68

The co-existence of workers from different generations within the workplace seems to cause certain difficulties in human resource management. It is argued that generations have different values and expectations that are difficult to reconcile. Older generations are less inclined to retire early. A greater number of employees approaching retirement choose bridge employment or return to the labor market once retired. Difficulties stem from the incoherence of companies’ management practices. Despite the strong convictions that differences among generations do exist, we note that the researchers were unable to identify significant differences in work values or to explain whether behaviors and attitudes at work vary from one generation to the next. In this article, we will show that generational differences are a myth and have very little empirical support. Following a contextual overview, we will discuss the theoretical and analytical frameworks that have been used to explain the differences between the generations.