Relationships are difficult. Add in generational differences – whether it's between grandparents and grandkids or baby boomers and millennials in the office – and tough becomes an understatement.
In today's workforce, where you're likely to find hard-working Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, working side-by-side with tech-focused Millennials (or Gen Yers) born in late 1970s and late 1990s, the tension is evident.
When you start to see cliques forming, people not wanting to work together, quality of work issues, projects stopping and starting, or complaints about co-workers popping up, you you might want to ask yourself if generational tensions are coming to the surface.
Of the more than 81 million baby boomers in the United States, nearly 60 million of them are still in the workforce. Members of Generation X number 61 million American citizens and almost 50 million of them are active in the labor market. The shocking numbers come with millennials, where only 32 million of the 85 million work. The number of generational citizens employed alone is ripe for tension.
Clear generational differences are apparent in speech, dress, priorities and ideologies. Young workers like open office environments where they can collaborate with colleagues and explore their surroundings with a fresh espresso, while seasoned workers are more likely to rest at their desks and work through lunch to get work done. In the middle, you have Gen Xers, born between 1965 and 1977, struggling to maintain a work/life balance while managing an intergenerational workforce.
So how do you create a balanced environment that incorporates everyone's strengths – regardless of generation? Here are some suggestions to ensure you have happy and efficient employees.
● Encourage your baby boomers to mentor younger ones, but also your millennials to mentor seasoned veterans. Your younger workers are more likely to bring new technologies and ideas, while your more experienced workers are able to provide timeless wisdom after years in the field. It’s an exchange, from everyone involved. Steve Linkous, CEO of Hartford Mutual Insurance, says:
● Offer different types of training to suit everyone's learning style. While Gen Xers may prefer an independent learning environment, your millennials may prefer interactive online tutorials, and your baby boomers might be more interested in textbooks and videos.
● Keep the lines of communication open taking into account generational differences. Millennials are more likely to feel comfortable sending an email or text to let you know they're sick, while baby boomers tend to stick to phone calls to communicate. Ensuring that all staff know that different people communicate in different ways will give everyone a chance to think about who they are talking to and adjust their communications appropriately. (It also encourages patience!)
● Consider a flexible working policy. A baby boomer may think 60 hours at the office is the best way to get things done, while a millennial may prefer the coffee shop environment to maximize their talents. Letting everyone in the office know that different crowds prefer different workspaces provides a bit of flexibility for everyone, not to mention allowing your employees to work where they are comfortable.
● Know your workers and what happens outside of work. Baby boomers think a lot about retirement while your millennials wonder if they did the right thing – should they go back to school while working? Focusing on where your workers are in life gives you the opportunity to leverage their strengths and gives you the ability to be flexible. A Gen Xer might want to work overtime while a Boomer wants to slow down and a Gen Yer wants to leave a little early each day for night school.
When you run a business, you have to know the customer, and the same goes for your people. Encouraging employees to learn from each other, keeping a flexible mindset, and knowing how your employees best receive and process information is the best way to ensure an efficient and cooperative office ecosystem.
Photo credit :Kenneth Ristau
