Managing Generations in the Workplace

Introduction

The degree of change that the planet has experienced over the past 50 years is a staggeringly high amount, and the pace at which a lot of these changes have come about is no less striking. These changes have affected nearly every aspect of our lives beyond our fundamental physical needs and have had a profound effect on how we live our day to day lives.

One part of life that has not escaped these vast changes is the business domain. Modern businesses may operate within the same underlying principles of profitability that have governed business since it started, but many of the traits of a successful company trading in the modern arena would seem alien to businesses from years gone by.

An interesting problem that modern businesses face is how to manage the different generations of people who make up their workforce. This problem has been around for a long time, but as the requirements of companies change and the skills necessary have evolved, the differences between workers have become more pronounced.

This is partially due to the increasing life expectancy of humans, particularly in first world countries, which consequently prompts an ever increasing retirement age. As people work to a later point in their lives, they may stay with the same company into their late 60′s or early 70′s, and often as hands- on workers rather than simply sitting at the board.

There is also a demand for a more diverse range of skills in the modern business climate, triggered largely due to the quick development and wide reach of computer technology. Business processes, both internal and external, have undergone radical changes which require a new way of thinking.

Problems

One of the most typical challenges that face a modern enterprise that is working with a number of distinct generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computers are commonplace in each of our lives nowadays and they form a pivotal piece of the business puzzle. This computing power can help businesses to run more efficiently, but they are only as capable as the people who work them.

There are also generational issues when it comes to external business aspects such as the law. New laws and corporate best practices are being created all of the time and key business decision makers need to be aware of any that apply to their company. This can be said of sales and promotional channels that have emerged with the rise of the Internet.

Outside of this, there can be problems with communication between different generations of worker, psychological limitations of the older personnel in an organisation and the need to fulfil a range of diverse wants and aspirations to keep an entire workforce content.

Whilst an office workspace should be smart they can additionally accommodate industrial shelving in particular circumstances for office storage needs.

The Generations

The need to handle generations in the workplace may seem like an unnecessary task, but the differences between the generations of worker that are often found in business are worthwhile taking note of.

Traditionals

Mature, or “traditional”, employees are the oldest that would be found in a modern corporate environment. They’re the people who were born before the Second World War, and will be in their late 60′s or early 70′s.

Their approach to business and life in general is one of organisation and obedience. They were expected to make personal sacrifices for the greater good, and while this belief was nurtured under the shadow of a global conflict, lots of the older generation still harbour this opinion nowadays.

Since many of the senior generation will hold senior ranks within a company their views and opinions will generally carry greater weight than those of younger generations. Their judgements will often be fundamental to the business and shape the future success or failure of the organisation. This disparity between modern thinking and business control requires direction.

Baby Boomers

The Baby Boomer generation includes those born between the end of the war and the mid- 60′s, while there was a general decline in the birth rate around the globe. Baby Boomers will be aged between 45 and 65 approximately and probably form the vast majority of management jobs within a modern company.

This generation grew up without much of the oppression and discipline that was more normal amongst previous generations. They are an aspirational group of people that are highly family- oriented.

When it comes to the work environment, this group of workers will often be able to grasp the bigger picture whilst still maintaining a grasp on modern advances in terms of technologies and business processes. Their family- oriented character tends to see them working well in teams, although it is often noted that they are not comfortable when taking criticism(no matter how helpful) , and they are not good at providing feedback to other employees. These communication issues can become very disruptive in a corporate environment.

Generation X

Members of Generation X were born between the mid- 60′s and the late- 70′s. They will be presently aged between 30 and 45 and will be distributed amongst the various levels of management within a modern business.

Socially they grew up in extremely demanding times. Careers were an ever more important and defining part of people’s lives and this was pointed out to Generation X from a very early age. Many will have progressed through lower and higher education prior to working their way up within one or perhaps two companies. They are expected to work long and challenging hours and frequently both parties in a marriage or relationship will have careers.

