Photo: ? iStockphoto.com/Brad Killer.
Generational Gaps
By Jennifer Gish/Women@Work
The manager, a Baby Boomer, wants to schedule a meeting where she can sit across the table from her employees and discuss the latest project. Her longtime staff member from the World War II generation is ready to go, looking to share stories about what used to work well for the company. Her Millennial employees, meanwhile, have been bombarding her with e-mails sent while they are out picking up their dry cleaning and running home to feed their dog. They have questions about the project and want instant feedback on the work they?ve done so far.
The meeting is still down the road and everyone is already irritated ? the Boomer because her employees are running personal errands in the middle of the day, and the Millennials because their boss won?t answer their e-mails in a timely manner, i.e. within minutes. And that?s without adding in the Generation Xers who would rather nix the meeting entirely so they can actually work on their piece of the project. Anything else, they think, is micromanagement.
Welcome to the world of work 21st century-style, a world where ? for the first time in modern history ? four generations of workers can make up a company?s profile, according to a 2007 report by AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons). According to the report, by 2014 ? due in part to delayed retirement ? nearly one-third of the U.S. workforce will be age 50 or older, up from 27 percent in 2005. It?s a little like having an extended family of aunts, grandparents and adult children and their offspring all living under one roof.
And just like families, this multi-generational workplace and its inevitable variable work styles can lead to frustration, conflict and poor morale if it?s not handled effectively. At the same time, those same differences ? managed well ? can lead to a stronger organization. The critical ingredient in the recipe for success, the experts say, is in knowing how to manage each generation the right way.
Gayle Healy, a 43-year-old Gen Xer, knows the challenges firsthand. While the gap between her, as director of the Center for Careers and Employment at Hudson Valley Community College, and some of the youngest employees isn?t that wide, she sees the differences all the time.
For Millenials, texting isn?t just for making Friday night plans or keeping in touch with a girlfriend. A Millennial, instead, often prefers to have all of his questions answered via e-mail rather than have a face-to-face conversation with his boss about the latest budget projections.
To adapt, Healy makes it clear what they can and can?t expect. Texting or e-mailing her at 10 p.m. is fine. They just shouldn?t expect an answer until the morning. Keeping the boundaries clear helps manage expectations.
?That?s not always my preferred means of communication. I?m not attached to my cell phone,? she says. ?They know not to expect a response until the next day, and I don?t expect anyone to react to my e-mail instantly.?
A variation on that theme is playing out in offices around the country. Age has become such a hot topic in the world of human resources that some employers are including generational differences in their diversity training, says Joanmarie Dowling, a labor and employment attorney who owns Dowling Law in Albany and who serves as vice president of the board for the Capital Region Human Resource Association.
It?s a complicated dance because the frustration can come from both sides. For Millennials, some tension comes from the fact that work time and personal time aren?t as distinctly separated as they may be for a Boomer, who closes the door on her office at 6 and doesn?t think about ? or at least doesn?t act on ? that stack of performance reviews she has to finish until she unlocks her office the next morning.
Millennials lives are stored in and shared via smartphones. They grew up with Facebook, posting what they had for dinner and who they saw at a party and getting instant feedback on it from friends at all hours.? They?re used to being connected 24/7 via Twitter and text. The phone never shuts off, and so, neither do they. Even when it comes to work.
Theresa Petrone, foundation and public relations administrator for CAP COM Federal Credit Union and president of the Capital Alliance of Young Professionals, says she often hears Millennials talk about how they?re frowned upon for texting or taking a personal call on their cell phones during work time. But because they often answer work e-mails or text with a client on the weekends or off-hours, they feel as if it?s OK to take that time during normal business hours to address personal needs.
?With technology being the way it is, so many of us are hooked into work all the time,? says Petrone, who is 29 and manages three e-mail accounts, Facebook, texts and G-mail chat on her smartphone. ?So we expect that allowance if something comes up with our life in the day. It?s the two worlds meshed together.?
Healy says she and other staff members in her office have discussed whether to embrace the 24-7 plugged-in mentality because that?s the direction of the business world, or whether they should maintain what they consider to be reasonable boundaries between work and home life. She?s opted for her no e-mail answer until the morning rule. Others may decide to jump in. No one way is the right way ? as long as each party is clear on what the other wants.
Being clear on boundaries is particularly important, Dowling says, because the tracking of generational traits isn?t hard science. Personality remains at the heart of most human resource issues and workplace conflicts, and assuming that all Gen Xers are looking for a non-corporate feel at work, while Baby Boomers are slow to change and Millennials are always online can lead to problems.
?Employers really have to be careful about not stereotyping or marginalizing a particular group,? Dowling says, adding that going too far can result in age discrimination. Employers should think before making statements such as ?Sally?s been with us for 20 years, and she?s getting too old for this because we can?t get her to use the latest and greatest computer program,? Dowling says, because employees can be resistant to learning new things at any age.
