struggles: Chief Advisors Network 63
Time Warner: Digital Reverse Mentoring 63
Other Interesting New Programs and Policies 65
Booz Allen Hamilton: hello.bah.com 65
Time Warner: People Directory 65
Extended Health Insurance Coverage for Young Adult Dependents 66
METHODOLOGY 67
THE HIDDEN BRAIN DRAIN TASK FORCE 67
ENDNOTES 68
iv | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

9. Abstract
Right now, a battle for survival has eclipsed the war for talent. Business leaders are slashing headcounts and
budgets, and focusing with laser vision on what it takes to succeed in a deep global recession. But when
the economy recovers, companies will return swiftly to the crucial work of recruiting and retaining top
performers. Renewal and growth cannot be rekindled without high-octane brain power.
Yet the value proposition is changing dramatically in a new era of talent management. Two dominant
demographic cohorts—Gen Y and Baby Boomers—are redefining what it takes for a company to be an
“employer of choice.” The 78 million Boomers and 70 million Gen Ys crave flexibility, personal growth,
connection, and opportunities to “give back.” The Bookend Generations are remapping old ideals of success
as they pursue a “Rewards Remix” that prizes meaning and choice over money.
What do the Bookend Generations want? Here are the top picks:
• Ys and Boomers crave Odysseys. They are highly loyal yet see their careers as fluid journeys, suffused
with flexibility by day and over the long term. For these adventurers, a career is a lifelong Odyssey, often
punctuated by short time-outs, or mini-odysseys to explore passion and altruism.
• Ys and Boomers are shifting from Me to We. Vested in healing the planet and improving the lot of
humankind, they want some of this “give back” to happen on company time.
• Ys and Boomers value work-life balance and prioritize Flexibility and Remote Work. They are shedding
Industrial Age conceptions of work and demanding control over when, where and how work gets done.
A key finding: The Bookend generations seek a radical Rewards Remix. Gen Ys and Boomers want
employers to deliver on an important set of non-monetary rewards. Opportunities to take a short sabbatical,
to give back to the community through work, or to engage in stimulating, challenging projects, often
can trump the size of the Boomer or Gen Y paycheck. Our most recent data (January 2009) shows rising
job insecurity and financial pressures, yet a continued strong desire for newer rewards from odysseys to
altruistic work.
This shift in the core values of a sizable proportion of the workforce is both challenging and liberating
for employers. Companies now must begin tackling the difficult task of creating more complex, holistic
incentive structures. They must decipher how to use time as currency, blend perks such as sabbaticals into
norms of career-planning, and realize the value of a green workplace as a retention tool. Such work is not
easy. But the good news is that these motivators are far less costly than raises and bonuses at a time of
shrinking budgets.
Best Practices: Finally, this report details cutting-edge best practices—twenty-five new company initiatives
that take steps toward offering a needed Rewards Remix. Best and “next” practices, ranging from Houston’s
“Flex in the City” program to Ernst & Young’s “Corporate Responsibility Fellowships,” show how progressive
employers are responding to a sea-change in employee attitudes.
1

10. Gen Y Common Ground
Strong Talent Pool SHARED VALUES,
• 84% see themselves as very ambitious.
COMMON BONDS
• 86% are willing to go extra mile for company success. Odyssey vs. Loyalty
• There are interesting differences. 92% of Asian Ys see themselves as
very ambitious, but only 77% of African-American Ys say the same. • 92% of Gen Ys and 85% of Boomers
desire a range of new experiences.
Key Facts
• 47% of Ys and 34% of Boomers
Loyalty vs. Quest say that it is important that the
• 89% see themselves as loyal to their current employer. company they work for offer
• 92% desire a range of new experiences. “mini odysseys” by establishing
sabbatical leaves.
• Asian Boomers value sabbatical
The Connected Tech-Savvy Tribe leaves more than Caucasians (79%
• 86% want to work in teams. 98% value collaborative opportunities vs. 35%). In the Y population, more
working with peers. Hispanics (89%) and Asians (78%)
• 88% are comfortable with state-of-the-art communication technology. Despite than Caucasians (45%) say that
this, nearly half prefer in-person communication over virtual communication. sabbaticals are important.
• Communication preferences vary. Hispanic Ys prefer email over in-person (51%
vs. 36%) while African-American Ys prefer in-person over email (52% vs. 35%).
Giving Back and Doing Good
Multicultural Ease • 34% of Ys and 47% of Boomers
regularly volunteer. Amongst
• 78% are comfortable working with people of different
ethnicities and cultures. multicultural Boomers volunteer
• 75% are at ease with differences in sexual orientation. rates are similar, but there are
differences in the Y population.
African-American Ys are more likely
Flex and Balance to volunteer than their Caucasian,
Hispanic or Asian peers.
• 89% want flex and stress its importance.
• 69% seek remote work options—though more than half only
want to work from home one day a week.
Modularized Work
• 89% of Ys and 87% of Boomers
Healing the Planet say flex work arrangements are
• 88% of Y women and 82% of Y men believe it’s important to be able to important to them.
give back to community through work. There are interesting differences. • 83% of Ys and 75% of Boomers are
98% of African-American Ys but only 83% of Caucasian Ys view motivated by the ability to work
give back through work as important. remotely.
• Gen Ys who have volunteer opportunities available to them at work are
53% less likely to say they are considering leaving their job in the next year.
Rewards Remix
Trendy Collaborative Workspaces • For both Boomers and Ys, five
• 84% think it is important to have a well-designed communal workspace— rewards (high quality colleagues,
complete with cutting edge tech, great food and natural light. flexible work arrangements, recognition
• 89% also want a desk or private space of their own. from company/boss, access to new
experiences, and the ability to give back
to society through work) rank equal
Going Global to or higher than compensation.
• 94% of Gen Ys in China love their work and 97% are loyal to their current • Ys value flex more than Boomers,
company (compare with 79% in the UK and 79% in the U.S. who love their work and Boomers value autonomy in
and 83% in the UK and 88% in the U.S. who are loyal to their company). what they work on more than Ys.
• 40% of Chinese Ys receive money from their parents and 38% live with
their parents (in the UK those numbers are 10% and 2% respectively).
• 86% of Ys in UK like working with Boomers. (Only 79% of Ys in China say the same).
2

11. Baby Boomers
SYNERGIES AND Retiring Retirement
INTERACTION • Boomers are delaying retirement by nine years (Jan. ’09 data)
Velcro Relationships up from five years (June ’08 data).
• 43% project they will work after the age of 65.
• 42% of Gen Y women and 29% of • 30% of those extending retirement say that they didn’t
Gen Y men report that they talk to invest or save enough for retirement.
their parents on a daily basis.
• 74% of Y women have working Moms
and can turn to their mothers for Looking for Progression
professional advice (Only 56% of
Boomers had working moms). • 47% see themselves in the middle of their careers.
• 77% of African-American Boomers had (Remember the median age of Boomers is 54.)
a mother who worked. Only 54% of • 68% feel they have a long enough “runway” to realistically
Caucasian Boomers say the same. aspire to one promotion before retiring.
• 62% of Y women don’t want to • Career aspirations vary—they reflect life expectancy—
emulate their mother’s work 75% of Asian Boomers, but only 43% of African-American
choices—when work involves a long- Boomers want to stay in their job for five years or more.
hour extreme job. They see them as
working too hard and not achieving
work-life balance. Recognition
• 81% say that recognition is a powerful motivator.
• Boomer women value recognition more than
Workplace Connections their male counterparts (87% vs. 74%).
• 64% of Gen Ys and 68% of Boomers
recognize a parent/child dynamic
in relationships between Ys and From “Me” to “We”
Boomers in the workplace. • 47% of Boomers volunteer, putting in an average of
• 58% of Boomers enjoy helping Gen Y 10 hours a month.
navigate the workplace and 58% of • 85% want employers to get involved and are looking
Ys report that they look to Boomers for opportunities to “give back” through work.
for professional advice more so than
any other generation.
• There is huge potential for Boomers Flex and Remote Work
to learn from Ys since 88% see Ys as
tech savvy. • 87% list flex work options as important.
• 75% say the freedom to choose when and where
they want to work motivates them to give 110%.
Generation Squeeze
• 71% shoulder significant eldercare responsibilities.
Interestingly, these duties are evenly shared between
men and women.
• 41% contribute financial support to a young adult child (over 22).
This cash subsidy averages $471 a month. African-American
Boomers are more likely to contribute support than their
Caucasian counterparts.
KEY FACTS | 3

12. 4 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

13. Introduction
Picture the year 2024.
T
he youngest of the Boomers are turning 64, yet this collective chronological milestone is no longer
synonymous with quitting work. Even the word “retirement” isn’t used much anymore, because although
the huge cohort of 78 million Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 is older, they are very much a
vibrant part of the newly flexible and fluid twenty-first century work world. Idealistic, innovative,
and driven, the hugely influential Boomer set has, through will and sheer demographic clout, managed
to retire the concept of doing little but leisure in later life. Ever the jugglers, they balance challenging caregiving
experiences with meaningful, flex work and a huge appetite for lifelong learning.
The often-boring “golden years” have become a blip in history, much as 1950s homemaking proved to be an aberration
in a long history of women’s commitment to paid work. In 1996, Boomers, on average, defined old age as beginning
at 79.5—more than three years past the then-typical life span.1 Wishful thinking perhaps, yet also a true reflection
of the Boomer attitude toward life. “Boomers think they will die before they get old,” noted Yankelovich pollster J.
Walker Smith. “Aging with a spirit of youthfulness is the new context of their lives.”2 Above all, the Boomers are
refusing to take a back seat in society as they age.
Fully sharing the stage with the Boomers in 2024 is the equally idealistic, innovative and enormous cohort dubbed
Generation Y, a population wave of 70 million currently ages 15 to 30. They are hard-working, and many are far
more apt to be corporate loyalists than they seemed at the start of their collective careers two decades ago. They are
family-oriented, and remain remarkably close to—some say dependent on—the aging Boomer parents who raised
them. But don’t call them the “New Traditionalists.” Just as the Boomers roundly rewrote the scope and meaning of
later life, so Gen Y in a few decades has redefined past notions of young adulthood.
Self-directed and tech savvy, they are restless learners and workers who have largely redefined the concept of “paying
dues.” Even more than many young businesspeople, Gen Y is known for craving the new and needing constant
challenges. They have essentially moved past the divisions between home and work and between the sexes that the
Boomers first fought so hard to close. In many ways, the maturing Gen Y are completing a story that the Boomers
began telling sixty-odd years earlier.
Boomers and Gen Y. These are the “Bookend” are long lasting, while still maintaining a strong
generations, the landmark cohorts on either side sense of fluidity and versatility. Strikingly, our
of the smaller, 46 million strong Generation X. national survey reveals that 44 percent of Boomers
Together, they make up 148 million people, or nearly and Gen Y alike prize family life in equal proportion
half of the U.S. population. While clearly distinct to work. Only 14 percent of Boomers and Gen Y
from one another and sometimes antithetical in consider themselves work-centric. Both cohorts
their views, Boomers and Gen Y nonetheless share are made up of a substantial proportion of people
remarkably similar perspectives and desires in terms endeavoring to “have it all.”
of work and life. With far more career choice and
access to information than in any past era, the Above all, both generations are redefining later life
Bookend generations are making “self-invention” as well as early adulthood as stages of exploration,
central to their lives. Faced with longer life spans the odyssey years, as columnist David Brooks and
and increasingly complex family dynamics, these demographer Tamara Erickson first observed.3
two cohorts are endeavoring to make careers that Effectively, they are bookending their own
5

