GENERATION X
Gen X is a smaller group than baby boomers. Gen X is considered
to be the first tech-literate generation. They are known for out-of-the-
box thinking and valuing continuous skill development. Gen
X was also the first generation to vocalize their desire for work-life
balance. Gen Xers tend to share some key work characteristics,
such as being:
■■ Tech-literate
■■ Flexible
■■ Creative
■■ Results driven
■■ Individualistic
GENERATION Y (MILLENNIALS)
Ah, the millennials! They have a bad reputation, but much of that
can be attributed to a cohort difference rather than a generational
difference. For example, many baby boomers shared the same
beliefs as millennials today. It’s a result of age, rather than genera-tion.
That said, millennials do differ. They change jobs frequently
and the idea of “climbing the ladder” is less prevalent. They used
tech almost from infancy, so it’s second-nature, which makes them
very tech-savvy. Millennials tend to share some key work charac-teristics,
such as being:
■■ Expressive
■■ Tolerant to differences
■■ Innovative
■■ Open to challenges
For now, Generation Z is still lumped in with Millennials.
They’re still young and they have yet to carve out their unique col-lective
voice on the work landscape. However, they should not
be overlooked or undervalued – they represent the future, and if
the past is any indication, changes to the status-quo will be rapid
and major.
MANAGING ACROSS GENERATIONS
The generations are different in ways, sure, but they all share a
common goal: they all want to be successful in their jobs. Whether
that extends to organizational success is another story. But,
when it comes to managing a workforce with multiple genera-tions,
there are some strategies that may help bridge the so-called
generation gap.
How do managers cohesively mange traditionalists while
managing millennials? Traditionalists are loyal and millenni-als
switch jobs frequently. Baby boomers believe in working their
way up, while Gen Xers believe that results should be rewarded
over seniority.
TEAM BUILDING
Use team building techniques to forge a bond between team mem-bers
of varying generations. Consider a team building event such
as a mystery room or a scavenger hunt. Working together to solve
a riddle or earn a prize has many benefits. To start, it helps diverse
members forge a common bond. As well, team members get to
experience working together in a low-stakes setting (for example,
not solving the mystery room won’t result in lost revenue.) Lastly,
THE GENERATIONS ARE
DIFFERENT IN WAYS, SURE, BUT
THEY ALL SHARE A COMMON
GOAL: THEY ALL WANT TO BE
SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR JOBS.
team building will give everybody a chance to use their individual
strengths to shine. When members from different generations see
how each member’s values can contribute to an end goal, a mutual
respect is created.
COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES
Millennials think even email is outdated. However, for baby
boomers and traditionalists, the written memo was the gold stan-dard
in communication. In order to ensure good communication,
it is important that everyone is speaking the same language – and
using the same platform. The best way to deal with communi-cation
breakdown is – you guessed it – communication. This
goes both ways. If baby boomers need a quick lesson in Slack or
iMessage, they should reach out to their Gen Y coworkers. They’ll
find it’s easy to use digital communication techniques and that it
garners faster responses. Conversely, if a Millennial is frustrated
because their Slack messages to a traditionalist go unanswered,
ask if there’s a better way to communicate. Sometimes, picking up
a phone can save time and give the users an opportunity to pro-vide
more detail.
MENTORING PROGRAMS
Mentoring programs are the best way to bridge the generation
gap. Team up workers across generations and watch the learning
and development happen. Older workers feel valued and that they
are providing valuable wisdom to the next generation. Younger
workers are grateful to be shown the ropes from workers with expe-rience.
Mentoring programs are a win-win situation, as they can
also assist in succession planning (by helping indicate who might
be on track for a promotion) and career development programs.
Team diversity is valuable and allows for more ideas and out-looks.
It presents creative minds and experienced workers the
opportunity to converge to bring fresh ideas to the forefront. In
fact, experience coupled with creativity may be the key to moving
organizations forward to ensure future survival. Each generation
extols so much knowledge, value and experience that it’s within
every organization’s best interest to ensure that all workers from
every generation can effectively work together. Having some tech-niques
in your tool kit for managing multiple generations is a great
place to start. n
Jenn Miller is the curriculum development coordinator for
Occupational Safety Group.
talent management
28 ❚ OCTOBER 2018 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL