Generations

Bridging the Generational Chasm

For the first time in history, four distinct generations are employed side-by-side in the workplace. Identified as Matures (born in and prior to 1945), Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Gen Xers (1965 to 1979) and Millennials (born in 1980 and since) each has its own value system, which is both unique and different from the others. This, in turn, presents leadership with the challenge of how to effectively manage this diverse workforce.

“The bare bones significance of having a workforce from four generations is that they each come to work for different reasons and are motivated by different factors,” according to Cam Marston, founder and president of Generational Insight. “It’s not until you peel these motivations back and understand them that management and leadership begin to understand the significance of these differences.”

Time

Are you of a group or individual orientation? “The stereotype and the overarching view is that the more senior you are in the workplace, the older you are, your approach is towards team, unit, group, us and we,” explains Marston. “The younger you are the more your approach is towards I, me, and my.” Therefore, a Baby Boomer would be more into groups, while a Millennial would be much more individualistic.

This, then, leads to some different attitudes that are very apparent in the workplace, he offers. The value of time is one of the great distinguishers among the generations: Who owns my time?

“The senior members of the workplace would say it’s the company’s time,” says Marston. “The company owns your time, and as an extreme, you respond to the company’s needs.”

The junior members of the workplace, according to Marston, would say, “It’s my time and I give the company only what is needed. I lease my time to the company is the typical attitude of the younger worker.” The younger they are, he explains, the more they want to negotiate with their time.

“The more junior they are in the workplace, the Gen Xers and Millennials, the more their self-description is wrapped up in who they are outside of the job, specifically their hobbies, families, friends, networking groups, and social life,” he explains. “The older they are, and this consists of the Boomers and the Matures, the more their self-description is wrapped up in their jobs, job titles, and what they do in the workplace.”

Loyalty

Marston has an interesting observation in that the younger the individual the more likely he or she is to find someone in the workplace to become loyal to. “They are not loyal to the company, the job, the career, or the profession,” he says. “They come to work because of a leader, a manager, or a person that they like, who they trust, and one they can rely on.”

These younger individuals are looking for an “advocate,” notes Marston. An advocate is someone who focuses on the individual and is available to them, asking, “What do you need?” “How can we help?” “What do you want to do?”

The attitude of the younger generations is along the lines of, “Here’s what I want, this is where I want to go, this is who I want to meet; can you help me do this?” The advocate will say, “Yes. In the meantime here’s your job; how can we make you better at it?” As Marston states, “It’s a tradeoff.”

Loyalty to a person and the value of time are the two great distinguishers that Gen Xers and Millennials have brought to the workplace, states Marston.

“Most people in a generation become more conservative as they age and they take on some of the behaviors of the previous generation,” he explains. “However, a major distinction to make is that one generation does not transform into another.” Gen Xers, as an example, will become more reliable and industrious in their workplace as they take on greater responsibilities. The rash and impetuous behavior of Gen Xers will slow down, and their job tenure will become more stable.

Will they become workaholics as the Boomers are? Marston replies, “Definitely not.”

Engaging the generations

The workforce is changing. “Populating the workforce with people who have characteristics like the Matures and Boomers is going to be harder and harder to do,” acknowledges Marston. “In order to populate the workforce and to get them working and keep them working means that some new initiatives will need to be rolled out, some of which may disenfranchise or cause friction with the more senior components of the workforce.” Which he says “will and should happen.”

However, Marston insists that it’s “management’s obligation to make sure that the workplace is ready for the next generation, therefore the corporate environment can no longer afford a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.”

To engage the different generations and to assist them in reaching their full potential Marston offers this partial list of recommendations:

To engage Millennials,

Managers should have a sincere interest in the individual; spend time with them and get to know their goals and personalities. Articulate how working for you will help them achieve their personal goals while achieving the company goals at the same time.
Communications should be positive. When giving criticism be prepared with a 3:1 positive-to-negative ratio. Three compliments for every one reprimand should be the practice.

To engage Gen Xers,

Managers should recognize that work does not equal life. Celebrate Xers hobbies or passions in addition to their work skills.
Communications should get straight to the point and be infrequent. E-mail is usually the preferred method of communication, followed by interpersonal, face-to-face conversation.

To engage Boomers,

Managers should be visible and active in their workplace. Boomers value ‘face time’ and do not want to be managed from afar.
Communications should highlight team goals, accomplishments, and celebrations. It should demonstrate an understanding of stated team goals and be focused on helping the team towards those goals.

To engage Matures,

Managers should be open to alternative schedules. Matures are now typically working because they want to, not because they have to. Retaining them may require flexibility.
Communications should use traditional formats. Text messaging terms are considered rude and indecipherable. It should clearly communicate what is needed from them and their teammates.

“The motivation of each of these four generations is unique, and in order to recruit, retain, manage, motivate, and even sell them, you have to understand the differences, acknowledge them, and make some changes yourself,” Marston advises. “Ultimately all in the workplace will benefit; it’s the process of change management.”

Cam Marston will lead a special leadership workshop, “Four Generations in the Workplace: Searching for Common Ground,” at the WERC Conference on Sunday, May 4. Registration is still open for the workshop.