14. adulthoods with periods of exploration, transition, issues focuses far too often on gaps, clashes and
experimentation. These new periods of life will differences. It’s essential to also probe the common
be “characterized by a spirit of invention, a search ground between demographic cohorts, especially
for meaning, a sense of choice and an insistence two of the most talked about and misunderstood
on controlling one’s time,” notes Erickson.4 Even generations in history—the Boomers and Gen Y.
the word “odyssey” is a relatively new nineteenth Consider that nearly as many Boomers as Gen Y,
century linguistic invention, inspired by the tale of desire to work remotely (63% vs. 69% respectively).
Odysseus, the cunning Greek soldier who spent an And our research shows that 45 percent of Gen Y say
adventurous late life decade journeying home to they’re likely to work for their current employer for
Ithaca after the battle of Troy. Other generations, their entire career. In other words, many Boomers
from Gen X to the Silent Generation (those born are not the stodgy workhorses they are stereotyped
between 1925-1945), continue to make their mark to be, while Gen Y don’t yearn to job hop. These
today on the workplace and society. But together, cohorts’ complementary tastes and desires will
the vast and complementary Bookend generations shape workplaces, value systems, careers, work-life
are leading the way in sweeping away the last juggling and social relationships throughout the
remaining Industrial Age ideals of rigid hierarchies coming century.
and inflexible work.
Second, it’s crucial to understand the two generations
Why study the Bookends now? In 2008, the Center that make up the lion’s share of the country’s talent
for Work-Life Policy (CWLP) embarked on the most pool during an era threatened by potentially serious
comprehensive comparative research ever undertaken labor shortages. Due to a rising need for highly skilled
on the Bookend generations. Through interactive workers and a declining proportion of U.S. youth
blogs, focus groups, surveys and in-depth interviews, obtaining college degrees, the United States could
we probed the motivators, characteristics and goals of face a shortage of 6 million college grads by 2012, the
these cohorts for more than a year. The findings are Employment Policy Foundation projects.5 The highly
exciting, compelling, often surprising—and especially educated, aging Boomer generation wants to keep
timely. Why? As noted, the Bookends are unusually working, but not flat out. Gen Y prizes an integrated
large, intriguingly synergistic demographic cohorts life marked by continual change, within or outside the
whose influence on the world far exceeds the sum workplace. To remedy skill shortages bred by smaller
of their parts. But a close look at these generations is and potentially less educated demographic cohorts
imperative for employers today for other reasons. moving up the pipeline, employers must understand
how to attract and retain the behemoth Bookend
First, four generations now co-inhabit the American populations and tap their synergies over the long term.
labor force, and yet public discussion of generational
WHAT ABOUT GEN X?
In our early focus group research we discovered that Gen X is different. In many respects this smaller
generation, now in the prime of life (ages 31-44), remains grounded in a conventional or traditional value
proposition. In our survey research we found that Xers are more likely than Boomers to value compensation
and less likely than Ys to want an odyssey. And it’s easy to understand why. The 31-44 year-old set have
young families to look after and extreme jobs to hold down (see “Extreme Jobs,” Harvard Business Review,
December 2006). They simply don’t have the time or capacity to question the value proposition, at least not
right now. One thing we did find in our focus group research is that Xers see sabbaticals and opportunities
to heal the planet as something they will want down the road. And savvy employers understand this. The
company initiatives showcased in this report are a retention tool for Gen X as well as for Boomers and Gen Y.
But for them it is an expectational calculus, not one grounded in the present tense.
6 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

15. Perhaps most importantly, employers in the know WHAT IS A GENERATION
can find in the Bookend generations an extraordinary
opportunity during a time of serious economic recession: What is a generation? A generation is a
meaning, as much as money, is a potent driver for both cohort of people “who grew up and came
Bookend cohorts. Indeed, Gen Y rates recognition,
flexibility and access to new experiences equal to or of age together,” experiencing shared
higher than compensation. More than a third of older formative events of their life course that
workers, meanwhile, define retirement as a time for create a “generational character,” according
exploring passions. Our research shows nearly half of
each cohort characterizes “giving back to the community to Yankelovich pollsters J. Walker Smith and
through their work” as very important. This means that Ann Clurman.7 Typically, a new generation
millions of skilled workers today seek a crucial “rewards is formed roughly once every two decades.8
remix” that can save employers needed operating costs
while boosting productivity, engagement and innovation. This doesn’t mean that members of a
generation are uniform; not all Boomers
A note on the data and the impact of the recession: our are ex-hippies, nor are Gen Ys always
first national survey went into the field mid-2008.i In
January of 2009 we went back into the field to make tech-savvy. Within each generation, there
sure that the road map we created was still on course. is a great diversity of thought and action.
We needed to make sure that the complex values and As well, it’s important to note that the
expansive aspirations had not shifted drastically. The
good news for the research team was that the broad character of a generation shifts over time
findings still remain true. Job security has become as the cohort ages and experiences new
a new part of the important aspects of work, but events. With their experiences of long
both cohorts stayed true to the values and ideals they
reported in 2008. life and extensive prosperity, Boomers
are bringing to late life a whole new set of
expectations and attitudes, compared with
A VISION the Silent Generation.
By 2024, we’ll inhabit a new world of work and life
shaped deeply by the Bookend generations. Flatter,
more fluid organizations will learn to prize the ideas Still, however diverse and evolving, a
of less experienced younger generations and vastly generation is a “distinctive mix” of people,
experienced mature workers, cohorts that in the as Smith and Clurman note. As such, “the
past were simplistically expected to fade in and fade
out of their careers. Knowledge will be highly cross- character of a generation sets the tone
fertilized. The downside may be shortened learning for what it’s like to live and work in those
curves for all. times,” they write. Boomers affect our
By 2024, work itself will likely be more porous and fluid. world for as long as they live in different
Inspired by the achievements of pioneering “off-ramping ways than Gen Ys will. And all generations’
and on-ramping” Boomer women, both men and women synergies, in turn, shape our work and
will treat working by degrees and within a more varied
contractual framework as normal.6 Both genders will home lives in intriguing and sometimes
define themselves by their breadth of current experiences, mysterious ways.
rather than by title or organizational seniority. Life will
become more collegial.
Led by the Bookend cohorts, our collective odyssey
toward this new, volatile, innovative world has
just begun.
i
See methodology.
7

