Introduction
The degree of change that the planet 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 striking.
One part of life which has not escaped these vast changes is the business world. Modern businesses may operate within the same underlying principles of profitability that have governed commerce since it began, but many of the characteristics of a successful company trading in the contemporary arena would seem foreign to businesses from years gone by.
An interesting issue that modern businesses face is how to handle the different generations of individuals who make up their workforce.
This is partially due to the ever increasing life expectancy of people, particularly in first world nations, which in turn prompts an ever increasing retirement age. As people work to a later point in their lives, they may remain with the same company into their late 60′s or early 70′s, and sometimes as hands- on workers rather than merely sitting at the board.
There is also a need for a more diverse set of skills in the modern business climate, triggered largely due to the swift development and wide reach of computer technology. Business processes, both internal and external, have been subject to significant changes which require a new way of thinking.
Problems
One of the most common challenges that face a modern business that is operating with a number of different generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computer systems are commonplace in each of our lives nowadays and they form a vital piece of the business puzzle. This computing ability can help businesses to run more efficiently, but they are only as able as the individuals who operate them.
There are also generational problems when it comes to external business factors such as the law. New laws and business best practices are emerging all of the time and critical business decision makers need to be aware of any that apply to their company.
Beyond this, there can be communication problems between different generations of worker, physical limitations of the older personnel in an organisation and the need to fulfil a range of diverse needs and aspirations to keep an entire workforce satisfied.
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The Generations
The need to manage generations in the work environment may seem like an unneeded task, but the distinctions between the generations of worker that are commonly found in business are worthwhile taking note of. The generations of employee that may be found in a modern business can be split into the following four groups:
Traditionals
Senior, or “traditional”, employees are the oldest that would be found in a modern business 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 beneath the shadow of an international conflict, lots of the older generation still harbour this opinion in modern times.
Since many of the senior generation will hold senior ranks within a business their views and opinions will generally carry more weight than those of younger generations. Their judgements will often be fundamental to the business and sculpt the future success or failure of the organisation.
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 roughly speaking and probably form the vast majority of management roles within a contemporary company.
This generation grew up without much of the oppression and discipline that was more normal amongst earlier generations. They are an aspirational group of people that are very family- oriented.
When it comes to the workplace, this group of workers will often be able to grasp the bigger picture while still maintaining a grasp on modern advances in terms of technologies and business procedures. Their family- oriented character tends to see them working effectively in teams, although it is often observed that they are not comfortable when taking criticism(no matter how constructive) , and they are not good at giving feedback to other workers.
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 tiers of management within a modern 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 made clear to Generation X from a very young age. Many will have progressed through lower and higher education before working their way up within one or maybe two businesses.
As such, they are often very good at problem solving and achieving short- term objectives but may struggle to grasp how their contribution affects the big picture. They will be motivated by financial 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 management to ensure their effective contribution to the company.
Generation NeXt
This generation were born since 1980 and are the youngest group of people currently at work. They have borne witness to a changing social climate where being an extravert is seldom frowned upon. They are most open to radical ideas and procedures and find hyper- consumerism and aggressive promotion to be second nature.
Older generations of employees might consider interior refurbishments unnecessary or bothersome to the working environment of a business.
The Working Environment
Technology
We are all familiar with the gap between the elderly generations and modern technical equipment. Whether it is a parent struggling to operate a new mobile phone, or a grandparent being genuinely 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 consequences. Computers are critical to many aspects of business, from controlling payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a route for promotion. As such, an employee who is not familiar with the systems being used by a company is likely to find problems in many parts of the corporation. This presents the challenge of managing generations within the work environment.
A similar principle can also be applied in reverse. The younger generations may be very comfortable with emerging technologies and routines, but may lack knowledge of the other systems that still carry out many of the critical functions of the organisation. Internal business practices are rarely black and white so workers ideally need a range of technological abilities and knowledge.
Physical limitations
There are clear physical aspects that may affect 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 as such they will be less suited to roles that require physical exertions.
Luckily, most of the older generations of employee will have advanced to senior levels of management within the organisation they work for, and these roles reward based upon knowledge and experience rather than physical ability.
Modern ailments
Modern businesses are faced with physical problems that businesses of the past would not have had to face. Complaints like RSI, or repetitive strain injury, have become more frequent since the widespread introduction and use of computer keyboards.
The desk environment itself can create a number of problems if the ergonomics of any particular workstation are not good. Back problems and joint problems can develop after long periods of sitting incorrectly, and long durations of exposure to computer monitors can contribute to long- term eye damage. Tests are on- going to look into the full scale of the impact of the modern place of work on the human body.
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Solutions
The control of generations in the workplace has received more exposure over recent years and many more businesses have been made aware of the benefit of effective generational management. This has spawned several new ideas and practices that are in one way or another aimed at improving the working relationship 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 get members of that generation to perform the task. This kind of specialisation requires good organisational management. It will also be necessary to pass the knowledge on from generation to generation as your workforce grows old.
There are a number of ways in which your company can learn about managing different generations of staff. Seminars dedicated to the topic 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 special benefit to your organisation.
There are also a lot of resources available on the Internet that discuss the problem in greater detail, and draw together a range of different ideas for tackling various situations. Every business has individual needs and a unique workforce so it may take time before you discover the correct management method for your company.
If setting your own managers the task of learning about generations within the office does not seem appropriate there are many business consultants that now incorporate the idea of generational management into their practice. Employing their services may be the most recommended method to address your corporate circumstances.
Conclusion
Different generations of worker can find that it is hard to work together. They have grown up in distinct times and learnt about a planet that has been constantly changing. There are not simply issues when it comes to the language used for communication, but matters of manners and etiquette.
Each generation is also stimulated by different things, and have come from different social upbringings. It will rarely be true that one solution can be used across a multitude of generations but it is also important to make sure that your business does not micro- manage the different age groups working for it.
Modern businesses have a diverse range of skills requirements and these requirements simply cannot be fulfilled by just one of the generations discussed in this article. As is so often the case, the path to success depends upon discovering a balance between the generations- employing the advantages, mitigating the weaknesses and motivating accordingly – through informed and empathetic management.