How do generational differences affect the workplace

All of this can happen while a Millennial chooses not to have a family at all, shifting their interests differently from others. Meanwhile, Millennials entered the workforce during the hiring freezes of the Great Recession. They realize that company loyalty is a two-way street that closed long ago.

You earn a lot more trust with your team being honest about these things than trying to pretend otherwise. The elephant is still in the room, even if you avoid talking about it. Meister, captures the challenge well:. A generational bias, or generational tension, means you believe that everyone of a certain generation is either inferior to your generation, or displays a certain negative behavior. This can seem like innocent jokes like Millennials are overly-idealistic, entitled, and lazy, that Gen X are bitter and always feel left out, or Baby Boomers messed things up for everyone else.

All of those are negativity that only hurt your relationships. They make managing generational differences harder than it has to be, so get rid of them. Each generation does have some differences. However, some of those perceived differences may be stereotyping more than constructive.

The better you work to get to know the person— their interests and goals— the easier it will be to lead them. That rings true across all generations. Want to get to know your people better, so you can build trust and better motivate them? Start here:. One of the best ways to overcome the challenge of managing those younger or older than you is to encourage their feedback.

By asking everyone on your team for feedback , you help them feel heard. You can also think about how you give feedback. Task Relevant Maturity is a way for you to measure how much support and monitoring is necessary to help that team member complete a task. If you give too little support for a new task, they will feel lost and unsupported. When managing across generations, recognize that Task Relevant Maturity has no age; a young team member could be very skilled at a job, so you should be hands off and trust them.

Equally possible, a more senior, older team member could be very new and uncomfortable with a task or new role, at which point discretely supporting them and coaching them is important to their success. Keep in mind, feedback is a two-way street for you and your team.

For problems within your teams, you can create opportunities for members of different ages to work with and coach one another. By doing so, they can build rapport and trust with each other, and trade knowledge and skills. Are generational differences in the workplace a thing or not?

The benefits of generational diversity Wrapping up. Roughly speaking, there are five generations in the workplace today:.

By , the largest part of the US workforce will still consist of Millennials. Data-driven HR starts by implementing relevant HR metrics. The Silent Generation, also known as the Traditionalists , refers to people who were born somewhere between and They think of work as a privilege and are known for their strong work ethic. Strong willpower A logical consequence from growing up — and having to survive — in particularly hard times. They do, however, expect the same loyalty from their employers.

Where do we find Traditionalists in the workforce? Many traditionalists will be partly retired by now. Those who are still active often find themselves in consulting, partner or, for instance, senior support roles. To get an idea about the variety of work traditionalists can do check out our article about the 13 best jobs for older workers.

Logically, the Baby Boomers are those who follow after the Silent Generation. Unlike their predecessors, a lot has been written about this cohort. Common characteristics include:. Goal-oriented Boomers had more opportunities than previous generations in terms of education and finances which makes them more achievement-oriented and career focused. Competitive Baby Boomers tend to be very hardworking and often define themselves by their professional accomplishments.

As such, they are rather competitive in the workplace and believe in a hierarchal structure. Value relationships This generation greatly values human relationships. While growing up, Boomers used to make phone calls and write letters, hence strengthening their interpersonal skills. While they use cell phones and tablets, they mostly use them as productivity tools instead of connectivity tools.

Where do we find Baby Boomers in the workplace? Do you have the competencies needed to remain relevant? Take the 5 minute assessment to find out! In other words: people from this cohort are active across all industries and in countless different roles. As a result of a period of birth decline after the baby boom, generation X is considerably smaller than the previous cohort.

They also tend to be more ethnically diverse and better educated than the Boomers. Characteristics include:. Flexible Just like Gen Z saw their parents struggle following the financial crisis of , Gen X saw their parents suffer during the economically tough times in the 80s; this is one of the reasons they are less committed to a single employer and adapt well to change.

Communication will be key to ensure productivity. Start by trying to understand the socioeconomic climate that each generation grew up in.

Some have witnessed primarily prosperity, some great economic downturn, and some, like Gen Z, mostly turmoil. These factors have a huge effect on how the generations were raised and how they expect to be treated. Next, be sensitive to how each generation works best. Some may prefer more guidelines, and others may want flexibility. Try surveying employees and providing the type of structure they value most.

Listen to our podcast, Digging Deeper to Understand Your Employees , where we talk about individualizing your approach to understanding your employees. By finding their unique motivations, you can better understand how to deliver meaningful feedback and improve the performance of your team.

Creating a mentoring relationship where multiple generations share their experiences, skills, and work practices reduces skill gaps. This mutual understanding can help bring these generations closer together and create a more positive and productive work environment. For a more in-depth breakdown of the generations and how to manage them, check out our course from The BizLibrary Collection. Ready to see more of our online training library?

Request a demo to learn how our solutions can help you deliver engaging and impactful learning to your employees! Skip to content. They are: Traditionalists—born to Baby Boomers—born to Generation X—born to Millennials—born to Generation Z—born to Traditionalists Shaped by: The Great Depression, WWII, automobiles, and indoor plumbing Values: Rule following, discipline, family, hard work, trust in the government Management: Provide satisfying work and opportunities to contribute.

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