Understanding Generations in the Workplace

How do we connect the generations in the workforce? In my interview with The Day Ahead, we discuss generational differences in the workplace and how to best connect the generations.

The type of workforce we have today is not something we have seen in our history. Millennials and baby boomers, young and old, all sharing the workplace. That means companies are having to adjust to fit the style of these different generations.

Generational Differences in the Workplace

Should companies recognize the differences in these generations? And how should they do that?

Each generation comes to the workforce with a different set of expectations. It’s not about stereotyping or putting people in boxes. It’s about evaluating experiences people had that shape their expectations of their employer.

Baby boomers are a phenomenal generation that has an incredible tribal knowledge about their companies. As the younger generations come on board, there needs to be a connection between the seasons of generations. That includes Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. The less seasoned generations, such as millennials and now gen Zs.

Understanding Generations in the Workplace

Millennials were connected with a phone in their hand starting from junior high, and now it is even earlier. We’re not educated equally in terms of technology.

Millennials are coming on board with a desire to mix things up. To change the workforce, to challenge the status quo. And that’s a good thing. Sometimes we have an emotional attachment to the way we’ve always done it.

When someone comes on board and says: ‘Let’s move it, change it, flip it, turn it...’ Our instinct is to say that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The problem is that when we do that, not only do we disconnect from the millennials, we possibly lose out on some really good ideas.

Ask yourself whatever they want to do, whatever they want to challenge, does it negatively impact cost, quality, safety, or service? If the answer is no, try it!

The worst-case scenario will be no change. The best-case scenario will be that you reinvent the way you’re doing business. Or… you will find an easier way to get things done.

How to Connect the Generations in the Workplace

There’s no generation that is immune to lazy people. Just because a millennial has less experience than an older employee, that does not mean that they are not as passionate about what they’re doing. Recognizing the passion, excitement, and enthusiasm for the task at hand does not necessarily correlate to years of experience!

People can can develop better work habits. They become better at their job as they age, but if someone’s lazy – not sure that can be changed!

Establish that basic rapport that you need to get along with your colleagues. Introduce yourself, find something in common with them, get to know them. You learn how to work with people differently by actually doing it.

In this podcast segment, I discuss how to overcome generational differences and how generations can get along.

We have our differences, but we also have much to learn from each other. Each generation is different, with strengths and weaknesses and if we work together, and fill in the gaps, everything just comes together.

The more diverse the team is – the better you are! But… Sometimes it seems too hard and we want to give up.

I discuss every generation, from Gen X to Millenials to Baby Boomer and everything in-between and how they can better work together.

I will help you understand how to overcome generational differences in the workplace and how being emotionally attached to the way things have been done can limit progress.

A special thank you to Healthcare Rap for this podcast interview:

Listen to the ‘Can’t All Generations Just Get Along?‘ Podcast episode Now.

About Healthcare Rap:
Healthcare Rap is ushering in the future of healthcare and they check yesterday’s thinking at the door. They are challenging assumptions about marketing and technology, and the status quo no longer exists. Where truth drops as an atom bomb and knowledge flows like Niagara Falls!

Each week, they challenge assumptions that have been holding back healthcare marketing and ask how they can do better.

Talking about generations… and generational differences!

Each generation has been influenced by the major historical events, social trends and cultural phenomena of its time. Therefore, each generation has different values, standards of quality and attitudes toward customers and co-workers.

Generational Differences

Let’s uncover a few of these generational differences and how reaching tech-savvy Millennials is much different than reaching their parents.

(snippet of Meagan’s interview at the National Association of Realtors)

We’re going to talk about zapping the generational gap that exists between the different generations in the workplace and the marketplace in your own home today.

How do you zap that gap?

Every generation has more in common than they don’t and we tend to focus on the negative.
In my keynote sessions, we focus on the positive but I always say that I make fun of all the generations equally. I poke fun at all the generations.

We look at what makes a generation unique, what makes them special. We also look at how the generations expectations change based on their experiences and what you can do as a Realtor.

What you can do to make that connection?

I think the key is allowing ourselves to let go of the way we’ve always done things and that’s hard. I talk about it and I still struggle with it, too. We are emotionally connected to the way we’ve always done things. When someone new comes along, especially someone that we perceive as having less experience than we do, we feel threatened. Maybe they are not quite as bright as we are, and they want to change things, they want to move things. We tend to say no.

In fact, we even have a phrase for it. We say: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Right?

I always make a point – take Steve Jobs. When he was head of Apple when they came to him with this crazy idea about the iPhone. What if he would have said no way. People love flip phones. They’re not going to give those up!

We have to be willing to let go of the way we’ve done things in the past to allow room for the new generations. By doing that opens up the door, a gate to communicating between the generations. It’s not about alienating one generation for the other.

Baby boomers and Gen Xers have this incredible knowledge, this base of information.

How do we make sure that information gets passed on to the younger generation?

And the same time allows room for the younger generation to put the run mark on things as well.