WHAT GENERATION GAP?
Age is just a number in the workplace, suggests a new survey from
staffing firm OfficeTeam. More than eight in 10 professionals
polled in Canada said they would be comfortable reporting to a
manager who is younger than they are; 92 per cent wouldn’t mind
supervising employees older than themselves.
But working across generations isn't always effortless.
Respondents identified contrasts in work ethics or values and
leadership or learning styles as the biggest challenges in having
a younger boss. Similarly, differing work ethics and values was
named the top struggle when managing someone who is older, but
it was followed closely by contrasting ways of using technology.
“In our increasingly multigenerational workplace, it’s not unusu-al
for younger professionals to be in management positions,” said
Koula Vasilopoulos, a district president for OfficeTeam. “An indi-vidual's
performance, initiative and enthusiasm say more about a
person's leadership ability than tenure or years of experience.”
Additional findings:
■■ Baby boomers are more open-minded. Workers ages 55 and
older are the most comfortable having a younger boss and
managing someone older. They were also most likely to state
news
there are no challenges in reporting to a younger supervisor
and managing someone older.
■■ Millennials are ready to manage up. Nearly nine in 10
professionals aged 18 to 34 don’t have an issue with overseeing
individuals older than they are.
■■ Communication is a concern for younger workers. Those
ages 18 to 34 were more likely to cite different communication
styles as a concern in overseeing an older employee.
BUSINESS CAN BE PLEASURE
Mixing business with pleasure might not always be advised, but for
Canadian professionals, it could be the key to achieving success.
According to research commissioned by Booking.com for
Business, a global leader in connecting business travellers with the
widest choice of places to stay, almost three-quarters of Canadian
working professionals say travelling to meet clients or colleagues
face-to-face is essential to business success.
When asked what Canadians hoped to accomplish most on
their business trip, more than half said growing their company’s
business was top of mind. They also saw it as an opportunity to
expand their horizons and reach their fullest potential. Forty-one
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