Generations in the Workplace

In today’s workplace mixing and managing employees is not an easy thing to do. Nowadays there are four different generations working together in a single office space. This can be a challenge for everyone involved as differences in generations can cause people to clash and create conflict, particularly in the oldest and youngest group of employees. The problem lies in these different generations having different values and ideas as well as varying ways in which to execute tasks. However, there is a benefit to having a mixed group of workers collaborating with each other, and can create efficiency and effectiveness if everyone’s value is recognized and more importantly accepted.

Firstly, in a work environment, generational differences affect anything and everything. It presents issues with recruiting, team building, motivating team members and communication. These issues in turn can lead to conflict and a high employee turnover rate, which can then reflect poorly on a business. According to FDU Magazine Online, research indicates that people communicate based on their generational backgrounds. They state, “Each generation has distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits and motivational buttons.” They also divide the four different generations into a timeline. Veterans stem from 1922 – 1945, Baby Boomers from 1946-1964, Generation X from 1965 – 1980 and Generation Y comes from 1981-2000. These groups can be carefully distinguished through different characteristics. A clear understanding of the differences lies in work ethic and values. Veterans see work as a duty, where as on the other end of the generation line, Generation Y sees work from an entrepreneurial point of view as well as focusing on 'what’s next' after their current job, position or role. Another notable difference is older generations prefer hierarchy and process to get things done, whereas younger employees just want to get the task done and produce the outcome and the process in between doesn’t matter as much.

The solution to blending these four different generations in a workplace and creating efficiency through this lies in the leadership and management of an organization. An effective manager needs to be able to understand that each generation has a different upbringing and cultural experience and learn how to adapt this to their way of communicating with their various employees. He or she also has to recognize and appreciate what is important to each generation. In addition to this, management should seek to draw on the strengths of each generation. Every generation has something they can contribute and excel at. Anne Houlihan states at on ReliablePlant.com “imagine how much more effective everyone on your team could be if you each learned from the strengths of others as well. So, publicly acknowledge what each generation's strengths are and encourage everyone to share their viewpoints and values with the group. Once you get the dialogue started, the learning naturally follows.” Moreover, an effective manager or leader should adapt his or her management style for each generation. A Baby Boomer manager would rather stay at work after the standard 5pm deadline to put in long hours, whereas a Generation X or Y employee will leave on the dot because they value life balance. In order to help create a cohesive workplace the manager cannot manage based solely on their value system but instead should take into consideration the employee’s value system. In doing this they also need to understand and accept what they cannot change.

Furthermore, when workplaces, employers and employees can recognize where the conflict comes from and the solution to overcoming this, they can then clearly see the benefits of having four different generations working side by side with each other. Ultimately, more knowledge and more experience can give you more power and strength. This is what any organization needs and wants in order to be successful. Older generations, particularly the veterans, can draw on a lifetime of experience, and historical knowledge. They can serve as key sources of research information. At the same time, Generation Y is crucial to an organization’s present day drive and can serve as the engine of a company utilizing their pop culture awareness and fast paced ever-evolving technology, which is another important element to the success of today’s businesses. The generations in between can serve as a useful bridge to the gap between the older and younger generations, perhaps they have even experienced a bit of both sides and can assist in an effective timeline of workers.

Finally, workplaces should try to engage these strengths and continuously benefit from them. If they did this by opening the dialogue and using employee’s strengths they would find that it is possible and beneficial for four generations to work together in an effective and efficient manner.