16. 8 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

17. 1
Part I: Gen Y
Loyalty vs. Quest
A
fter more than six years at Booz Allen Hamilton, Mike Grace came to a crossroads. He joined the firm as a
software developer after graduating from college, just as Booz Allen was expanding in the field of business
intelligence. The opportunity, he says, was “the best thing that ever happened to me.” With constant
support and opportunities for career growth, Grace thrived in his first years with the company. “I was
taught all different parts of the business, often aspects that were above my level or were not directly tied
to my job,” he recalls. “The company really takes care of you.” When a headhunter called one day with a tantalizing
offer at a software company, he was torn. Loyal to Booz Allen yet ready for a new challenge, Grace took the job.
He was back in little more than a year, disillusioned by a corporate merger that squeezed the fun, start-up feel out of
the software firm and thankful to be welcomed back by a former mentor to a job that challenged him. “At Booz, I feel
like I can do anything,” says Grace. “For me, a place to work is about opportunity. Places that talk about training and
development and then actually do it are where I want to be.”
Contrary to the popular belief and media hype that five years or more—a full 78 percent report being
Gen Ys are the preeminent job hoppers, “free agents satisfied with their jobs. As figure 1.1 shows, Gen
who can bounce from one job to the next anytime Y is engaged, ambitious and loyal. The figures for
they choose,” Gen Ys are loyal.9 A full 45 percent of multicultural talent reveal an interesting story; 92
Gen Y workers (43% of Y women and 48% Y men) percent of Asian Ys see themselves as ambitious
envision staying with their current employer for while only 77 percent of African-American Ys say
their entire career and nearly 90 percent of Gen the same. Similarly, 94 percent of Asians and only
Ys describe themselves as “loyal” to their current 78 percent of Hispanics say they are loyal to their
employer. Similarly, more than a third of Gen Y current employer.
workers envision staying in their current positions
Yet, at the same time, a desire for new experiences
Figure 1.1: is foremost for Gen Ys. In other words, they have
Engaged, Ambitious and Loyal dueling desires—wanting to remain with their
company while satisfying their need to explore and
learn. Ninety percent of Y women and 97 percent
89%
86% of Y men are looking for a range of new experiences
84% (see figure 1.2). An Aspen Institute survey of 1,700
79%
MBA students—a majority of whom are members of
the Gen Y cohort—found that more than 60 percent
rated “challenging and diverse job opportunities”
as their top factor in job selection. As one young
worker shared on a Bookends blog,ii “Being in a
comfortable state where everything is on cruise
control isn’t so appealing.” Content, not form, is so
important that a mere 20 percent of Gen Ys report
I love my work I see myself I am willing I am loyal that having a powerful position with a prestigious
as very to go the extra to my current job title is very important. Compare this with the
ambitious mile for company 72 percent who crave work that is intellectually
company
success challenging and stimulating.
ii
See methodology.
PART I: GEN Y | 9

18. Figure 1.2: What drew Nina to her current company was a
Loyalty and Experience graduate training program that allows new hires to
rotate through seven different areas of the firm in
97% their first year with the company, gaining invaluable
92%
experience and exposure to senior management.
87%
90% Since then, Nina has had three jobs within the
same group. “There have been a lot of opportunities
to do different things—that’s kept me here,” she
reflects. “Many of my friends have jumped around
to different firms in search of the right fit.” Through
the rotational training and opportunities to pursue
varied work, Nina has been continually challenged,
while enjoying job stability.
Learning and growing are paramount for all
workers, or they will disengage on the job, Julie
Gebauer and Don Lowman show in Closing the
Loyal to current employer Desires a range of
new experiences Engagement Gap: How Great Companies Unlock
Employee Potential for Superior Results. Career
Women Men advancement, challenging work and opportunities
for improving skills and capabilities are three of
the most crucial drivers of employee engagement,
the state of being connected and committed to
Although nearly two-thirds of Gen Ys have only work, the Towers Perrin consultants found after
worked at one or two companies, some Ys still have studying thousands of employees around the globe.
not found the right fit. The desire for new experiences Job rotation, a tolerance for mistakes, learning
can account for why Gen Ys leave. It is often in direct aligned with business goals, real world problem
conflict with their strong sense of loyalty and the solving, and varied training approaches: these are
dismantling of old models of lifetime employment crucial ways of fostering an engaging environment,
they witnessed during their formative years. Forty Gebauer and Lowman explain.10 As a generation,
percent of Boomers, the Ys parents, have only been Gen Y is entering a workforce increasingly thirsty
with their current company for five or fewer years. for such opportunities. But, like Nina, they are now
Both economic downsizings and a higher expectation faced with a churning job market. In our follow-up
of choice have shattered the job security experienced Bookends survey, in January 2009, meant to capture
by generations past. It’s no wonder that people perceive the shifts and new realities of the current economic
Ys as job hoppers when new prospects beckon.Consider, climate, job security is at the top of the list for most
too, that job switching is somewhat correlated with age. Ys. Seventy-five percent of Ys said this was a very
Many younger workers, regardless of generation, important aspect of their job. There was a marked
are more prone to change employers as they build difference between how men and women rated job
their careers. security, as figure 1.3 shows.
Job security and varied challenges at work—those are
the twin motivators of Nina, a German ex-pat who was
in her seventh year with a financial services company
when she participated in a Bookends focus group.
When she began looking for a job after graduation in
2002, security was a paramount consideration. It was a
down labor market, “a time where I saw people losing
their jobs or having their offers rescinded.”
10 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

