Managing Generations in the Workplace
Introduction
The extent of change that the world has seasoned 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 impressive.
One part of life which has not escaped these broad changes is the business domain. Modern companies may operate within the same fundamental principles of profitability that have governed commerce since it began, but many of the characteristics of a successful company trading in the modern world would seem foreign to businesses of the past.
An interesting issue that modern companies face is how to manage the different generations of people who make up their staff.
This is partially due to the increasing life expectancy of people, particularly in first world countries, which consequently prompts an ever increasing retirement age. Since people work to a later point in their lives, they may remain with the same organisation into their late 60′s or early 70′s, and sometimes as hands- on workers rather than simply sitting at the board.
There is also a need for a more diverse range of skills in the progressive business climate, triggered largely due to the swift development and wide reach of computer technology. Corporate processes, both internal and external, have undergone significant changes which require a new way of thinking. These modern ways of thinking are most commonly found within the younger working age group.
Problems
One of the most typical challenges that face a modern enterprise that is operating with a number of distinct generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computer systems are commonplace in our lives nowadays and they form a vital piece of the corporate puzzle. This computing power can help businesses to run well, but they are only as capable as the people who operate them.
There are also generational issues when it comes to external business factors such as the law. New laws and corporate best practices are emerging all of the time and key business decision makers need to be aware of any that apply to their company.
Outside of this, there can be problems with communication between different generations of employee, psychological limitations of the older staff in an organisation and the need to satisfy a range of different wants and aspirations to keep an entire workforce content. In a warehouse environment it is crucial to use premium industrial shelving by a quality maker to keep the workforce safe.
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The Generations
The requirement to handle generations in the work environment may seem like an unnecessary task, but the distinctions between the generations of worker that are commonly found in business are worthwhile taking note of. The generations of worker that may be found in a modern business can be separated into the following four groups:
Traditionals
Senior, or “traditional”, employees are the oldest that would be found in a modern corporate environment. They are 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 an international conflict, many of the older generation still harbour this opinion in modern times.
Since many of the mature generation will hold senior ranks within a business their views and opinions will generally carry greater weight than those of younger generations. Their decisions will often be fundamental to the business and shape the future success or failure of the business. This difference between modern thinking and business influence 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 world. Baby Boomers will be aged between 45 and 65 approximately and are likely to form the vast majority of management roles within a modern company.
This generation grew up without much of the oppression and discipline that was commonplace amongst earlier generations. They are an aspirational group of people that are highly family- oriented. They would be the mother and father of the classic “nuclear family”.
When it comes to the workplace, this group of workers will frequently be able to grasp the bigger picture while still maintaining a grip on modern developments in terms of technologies and business procedures. Their family- oriented character tends to see them working well in teams, although it is often observed that they are not at ease when taking criticism(no matter how constructive) , and they are not good at providing feedback to other employees.
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 contemporary company.
Socially they grew up in very 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 worked up through lower and higher education prior to working their way up within one or maybe two companies. They are expected to work long and challenging hours and often both parties in a marriage or relationship will have careers.
Therefore, they are often very good at problem solving and meeting 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 learning and work. Generation X need close supervision to ensure their efficient contribution to the organisation.
Generation NeXt
This generation were born since 1980 and are the youngest collection 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 procedures and find hyper- consumerism and aggressive promotion to be second nature.
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The Working Environment
Technology
We are all familiar with the gap between the elderly generations and modern technical equipment. Whether it is a parent only just coping to operate a new mobile phone, or a grandparent being truly confused about what the world wide web is, the void between the old and the new is made very apparent when it comes to technology.
In regards to the modern business, issues involving technology can have very far reaching implications. Computers are vital to many aspects of business, from operating payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a channel for marketing. As such, an employee who’s not familiar with the systems being used by a company is likely to find problems in many parts of the corporation.
A similar principle can also be applied in reverse. The younger generations may be very comfortable with new technologies and practices, but may lack knowledge of the older systems that still carry out many of the critical functions of the organisation.
Physical limitations
There are clear physical aspects that may influence 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 consequently they will be less suited to roles that involve physical exertions. There will be exceptions to this in many companies, however as a generalisation it is correct.
Luckily, most of the older generations of employee will have advanced to senior levels of management within the business they work for, and these roles reward based upon knowledge and experience rather than physical ability.
Modern ailments
Modern businesses are faced with physical conditions that businesses of the past would not have had to face. Complaints like RSI, or repetitive strain injury, have become much more frequent since the widespread launch and use of personal computer keyboards.
The desk environment itself may 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 damage. Studies are on- going to look into the full scale of the impact of the modern workplace on the human body.
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Solutions
The management of generations in the workplace has obtained greater exposure over recent years and many more companies have been made aware of the benefit of good generational management. This has spawned many 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 particular jobs within your business that are best suited to a particular generation then it is often beneficial to only use members of that generation to perform the job. 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 subject have become a more common event in recent times, and the amount of useful information that can be obtained from these occasions can be of great benefit to an organisation.
There are also a lot of resources available on the Internet that discuss the matter in more detail, and draw together a range of unique ideas for tackling various scenarios.
If setting your own administrators the job of learning about generations within the office does not seem suitable there are many business consultants that now incorporate the idea of generational management into their practice.
Conclusion
Different generations of worker can find that it is hard to work together. They have grown up in different times and learnt about a world that has been constantly 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 applied across a multitude of generations but it is also crucial that you make sure that your business does not micro- manage the different age groups working for it.
Contemporary organisations have a varied range of skills requirements and these requirements simply cannot be satisfied by just one of the generations discussed on this page. As is so often the case, the route to success depends upon discovering a balance between the generations- utilising the advantages, mitigating the weaknesses and encouraging accordingly – through educated and empathetic direction.