Introduction
The degree of change that the world has seasoned over the past 50 years is a staggeringly high amount, and the speed at which a lot of these changes have come about is no less striking. These changes have affected nearly every aspect of our lives beyond our fundamental physical needs and have had a profound impact on how we live our day to day lives.
One area of life that has not escaped these broad changes is the business domain. Modern companies may operate within the same underlying principles of profitability that have governed commerce since it began, but many of the traits of a successful organisation trading in the contemporary world would seem foreign to businesses of the past.
An interesting problem that modern companies face is how to handle the different generations of individuals who make up their staff.
This is partially due to the ever 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 stay with the same company into their late 60’s or early 70’s, and often as hands- on workers rather than merely sitting on the board.
There is also a need for a more diverse range of skills in the modern business surroundings, triggered largely due to the swift development and wide reach of computer technology. Business processes, both internal and external, have undergone significant changes which require a new way of thinking. These new ways of thinking are most commonly found within the younger working age group.
Problems
One of the most typical problems that face a modern enterprise that is working with a number of distinct generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computer systems are commonplace in each of our lives nowadays and they form a pivotal piece of the business puzzle. This computing ability can help businesses to run more efficiently, but they are only as able as the people who work them.
There are also generational problems when it comes to external business aspects 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 problems with communication between different generations of worker, physical limitations of the older staff in an organisation and the need to fulfil a range of diverse needs and aspirations to keep an entire workforce content.
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The Generations
The need to manage generations in the workplace may seem like an unneeded task, but the differences between the generations of worker that are often found in business are worthwhile taking note of.
Traditionals
Senior, or “traditional”, workers are the oldest that would be found in a modern business environment. They’re 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 individual sacrifices for the greater good, and whilst this belief was nurtured beneath the shadow of an international conflict, many of the older generation still harbour this opinion nowadays.
Since many of the mature generation will hold senior ranks within a company their views and opinions will generally carry more weight than those of younger generations. Their judgements 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 roughly speaking and are likely to form the vast majority of management jobs within a contemporary business.
This generation grew up without a lot of the oppression and discipline that was commonplace amongst previous generations. They are an aspirational group of people that are highly family- oriented. They would be the parents 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 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 noted that they are not comfortable when taking criticism(no matter how helpful) , and they are not good at giving feedback to other workers. These communication problems can become very disruptive in a corporate setting.
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 business.
Socially they grew up in extremely stressful 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 early age. Many will have progressed through lower and higher education prior to working their way up within one or perhaps two companies.
Therefore, they are often very good at problem solving and meeting short- term objectives but can struggle to grasp how their contribution affects the big picture. They will be motivated by monetary benefits rather than a sense of duty because they feel they have paid their dues through a life of study and work. Generation X need close supervision to ensure their efficient contribution to the organisation.
Generation NeXt
This generation were born after 1980 and are the youngest collection of people currently at work. They have borne witness to a changing social environment where being an extravert is seldom frowned upon. They are most open to radical ideas and procedures and find hyper- consumerism and relatively competitive marketing to be second nature.
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The Working Environment
Technology
We are all familiar with the gap between the older generations and contemporary technical equipment. Whether it is a parent struggling to operate a new mobile phone, or a grandparent being truly confused about what the Internet is, the void between the old and the new is made very apparent when it comes to technology.
In regards to the modern business, problems involving technology might have very far reaching consequences. Computers are critical to many aspects of business, from controlling payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a channel for marketing. As such, an employee who is not familiar with the systems being used by an organisation is likely to find problems in many areas of the corporation.
The same principle may 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 business.
Physical limitations
There are obvious physical aspects that may influence how a successful company manages its workforce in regard to age. Elderly generations will by and large by physically inferior to their younger counterparts, and consequently they will be less suited to roles that require physical exertions. There will be exceptions to this in lots of companies, however as a generalisation it’s true.
Fortunately, 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 understanding and experience rather than physical capability.
Modern ailments
Modern businesses are faced with physical conditions that businesses of the past would not have had to confront. Complaints like RSI, or repetitive strain injury, have become more common since the widespread introduction and use of computer keyboards.
The desk setting 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 periods of sitting incorrectly, and long durations of exposure to computer screens can contribute to long- term eye impairment. Studies are on- going to investigate the full scale of the impact of the contemporary workplace on the human body.
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Solutions
The control of generations in the workplace has received greater exposure over recent years and many more businesses have been made aware of the benefit of good generational management. This has spawned several new ideas and routines that are in one way or another aimed at developing the working relationship between the business and its workforce, no matter how old they may be.
If there are specific roles within your business that are most appropriate for a particular generation then it is often beneficial to only use members of that generation to carry out the task. This kind of specialisation requires good organisational control.
There are a number of ways in which your business can learn about managing several generations of employee. Seminars dedicated to the subject have become a more common event in recent times, and the amount of helpful advice that can be obtained from these occasions can be of great benefit to an organisation.
There are also many resources available on the Internet that discuss the problem in greater detail, and draw together a range of different ideas for tackling various situations.
If setting your own managers the job of learning about generations within the workplace does not seem suitable there are many business gurus that now incorporate the idea of generational management into their practice. Utilising their services may be the most prudent method to address your own corporate circumstances.
Conclusion
Different generations of employee can find it difficult to work collectively. They have grown up in different times and learnt about a world that has been constantly changing.
Each generation is also motivated by different factors, and have come from different social upbringings. It will rarely be true that one solution can be used across numerous 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 needs simply cannot be satisfied by just one of the generations discussed in this article. As is so frequently the case, the route to success depends upon discovering a balance between the generations- utilising the strengths, mitigating the weaknesses and encouraging accordingly – through educated and empathetic management.
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