19. Figure 1.3: A new, fluid professional milieu marked by self
Job Security is Very Important direction, a time of life marked by experimentation
—these are key reasons why Gen Ys are impatient
for new challenges and opportunities to learn at
82% work, even as they seek job security. They are risk
takers who enjoy operating outside the boundaries
of their past experience. Nearly three-quarters of Ys
reported feeling comfortable taking risks at work,
66% and 61 percent feel that they can make mistakes
safely. Are they sometimes overconfident? Perhaps
at times, yet the willingness to take risks is a quality
that should be nurtured by employers, especially
during times of economic crisis, when fear and
insecurity can lead to paralysis and rigidity.
Figure 1.4:
Women Men Risk Taking and Safety Nets
The Ys are also endeavoring to make their way in
a professional world that’s more self-directed and 81%
less hierarchical. In short, today’s workers need to
be perpetual “can do” learners in order to manage 68%
67%
the myriad choices and responsibilities thrust upon
them. “Throughout history, the great majority of 58%
people never had to ask the question, ‘what should
I contribute?’,” writes Peter Drucker. “It was taken
for granted that most people were subordinates
who did as they were told.” Now, choice is plentiful,
expertise eclipses authority built on titles and status,
and, asserts Drucker, knowledge workers must be Comfortable taking risks Feel there is a safety net
“their own chief executive officers.”11 in case of failure
This is why Erin, a new consultant at Booz Allen Women Men
Hamilton, values being part of a cross-functional,
matrix-built team. “I’m able to learn about more In sum, loyalty is not a foreign concept to Gen
projects than my own,” she says. “My theory is, Y. Many in the cohort would like to stay with an
the more people and projects you know of or are employer while learning, being challenged and
aware of, the better.” Or why Marina, a recruiter, groomed to take risks. That sounds simple, but
majored in psychology at college although she had it’s not for either side in the employee-employer
no intention of entering the field. She strategically equation. Especially in difficult economic times,
chose a course of study that was both multi- the Gen Y’s deep-seated desire for job security may
disciplinary and one she saw as a stepping stone to conflict with their intense yearning for change, as
almost any career. With a psychology degree, “any Mike Grace experienced. Further, the dark mood,
job was open for me,” she explains. To survive, Gen burgeoning workloads and “command and control”
Ys know they must adapt to a demanding world. managerial methods common in crisis-hit firms may
frustrate younger workers who yearn for novelty
and freedom, notes the The Economist.12 Still, the
reality is that Gen Y isn’t addicted to job hopping,
so employers that make a creative and committed
effort to grow, nurture and engage Gen Y talent
can keep this younger generation productive,
motivated—and loyal.
PART I: GEN Y | 11

20. 2
The Connected Tribe
D
erek and Jorge were excited to land jobs as associates at a telecommunications company right
after college. But after starting work, they felt something was missing. While MBA recruits had a
leadership program that bonded them as a “class,” the associates had no formal way to connect with
other new analysts at work. The absence of a formal network was especially noticeable to Derek
and Jorge because they’d both been part of a close-knit group of summer interns during college. “We
wanted a team of analysts, a team of peers,” said Jorge. Added Derek, “Unless you know people through an internship,
it’s hard to find people your own age at the company.”
Then they discovered “Associo,” an inactive three-year-old grassroots network for analysts. Tapped to join Associo’s
steering committee, the two friends and other new analysts set to work revitalizing the group. They held a happy
hour, a workshop on Excel, lunches with firm directors, and even struck a partnership with human resources—a rarity
for an informal network—to host events for summer interns. As a result, Jorge and Derek have made invaluable peer
contacts throughout the firm, including one who helped Jorge apply for a new position internally. Said Derek: “The
culture here doesn’t always place a value on networking with your peers. I see that as vital to enjoying and getting
ahead at work. I crave being around people who share my experiences.”
Collaboration is a driving force in the twenty-first data management company EMC that show that
century workplace, and an enormous priority for employees’ engagement is significantly affected by
Gen Y. This cohort likes to connect across boundaries, the levels of enjoyment and cooperation they get
departments and disciplines socially, as readily as in working with others. When work is increasingly
they pursue learning across all spheres. Teaming, decentralized, flattened, time-consuming and
networking and plain old social connections, both fast changing, connections become all the more
virtual and face-to-face, are valued components of important. “By yourself, you can only accomplish so
working life for Ys. That’s why 82 percent of Gen Y much,” says EMC chief executive officer Joe Tucci.13
describes having colleagues they enjoy working with
as a very important aspect of their work environment, Gen Y agree, with many fervantly supporting the
compared with 77 percent of Boomers. Nearly half of team-based work model that dominates businesses
Ys consider having a network of friends at work very today. Eighty-six percent of Ys in our survey want
important, compared with 36 percent of Boomers. In to work in teams—at least part of the time, as
addition, 84 percent of Ys say that having communal figure 2.1 illustrates.
areas for collaboration is an integral part of their
work environment. Figure 2.1:
Preference for Time Spent Working in Teams
Friends? Enjoyable colleagues? These elements of
work, while always of some importance, may seem
frivolous or at least not a bottom-line consideration
55%
to many corporate leaders, especially in dire
economic times. But creating a sense of belonging,
within and beyond the teamwork that’s central to
business operations today, is crucial. “Without the
sense of community that comes from interacting
with your peers, it is tougher to be involved in 25%
your organization’s operations, and tougher to
feel engaged,” argue Gebauer and Lowman. They 14%
7%
cite internal surveys at Massachusetts-based
None A quarter Half All
12 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

