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Employee Needs and Expectations

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Explain how employees' needs and expectations may change with age and family patterns.

It is a fact that the "baby boomer" generation (those born between 1946 and 1964) (WELLS, 2000), has come and will be coming into their senior years very quickly. What these employees needed and wanted 40 years ago versus what they need and want now has changed dramatically. Forty years ago some of us were starting to enter the workforce either after high school or college. We were not married. We did not have kids. We were carefree and did not know what responsibilities were on the horizon. We may or may not have had insurance benefits, retirement plans, sick leave, etc., but we weren't concerned because we had a long time before we really had to think hard about those benefits. Twenty years ago we may have been married with kids and needed to think about the kids more than ourselves. We had to remember that we needed time off to get the kids to the doctor, parent-teacher conferences, football games, emergencies that popped up, and much more. We needed to have insurance for the shots the kids were required to have, school physicals that were due, broken arms that tended to happen as they climbed trees and explored the world. It's 30 years later, now the kids are gone, but our parents have aged and they need our care. Instead of taking our kids to the doctor, we now have to take our parents or our grandchildren there. We appreciate FMLA. We are still holding down a 40-hour workweek or more job and we still have vacation time and sick time provided for us, fortunately. We expect that as we continue working we will gain more sick leave and vacation time. While that is true of some jobs, it is not the case for all. God forbid you lose your job because you will lose so much of what you have worked for all these years!

Compare the definition of the term "family" used today with that of the 1950's.

In the 1950's family meant dad, mom and kids. Occasionally a grandparent may be living with the family also. In today's times, family may be who is living with whom in a house, condo, apartment, trailer, camper, or even (sadly) on the street. It could be any combination of grandparents, parents, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and more.

What are the implications of these changes for HR managers?

The changes for HR managers means a new day in leave pay, FMLA, sick time, insurance and much more. Managers should survey the staff to be sure they are on track with the needs of their employees. After the surveys, a manager could continue with town meetings, set up focus groups and have one-on-one meetings with interested employees. Keeping up with the times may ensure that you retain your employees and reduce turnover.

From your personal perspective, describe a discrepancy in pay that would be legitimate.

I am three classes away from graduating with my bachelor's degree. Anyone who has continued their education to this point will probably say that a discrepancy in pay between those who have their education vesus those who do not wish to continue on with college courses would be a legitimate discrepancy in pay. One exception I would make to this is if there is someone who has been working for many years and has a great deal of experience over someone getting out of college with no experience. A discrepancy in pay for someone who has just gotten out of college over a person who has been working many years is one I would not say is legitimate.
Wells, S. (2011, Apr. 5). "The Elder Care Gap". HR Magazine. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_5_45/ai_62303387/
Stites, J. (2011, Apr. 5). "Equal pay for the sexes: high-profile lawsuits make the case for investigating gender pay and promotion equity at your organization". HR Magazine. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_5_50/ai_n13721389/
Babcock, P. (2011, Apr. 5). "Find what workers want: unless you discover what really matters to your employees, you'll never know if your compensation and benefits outlays are really working for you". HR Magazine. FindArticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_4_50/ai_n13656554/

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The expert explains how employees needs and expectations may change with age and family patterns.

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