The state of the Filipino workforce: Four generations, one office

How Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z collide and collaborate under one roof

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When four generations come in for the Monday 9 a.m. hybrid townhall, they're not just warm bodies filling a room or nameless faces joining a Zoom call. Minutes before it starts, you'll hear the loud banters, the ping of texts in the background, frenzied typing on the laptop, and the chirpy "good mornings"; yet you notice some just sitting quietly in the room, scrolling through Facebook, or waiting in video off mode. Colleagues with varying histories, habits, and hopes, each with their own rhythm, values and unspoken nuances.

The Monday townhall scene hints at both friction and symbiosis. Understanding how these generations interact is more than a cliché; it's the core for productivity, engagement, and retention in the modern Filipino workplace.

PORTRAIT OF AN OFFICE ECOSYSTEM

Step into any office with an open floor layout and you'll see more than swivel chairs, whiteboards, and sticky notes. You'll get a sense of the generational landscape:

• 25% are Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, who've seen typewriters give way to touchscreens and columnar pads convert to excel spreadsheets.

• 75% are Millennials and Gen Zs, the digital-native innovators on a mission for purposeful work and young, fresh hires hungry for mentorship and autonomy.

The office hums with so much activity - emails, face-to-face meetings, cellphone calls, video chats, online training, and endless texting. Despite different preferences among employees, there is but one goal: deliver results in a competitive market by performing their respective roles in the best possible way.

MEET THE FOUR GENERATIONS

Baby Boomers: The Legacy Guardians