I am going to be real honest, and just say it…..I don’t get it.
I really don’t know why we are not embracing generational differences rather than being all bottled up and wondering what to do with our young talent in this information age. Anyone who has children, siblings, cousins or parents definitely should understand that we all have to engage in open expression, and be adaptable and flexible, to create an environment — whether it is work or home — to facilitate getting along or just learning from one another.
Let me ask you to take the self test and see if you can tell me in which generation you and your family members fall. The only clues I am giving is that the age range is from 18 to 70. The generations include:
- Traditionalists
- Millennials
- Boomers
- Gen X
- Gen Y; and
- Gen Z
Now, before I share any data, let me remind you of some common sense; our grandparents provided mother wit and instinctual insights that taught many of us how to navigate life. Then we relearned how to adapt to technology and its ever-increasing pace to keep up with our children and grandchildren’s interest. So if we gladly changed our behavior and adapted to satisfy family, tell me why can’t we take those basic principles and integrate them into the workplace. Each generation can and will continue to learn and grow together.
In DMBA Benchmarking’s inclusive leadership survey, we dared to ask our Fortune 1000 participants for their thoughts around generational behavior in the workplace; here are some of the insights:
- 15 percent of companies believe employees want to be treated differently regardless of age;
- 19 percent of companies believe regional differences affect how employees want to be treated in the workplace;
- 45 percent of companies believe that an employee’s workplace behavior and attitude is influenced by age;
- 19 percent of companies believe employees feel they are judged based on the generation to which they belong.
Go figure? Share with me what your generational experiences are in your work environment.
