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Panel Discussions

Upskilling for the Future

Generations in the Workplace: 10 Years Later

Saturday, March 29, 2025
3:30 PM – 4:15 PM MT
Location: Mile High Ballroom 4
CM: .75
Division Endorsement: Transportation Planning Division
A presentation at the 2015 Colorado Planning Conference about maximizing the potential of intergenerational teams was filled with humor, myth-busting, and authentic perspectives from Boomer, Gen X, and Millennial planners. Ten years later, working as a planner has changed dramatically, and a new generation has entered the workforce. This presentation reflects on past experiences, confronts current assumptions and stereotypes, and offers optimism for the future. Presenters who belong to all four generations — from a Boomer executive to a Gen Z Planner I — offer tools and tips for managing effective teams of intergenerational planners.

Questions tackled include:
  • How have the generations changed over the past 10 years?
  • How have planning workplaces changed?
  • How has the concept of a “career” changed? What does it mean to start and finish a career?
  • How has being a planner changed?
  • What new skills and areas of focus are necessary?
  • How have societal trends changed local planning?
  • How has the role of technology changed?
  • How will new planners entering the workforce grapple with current and future challenges?
  • How can you effectively manage people across generations to bring out the best in your teams?

    Learning Objectives:

    • Recognize the different priorities, needs and perspectives that planners of all generations (Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z) offer local government and the field of planning.
    • Compare and contrast the perceptions and realities of managing intergenerational teams of planners.
    • Reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing the next generation of planners.