21. “I love being around others,” explained Jorge, the softball, basketball and football with co-workers in
telecommunications associate we spoke about his division. “I’ve not only made good friends, but
earlier. “It would be hard to develop skills and the teams make my job easier,” he reflected. “Picking
learn things if I was working on my own. If I up the phone and saying, ‘Do you know this person?
didn’t have a team, I think the quality of my work How can I get this resource or this information?’
would not be as strong.” Short-term, project-based is much easier.” When Jaclyn, a tax auditor, faced a
teams are especially inviting for this cohort, as tight deadline to get a broker-dealer’s documents
they answer Gen Y’s thirst for novelty. When one to the Securities and Exchange Commission, she
consultant estimated a several million dollar price harnessed the power of her network. “I figured
tag to build a new portal for electronics retailer out who I knew in CSG (the Consulting Services
Best Buy, young employees pulled together a Group) who could help me,” said Jaclyn, co-head
small team of their own contacts from across the of her firm’s lesbian, gay, transgender group. She’s
company to do the job for $250,000.14 also active in the company’s Professional Women’s
Network, which hosts a program to link senior
Ys in our survey told us what makes teamwork work managers with female executive clients. The
—it’s all about people and collaboration. Figure 2.2 evenings can be “socially uncomfortable,” admitted
shows that Ys rate collaboration with peers and with Jaclyn, “but at the end of the day you just met 20
senior colleagues as the most crucial aspects of a extra people.”
well-functioning and efficient team.
Figure 2.3:
Figure 2.2: Networking by Gender
Important Aspects of a Good Team
66% 65%
93%
89%
31%
65% 28%
Participate in Participate in
internal networks external networks
Collaboration Collaboration Bonding Women Men
with peers with senior activities
colleagures
Good teamwork and astute networking, of course,
are not new. Smart, ambitious, talented people have
Many Gen Ys are enthusiastic networkers, realizing always been influential “connectors,” as Malcolm
that proactive, reciprocal connectivity are starting Gladwell notes in The Tipping Point.15 But as a
points for good teamwork and cross-departmental whole, Gen Y seems to be helping push large scale
collaboration. Jamal landed his current job in networking into the mainstream of work-life. The
part because he sat on a non-profit board with an idea of deliberately trying to get ahead through
employee from the company he wanted to work at networking at artificial events seems “calculating” to
who introduced him to the right people. “On paper the Ys we spoke with. They are looking to network
you can be qualified, but you need to find someone and collaborate in a more organic way—a way
who can navigate from inside,” said Jamal. “You facilitated by new technologies. Through instant
need to meet people who have information. If you and text messaging, Twitter, blogging and online
keep up connections, you’ll always find that useful social networking, younger generations have eagerly
information comes up in random ways.” pursued high-tech social stages as places to meet and
connect. Although specific sites and technologies
Job hunting leverage, internal help on a crunch will rise and fall in popularity, Gen Y’s penchant
project, information on a company’s “invisible” for asynchronous, virtual, and highly diffused social
culture and operations: networking helps Gen Y networking may have a powerful effect on
across multiple fronts. Dan, a financial analyst, plays
PART I: GEN Y | 13

22. GEN Y MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION
The Gen Y proclivity for using online social networking vehicles is emblematic of this generation’s tech savvy.
From social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, to digital communication tools like email, texting
and instant messaging, technology provides no end to the number of options for impersonal communication
that Gen Ys utilize. Yet, this comfort with digital networking tools belies their preference for face-to-face
interactions within the workplace.
Our research tells us that a surprising number of Ys actually like the physical and personal interaction that
comes with a face-to-face conversation or meeting. When asked, nearly half of Gen Ys we surveyed indicated
that they preferred in-person conversations to email, phone or text messaging communication. Breakdowns
along race and gender lines also reveal interesting patterns of preferences. African-American and Caucasian Gen
Ys prefer face-to face-conversation with 52 percent and 50 percent, respectively, compared to their Hispanic
(36%) and Asian (30%) colleagues.
Figure 2.4:
Communication Preferences
55%
52%
51%
50%
39%
36%
35%
30%
In-person conversation Email
Caucasian Asian African-American Hispanic
Not surprisingly, the numbers are reversed when we look at those who prefer email communication: Asians
opt for this by 55 percent, compared with 51 percent of Hispanics, 39 percent of Caucasians and 35 percent of
African-Americans. Along gender lines, the data are more varied yet still show specific patterns of preference.
For instance, a majority of Hispanic men (69%) enjoy communicating via email, as do a majority of Asian men
report the same.
14 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

23. workplace communications. A full 64 percent of Figure 2.6:
Gen Ys are on social networking websites such as Communication Preferences
Facebook and MySpace and nearly a quarter use
professional websites like LinkedIn (see figure 2.5).
63%
Figure 2.5:
Networking Online by Generation
48%
41%
64%
27%
5% 9%
24% In-person Email Phone
20% 20% conversation
Gen Y Boomers
Participate in Participate in
internal networks external networks
In sum, Gen Y’s fluency with networking,
Gen Y Boomers collaboration and digital connections complement
twenty-first century corporate operations that are
built on teamwork carried out by dispersed talent.
And yet, the average Gen Y worker isn’t all Gen Y strive to belong and to feel connected,
digital all the time socially. Asked to rank their sometimes to the detriment of their ability to
communication preferences, nearly half of Ys chose work independently. According to the Intelligence
face-to-face conversations over email, phone, text Group’s “Y Work” research, 62 percent of Ys say
messaging or instant messaging. A separate study it is important that their boss give them regular,
found that two-thirds of the “wired generation” on-going feedback. Thirty-two percent of Ys want
prefer in-person conversations with co-workers that feedback quarterly.17 At the same time, they
to other types of communications.16 In Bookends sometimes struggle to balance their propensity
focus groups and interviews, some Gen Ys spoke for lightning-fast digital communications with a
passionately about the superiority of real time, yearning for high-touch, human interaction. Gen Y
human interactions in certain situations. “For big is a connected tribe, yet particularly in a challenging
announcements, nothing is better than a face-to- economic climate, these complex connections
face meeting or conversation,” asserted Risa, an take considered, careful management—by their
MBA at a financial services company. “I hate not employers and themselves.
being able to ask follow-up questions.” Ari, a sales
associate, expressed disappointment that in an age
of instant messaging, few people now wander across
the office to have a quick chat. “If I have a question
for a work colleague, I’ll walk over and ask her,”
said Ari. “If nothing else, it gives me a chance to
stretch my legs.” Undoubtedly Gen Y’s technological
preferences and habits vary along a wide spectrum.
Yet many still highly value the human touch, and
see a place for real time contact in an often faceless
world (see figure 2.6).
PART I: GEN Y | 15