When generational differences exist, Dowling says mentoring programs can be a good way to bridge the gap and make two generations feel supported and appreciated. Whether it?s an informal or a formal pairing, partnering a longtime Boomer employee with a Millennial can help the younger employee get some needed company wisdom and experience and allows the Boomer to feel like a valued part of the team. It also opens up communication between the two groups and can head off potential miscommunications.
Miguel Berger, president of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Tech Valley in Albany and Saratoga counties, says he prefers the ?soft sell? when it comes to mentoring. In his offices, Millennials tend to be more proficient with social media applications such as Facebook, which have become a bigger part of the real estate game. But often, they?re not as comfortable talking to clients face-to-face, and he frequently has to remind his Millennials that ?you cannot purchase a house over text.?
At the same time many Boomer and Gen Xer employees may excel at personal interaction from their years of experience, he says, only to lag behind in social media. He knows, though, that ?nobody wants to be taught anything new, especially when somebody?s been in the business 25-30 years.? So he lets employees informally learn from each other.
?I call it a two-way street,? says Berger, who is 50. ?We do it in a very soft sell.?
Shared experience can feed into some generational traits, says Tom Denham, career counselor and owner of Careers In Transition, LLC in Colonie. Boomers want to feel valued by their employers, while Millennials hunger for mentors, a characteristic acquired during the countless internships they?ve served before arriving at their current jobs. Savvy pairing can help both sides, Denham says.
Millennial Petrone agrees ? as long the mentor realizes her group wants its feedback now, not months down the road. ?We?re so used to having things immediately. We want responses immediately,? she says. ?(Having) six-month reviews and not having constant feedback is frustrating. I think that Boomer generation and the Generation X is more used to work, work, work, and in the end, you kind of review everything. We don?t have attention spans for things. We need to know immediately ? what do you like about it? What do you not like about it??
GENERATIONS AT A GLANCE
World War II aka Greatest Generation (born 1945 and before):
- Preferred communication format: memos, letters and personal notes.
- Key traits: experience, enhanced knowledge, dedication, focus, stability, loyalty, emotional maturity and perseverance.
- Potential issues: may be reluctant to buck the system and uncomfortable with conflict.
- Really can?t stand: managers who are touchy-feely, indecisive, worry about making unpopular decisions, use profanity, slang or trendy management styles and are disorganized.
Boomers (born 1946-1964):
- Preferred communication format: phone calls and face-to-face meetings.
- Key traits: dedication, team perspective, experience and knowledge.
- Potential issues: may not be ?budget minded,? can be uncomfortable with conflict, reluctant to go against peers and sometimes put more emphasis on the process than the result.
- Really can?t stand: mangers who aren?t open to input, are bureaucratic, send ?my way or the highway? messages, don?t show interest or try to ?one-up? everyone.
Generation X (1965-1980):
- Preferred communication format: Voicemails and e-mail.
- Key traits: adaptability, techno-literacy, independence, creativity and a willingness to buck the system.
- Potential issues: may be skeptical and distrustful of authority.
- Really can?t stand: managers who micro-manage, are hypocritical, spend too much time on process and not enough on results, are flashy and bureaucratic and like to schmooze.
Millennials (1980-2000):
- Preferred communication format: instant messages, blogs, texts and e-mails.
- Key traits: collective action, optimism, the ability to multi-task and technological savvy.
- Potential issues: May have a need for supervision and structure and are inexperienced in handling difficult people issues.
- Really can?t stand: managers who are cynical and sarcastic, treat them as if they are too young to contribute, are threatened by their technological proficiency, are condescending and are inconsistent and disorganized.
? From the AARP?s 2007 report, ?The Changing Landscape of Work.?
TALKING THE TALK
You?ve heard the expression ?it?s not what you said; it?s how you said it.? Here are some suggestions for getting across your ideas effectively to employees in different generations.
World War II aka Greatest Generation: Your experience is respected here. It?s valuable to the rest of us to hear what has and hasn?t worked in the past.
Boomers: You?re important to our success. You?re valued here. Your contribution is unique and important. We need you. I approve of you, and you?re worthy.
Generation X: Do it your way. We?ve got the newest hardware and software. There are few rules here. We?re not very corporate.
Millennials: You?ll be working with bright creative people. We can continue to train and develop you. We will help set you up with a mentor who can help you get where you want to go. (Millennials value mentoring and understand the power of networking more so than any other generations did when they first got out of school, a lot of which can be attributed to the role of social media in their lives.)
? From Tom Denham, career counselor and owner of Careers In Transition LLC in Colonie, based on work by Dennis Gaylor.
Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/womenatwork/gen-x-millenials-baby-boomers-managing-across-the-ages/2024/
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