As such, they are often very good at problem solving and achieving short- term objectives but can struggle to grasp how their contribution influences the big picture. They will be motivated by monetary benefits rather than a sense of duty since they feel they have paid their dues through a life of study and work. Generation X need close management to ensure their efficient contribution to the company.

Generation NeXt

This generation were born after 1980 and are the youngest group of people currently at work. They have borne witness to a changing social climate where being an extravert is rarely frowned upon. They are most open to radical concepts and processes and find hyper- consumerism and relatively competitive marketing to be second nature.

As a younger worker at another business I witnessed interior refurbishment first-hand and thought it interesting and distracting at the same time.

The Working Environment

Technology

We are all familiar with the gap between the elderly generations and modern technical equipment. Whether it is a parent struggling to operate a new mobile phone, or a grandparent being truly confused about what the Internet is, the void between the old and the new is made very apparent when it comes to technology.

In regards to the newer business, issues involving technology can have very far reaching consequences. Computers are vital to many aspects of business, from operating payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a channel for promotion. As such, an employee who is not familiar with the systems being used by a company is likely to find problems in many areas of the corporation.

The same principle can also be applied in the opposite direction. The younger generations might be very comfortable with new technologies and routines, but may lack knowledge of the older systems that still perform many of the important functions of the organisation. Internal business practices are rarely black and white so employees ideally need a range of technological skills and knowledge.

Physical limitations

There are clear physical aspects that may affect how a successful company manages its workforce in regard to age. Older generations will by and large by physically inferior to their younger counterparts, and as such they will be less suited to roles that require physical exertions.

Luckily, most of the older generations of worker will have advanced to senior levels of management within the business they work for, and these roles reward based upon understanding and experience rather than physical capability. It is nevertheless important to make sure that adequate support is given to any worker who battles with the physical aspect of their role.

Modern ailments

Modern companies are faced with physical problems that businesses of the past would not have had to face. Complaints such as RSI, or repetitive strain injury, have become much more common since the widespread launch and use of personal computer keyboards.

The desk environment itself can create a number of problems if the ergonomics of any specific workstation are not great. Back problems and joint problems can develop after long intervals of sitting incorrectly, and long periods of exposure to computer screens can contribute to long- term eye impairment. Tests are on- going to look into the full scale of the impact of the modern workplace on the human body.

A modern office setting can have desk chairs plus sundries littered dangerously around the walkways between working spaces.

Solutions

The control of generations in the workplace has obtained more exposure over recent years and many more companies have been made aware of the benefit of good generational management. This has spawned a number of new ideas and routines that are in one way or another aimed at developing the working rapport between the business and its workforce, no matter how old they are.

If there are specific roles within your business that are best suited to a particular generation then it is often beneficial to only get members of that generation to perform the task. This kind of specialisation demands good organisational management. It will also be necessary to pass the knowledge on from generation to generation as your workforce ages.

There are a number of ways in which your business can learn about managing several generations of staff. Seminars dedicated to the topic have become a more common event in recent times, and the amount of helpful information that can be obtained from these occasions can be of great benefit to your organisation.

There are also a lot of resources available on the Internet that discuss the problem in more detail, and draw together a range of different ideas for tackling various situations.

If setting your own administrators the job of learning about generations within the workplace does not seem appropriate there are many business consultants that now include the idea of generational management into their practice.

Conclusion

Different generations of employee can find that it is hard to work collectively. They have grown up in distinct times and learnt about a world that has been continually changing. There are not simply issues when it comes to the language used for communication, but matters of manners as well as etiquette.

Each generation is also motivated by different factors, and have come from various social upbringings. It will rarely be true that one solution can be used across a multitude of generations but it is also important to make sure that your company does not micro- manage different age groups working for it. The company must do what is optimum for its own good results.

Contemporary businesses have a varied range of skills requirements and these needs simply cannot be fulfilled by just one of the generations discussed on this page. As is so often the case, the path to success depends upon finding a balance between the generations- employing the strengths, mitigating the weaknesses and encouraging accordingly – through educated and empathetic management.