24. At Ease with Multiculturalism
3
D
“ iversity helps to make people more comfortable with each other,” observes Taryn, a Trinidadian
graduate student who has worked in offices that are both richly inclusive and uncomfortably ignorant
of multicultural issues. “In places where racial and ethnic diversity is not common, employees may have
too narrow a perspective.”
She contrasts two of her recent employers. At one, senior staff was not always culturally savvy in
dealing with clients. “It led to awkwardness,” notes Taryn. “If you were a minority or had been exposed to a more
integrated workplace or life, you would just be more aware.”
At a second job, the organization was highly diverse and open discussions about differences were encouraged. “I
always left the conversations feeling that my awareness had been expanded in a new way,” says Taryn, recalling
one informal staff debate that followed the visit of a Caucasian woman wearing cornrows. “That spawned a whole
discussion on cultural appropriation,” she remembers. “An Indian colleague expressed that she would be offended
if a person from another ethnicity came wearing a sari. That thought never occurred to me. It was an interesting
discussion, to say the least.”
Diversity is a crucial challenge and opportunity world, surmises Columbia law professor Cynthia
for all employers today. Minorities now make up Estlund in Working Together: How Workplace Bonds
roughly one-third of the U.S. population and are Strengthen a Diverse Democracy. “It is widely recognized
expected to become the majority in 2042. By 2023, that sustained cooperative interaction across group
more than half of all children will be minorities.18 lines tends to produce more positive intergroup
People of different sexual orientations, age groups, relations and attitudes,” she writes.22
and cultural backgrounds will continue to diversify
both society and the labor force. “In simplest terms, Generation Y has much to offer a diversifying
diversity is variety—different ethnicities, races workplace. This cohort isn’t simply diverse, it’s
and genders represented within a workforce at comfortable with diversity. About three-quarters
every level, from the mailroom to the boardroom,” of Bookends participants from all generations
observe Wharton Business School researchers. By described Gen Y as “very comfortable” working
2000, three-quarters of Fortune 500 companies had with people of different ethnicities, cultures and
established diversity programs.19 sexual orientations (see figure 3.1). In contrast,
only a quarter of those surveyed perceived
But companies are also learning that true diversity Boomers as having that degree of comfort
is not simply a numbers game. Recruiting and hiring working with different ethnicities and cultures,
people from diverse backgrounds is simply the first and only 17 percent saw the older generation as
step in creating a truly tolerant workplace where a very comfortable with workmates of another
spectrum of ideas is tapped and nurtured in alignment sexual orientation. In fact, 75 percent of Ys listed
with an organization’s goals. When handled well, diversity—whether it be working with someone of a
diversity can help expand an employee’s skill base, different gender, ethnic or sexual orientation—as an
improve the workplace environment and create important aspect of a good team.
bridges to the consumer market.20 Multicultural
and gender-inclusive teams are correlated with more
experimentation and better business solutions.21
If successful, the benefits derived from corporate
diversity efforts can even radiate beyond the work
16 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

25. Figure 3.1: Ys emerged, U.S. immigration rates reversed a
Perceived Comfort Level Working with… half century decline. Between 1970 and 2003, the
percentage of immigrants in the U.S. population
increased from five percent to 12 percent. At the
78%
same time, newcomers began settling beyond the
75% traditional “gateway” states of California, Florida,
and New York and into regions across the country.23
Ys take for granted that they know what Diwali
is or that the Greek church has a different Easter
than other Christian denominations. At school, they
27% were the first to learn about Kwanzaa en masse,
17%
and to celebrate a multiplicity of cultural holidays,
People of different People of different instead of just Christmas and Easter. During Gen Y’s
ethnicities and cultures sexual orientations childhood, Spanish trumped French in the foreign
language classroom, and Mandarin began to take off
Gen Y Boomers
in popularity.24 Curries, baklava and tofu hit school
cafeterias and supper tables. As they grew older,
cheap air travel and the rise of distance-shattering
James, a media planner for a retail apparel maker, technologies inspired the cohort to explore the globe.
has experienced generational differences in relation Over the past decade, the number of U.S. students
to diversity at his workplace. He came to New York studying abroad has increased by over 150 percent.25
seeking a place where he could be accepted as a
gay man after growing up in a small, blue-collar At the same time, issues related to sexual orientation
Texas town where he never felt comfortable being moved into the public consciousness. Gay rights
“out.” One boy who had come out in James’ high exploded into the headlines with the Stonewall Bar
school was so brutally hazed that he withdrew from uprising of 1969, but became a mainstream topic
school. But even now, working in a world fashion with the subsequent AIDS epidemic. News stories
capital, James finds occasional instances of bias and on the disease gave audiences insight into the
intolerance from older co-workers. everyday lives of gays that were previously withheld
from popular view. Subsequent television shows,
“I think people my age or younger are well-educated such as Will and Grace and Ellen, further dispelled
about gays. They don’t ask a lot of questions. It is stereotypes. As a result, there are more than 3,000
what it is,” observes James. “But older people have gay-straight alliances in high schools and colleges
a lot of outdated concepts of what gay people across the country, and 46 percent of Americans
look like and how they live their lives and what ages 18 to 29 report having a close friend or family
they want for themselves.” One day at work, James member who is gay.26 The gay community has come
was entertaining the department head’s kids with to rely on Gen Y as one of its greatest advocates in
computer games when a young manager joked the struggle for civil rights.
that at least he was getting a chance to practice his
parenting skills. But another fifty-something boss In sum, a longtime exposure to and proximity
quickly retorted, “Oh, you’ll never need those.” Says with people of different backgrounds, races and
James, “I don’t think someone my age would say orientations have created a generation particularly
something like that.” at ease with multiculturalism. Gen Y doesn’t merely
talk about diversity. This generation epitomizes a
Gen Y’s comfort with colleagues from all tolerance for difference in every aspect of their lives.
backgrounds is deeply rooted. The eldest of the This is an especially good piece of news for employers
Ys witnessed the Boomer-instigated civil rights facing a leaner, more pressured workplace culture in a
struggles that have brought a measure of diversity global recession. As corporations fight to diversify and
to neighborhoods, community groups and most of survive, Gen Y’s comfort with difference could give
all, to nearly all workplaces. In the decade before inclusive employers a bottom line edge.
PART I: GEN Y | 17

