Do employees understand how work is done differently in different generations? Do employees understand customer needs, interaction and work styles from different generations?

How is communicating with someone from another generation different from communicating with someone from your own generation?

Age Gap in ProfessionalismYounger Employees Older Employees

Inappropriate dress Workplace language Social Networking dos

and don’ts TOO CASUAL

Resistant to change Issues adapting to

new technology Serving diverse

patrons TOO RIDGID

Generations

Traditionalists Baby Boomers Generation X Millennials

Traditionalists

Born before 1946 “Silent Generation” Seen as Silent/Stoic Came of age in Great Depression Reliable and hardworking Committed

Baby Boomers

1946-1964 78 million “Woodstock Generation” Pushing back retirement Value work-life balance Sandwich Generation

Generation X

1965-1980 50 million “Latchkey kids” Prefer working individually Loyal to themselves, not

organization Want challenging work Flexibility

Millennials (Gen Y)

1981-2000 75 million “Entitled Ones” Catapultors Need a lot of feedback and guidance Tech Savvy Multi-taskers

“Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it and wiser than the one that comes after it.”

George Orwell

Common Issues

One management style won’t work anymore!

Competing personal desires Lack of trust Communication

Narrow the Communication Gap Be Aware Be Enlightening Be Open Be a Good Example Be Creative

Tips for Working Together Let go of labels Seek to understand Get out of your generation Be clear about the feedback

you want

Benefits

Create a culture of Social Learning

Knowledge of tools vs. knowledge of application

Mentor opportunities

Just Remember

EVERY generation is different than the ones before it/after it

EVERY generation adds value to an organization

Sources

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rawnshah/2011/04/20/working-with-five-generations-in-the-workplace/

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/02/24/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change/

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/contributors.asp?ID=925

http://goodpeoplegoodbusiness.areavoices.com/2013/05/15/closing-the-generation-gap/