Unpacking Generational Differences at Work
What do Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials have in common?
Well, I would make a case for pretty much everything.
They all grow up. They all experience being 20-something, 30-something, 40-something or 50-something. They all have a boss. They all have to work well with their colleagues. Most will eventually manage others. Many will have families while others may not. They all want to live happy and healthy lives outside the office. They all want reasonable time off. They all want feedback on how they are performing. They all want to know how their careers will progress and what “next” looks like. They all want their employers to continuously develop their skills and experiences.
See where is this argument is headed?
Certainly, there is no shortage of studies regarding generational differences but when reading the details, the differences are relatively nuanced when converting the data into real-life scenarios. While there are indeed unique cultural experiences which influence how employees of different generations show up at work, organizations will be better off focusing their efforts on helping managers Lead with Flexibility.
One of the most significant influences on employees at work is their stage in life. Those just out of college will find themselves for the first time surrounded by colleagues who are older and with different priorities. How will these newer workers learn to connect with co-workers who are having children and not socializing 5 nights a week? Then, there is the new parent working remotely who will need to figure out how to more effectively separate work and home for the first time.
It’s about helping employees with their “firsts.” First job out of college. First time managing someone other than yourself. First time being a working parent. First time having to care for an elderly parent while working. Helping employees navigate life’s transitions in the context of work will truly define (and test) a manager’s ability to lead, both effectively and individually.
What are implications for leaders?
Check your generational bias bag at the door. Just because you are managing someone over 50, don’t assume they won’t understand how to communicate over Slack or that they won’t get working in a tech-heavy environment. Remember, these are the employees who lived through the first internet boom and made a conscious conversion from analog to digital.
Each employee has their own flight plan. Although this may seem contradictory to the above, today’s workforce is characterized more by its differences than its similarities, at the individual level. That means each employee is unique in terms of their career aspirations, desire for self-development, preferred mode of communication, need for flexibility and so on. Leaders need to assess each of their team members through direct dialogue and mutual understanding.
Make room in the overhead compartment. Simply working across lines of differences is challenging which means that leaders need to make space for others to come up to speed, understand, internalize and incorporate such differences. It involves helping others be more self-reflective and not dismissive of those who struggle looking in the mirror.
Landing the Plane
What does this look like in real life? First, let's looks at 3 different employees living through very different life stages.
First, we have 50-year old Tricia. She moved away several years ago far from her work so her family could have access to better schools. She also cares for her aging father who lives out of state. Her priority is to be able to work remotely at least 2 days a week to juggle her family responsibilities. Then, we have 30-year-old Amy who is a mother to young children and just had her third child. While she lives close to work to minimize the commute, being able to work from home at least 1 day a week to spend time with her children is her top priority. Then, we have 65-year old David who is helping his daughter with childcare needs so he needs to work from home to shuttle his grandson to and from school 2 days a week. He has worked for his employer for over 20 years, never taken a sick day and never asked for any special favors.
How these different individuals communicate their preferences will likely differ. Our Gen X'er Tricia came of age at a time when employees were expected to “pay their dues and just suck it up” so Tricia will struggle speaking with her manager about what she really needs. She may opt to send a detailed email which outlines her situation and rationale. On the other hand, Amy, a millennial, has worked for several different employers in the tech space where flexibility was more common. As a result, she is quite comfortable simply telling her employer what her non-negotiables are. Then our baby boomer David, who has been with his employer for 2 decades, is unsure how to approach his manager. He asks a few trusted colleagues and his daughter how best to broach the topic before having the conversation.
In these typical examples, “the what” is the same while “the how” will differ. As organizations have come to understand, employee’s demand for flexibility spans the generations and is a must-have in the workplace versus a nice-to-have.
Next, let’s look at an example of a manager helping an employee navigate through a “first.”
Sofia is a millennial and this is her first job out of college – she grew up on social media, is accustomed to lots of feedback from both her parents and her friends. She appreciates very regular check-ins and prefers to communicate over text (especially if it’s urgent and straightforward). She generally tends to be more receptive to positive feedback and has struggled with constructive performance conversations and lately she has been falling behind on several of her deliverables. Sofia’s manager knows these preferences as they have had direct conversations about them.
Armed with this data, her manager is able to think through the optimal way to share feedback with Sofia right now and opts for the following dual strategy:
a daily text with quick acknowledgements of a job well done or successful resolution of an issue along with a relevant question for Sofia to think about as she moves forward with more complicated tasks
plus, a weekly 20-minute in-person check-in to review her progress, identify roadblocks and assist with strategies for addressing challenges
In this basic example, Sofia's manager was able to make an easy and effective course correction simply by understanding Sofia’s personal context. Once the employee is back on track, Sofia’s manager can likely pare down the frequency of feedback and adjust as necessary.
When we make assumptions about others, they are a result of our own perceptions which don’t always reflect the reality of those most closely involved. This is especially true when working across generational lines.
After all, every employee wants to feel special and fly First Class. It’s up to leaders to make it happen.