Contemporary Work Cohorts I have integrated several recent analyses of work values into four groups that attempt to capture the unique values of different cohorts or generations in the U.s. workforce. (No assumption is made that this framework would apply universally across all be segmented by the era in which they entered the workforce. Because most people start work between the ages of 18 and 23, the eras also correlate closely with the chronological age of employees.
Workers who grew up influenced by the Great Depression, World War II, the Andrews Sisters, and the Berlin blockade entered the workforce through the 1950s and early 1960s believing in hard work, the status quo, and authority figures. We call them veterans. Once hired, veterans tended to be loyal to their employer. In terms of the terminal values on the RVS, these employee are likely to place the greatest importance on a comfortable life family security.