26. Choice, Flex and Balance: A Generation’s Demands
4
R
obyn, a Lehman Brothers analyst, had a seemingly ideal childhood. Her dad, a lawyer, worked long hours
but tried to be home for dinner each night. Her mom gave up a successful career as an accountant to be
home caring for Robyn and four siblings. But next year the family nest will empty as the last child enters
college, and Robyn worries about the trade-offs that her mother has made in life. “It is going to be hard
for her,” reflects Robyn. “She has no network—especially since my parents moved to a new city for my
dad’s job.” Robyn isn’t sure what the future will bring in terms of her own career and family life. But she is certain
that she’ll take a different path than her mother did. “I will stay working because I think you need outside interests
beside your family.”
In an era when more and more mothers were returning to work, Luke also grew up in a traditional one-career
household. His mom stayed at home to raise the kids, and his dad was the breadwinner. But his father worked such
extreme hours as an attorney that he often didn’t return home until after eleven at night. As a 7 year-old waiting
up longingly for his dad to come home, Luke knew the line-up of late night TV shows. Today, Luke is a newlywed,
putting in long hours as a rising junior accountant, but he is determined not to continue his current pace. “I just don’t
want that for my kids or for my life,” he asserts.
Between the start of the Boomer era and the birth Figure 4.1:
of Gen Y, family life changed radically. Women who Mother’s Employment by Generation
traditionally would have quit the labor force after
having children began returning to work while 44%
42%
raising Ys. Forty-six percent of Boomers surveyed
for Bookends had a stay-at-home mother, and only
56 percent had a mother who worked throughout
their childhood years. But the numbers nearly
26%
reversed for Gen Y, with 74 percent growing up 25%
with a working mother and only 26 percent having
a mom who stayed at home. Nearly 90 percent of 17%
13% 13% 15%
both generations had fathers who worked full-
time. In just a few decades, for better and worse,
a predictable, gender-stratified Ozzie and Harriet Continuous Full-time but Part-time Homemaker
world was replaced by an era of dual parents full-time off-ramped
juggling and dinners on the run. With more and
more women in the workplace, the strictly full-time Gen Y Boomers
and strictly homemaker mother morphed into one
who took scenic career routes—off-ramping and on- To that end, Gen Y is largely balanced, placing equal
ramping from the career highway to accommodate importance on work and home, and rejecting their
the responsibilities at home. parents’ predominantly work-centered or family-
centered models of living. Regardless of which of
Yet while more moms were pulling in paychecks, their parents brought home the bacon, Gen Y is
work was still largely inflexible day by day and rigid reluctant to pursue extreme careers—at least in the
across the life span as the Ys grew up. Their parents’ long term. Nor does it matter which parent pursued
experiences of an “all or nothing” work world helps a low-key approach to work. Gen Y does not want
account for Gen Y’s strong commitment to choice, to emulate the idea of a non-career. This generation
flexibility and work-life balance. Gen Ys, such as craves challenge, plus balance. In Gen Y’s view, work
Luke and Robyn, seek to cut a vastly different path and fun are an intermingled, ever-changing, equally
in their life than their parents. prized mix.
18 | BOOKEND GENERATIONS

27. MULTICULTURAL VIEW
Gen Ys are reluctant to emulate the working patterns of their parents. From Luke’s workaholic dad, to Robyn’s
stay-at-home, family-obsessed mother, the “all or nothing” model of work is unappealing to a workforce of Gen
Ys who increasingly values work-life balance.
Not only have there been marked changes in Gen Y attitudes to work-life integration, demographic changes in
the workforce composition are also evident. Whereas only 25 percent of Boomers surveyed had mothers who
worked full-time, almost twice as many or 43 percent, of Gen Ys report the same. And even among Gen Ys, a
desire for a balanced lifestyle which places equal emphasis on family and career is becoming more and more
common. Newlywed Luke is clear that he does not want to follow in his father’s footsteps by working well past
ten every night. He is determined that his kids will benefit from a more active presence—and visibility—in their
lives. Like Luke, Generation Y is actively seeking out ways to manage the demands of family and work. For this
generation, work-life balance is a right, not a privilege.
Although there have been sharp increases in the numbers of mothers who now pursue careers either on a
full-time or part-time basis, important distinctions across ethnicities exist. Our research tells us that African-
American mothers have always worked outside the home. In fact, 57 percent of African-American Boomers
surveyed had mothers who worked compared with 31 percent, 35 percent and 35 percent for Asian, Hispanic
and Caucasian Boomers, respectively (full-time plus part-time). These numbers are bigger for mothers of Gen Ys
surveyed, yet the disparity between African-American working mothers and mothers of all different races holds.
Figure 4.2:
Gen Y Mother’s Employment Caucasian African-American Asian Hispanic
71%
44% 40%
38%
27% 28%
26%
19% 16%
12% 13% 15% 15%
2% 6% 9%
Continuous full-time Full-time but off-ramped Part-time Homemaker
Figure 4.3:
Boomer Mother’s Employment
55%
53%
46%
40%
24% 23%
20% 22%
16% 15%
14% 13%
12% 9% 11%
4%
Continuous full-time Full-time but off-ramped Part-time Homemaker
Not surprisingly, the figures are reversed for full time homemakers: only 25 percent of African-American
Boomers had stay-at-home moms compared with 48 percent of Caucasians. Among Gen Y, the gap remains:
9 percent had mothers who were homemakers compared with 27 percent of Caucasians. When we think about
generational and demographic changes, it is important to bear these distinctions in mind.
PART I: GEN Y | 19