“The events and conditions each of us experiences during our formative years
determines who we are and how we see the world.”
—Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman, When Generations Collide
Today’s workplace includes a wider age-range than ever before—from people more than 70 years of age in their final work phase to workers in their 20s just beginning their work history. An important criterion for a productive and successful workforce is an appreciation of the similarities and differences among the generations.
For example, having individual experiences and backgrounds, this multi-generational workplace uses a wide variety of communication styles and resources. Understanding and acknowledging how people communicate will go a long way towards building strong connections with your co-workers.
Understanding the relationships
It is common for co-workers to be unaware of the existing gaps between generations—resulting in barriers to success and productivity. Think about how you interact with people from other generations:
- a younger supervisor to Boomer staff members
- working with colleagues in similar roles as yours but 15-20 years older than you
- consultant to a start-up company whose founders are in their late 20s.
It's critical to your job success that you be comfortable, relaxed, and at-ease when a significant age difference or a non-traditional work relationship exists. For example:
- Are you an employee of long-standing and think that the new manager is young enough to be your grandchild?
- If you recently have been appointed as a team leader, do you perceive some of the members as having attitudes similar to your parents?
- How do you react when this type of situation arises? Do you make assumptions about the other person that may not be valid?
Attitudes, biases, and perceptions can impact your performance and the way others perceive you, which can be a hindrance to a promotion or a reference.
- How do you acknowledge that every generation contributes to accomplishing established goals?
- Do you respect the values, priorities, and ways of carrying out responsibilities and tasks that are common to other generations?
- Do you appreciate the ways in which generational diversity enriches corporate culture and individual legacies?
Understanding the communication styles
Have you ever compared your generation’s communication language, approaches, and methods to the ways that other generations express themselves? Review your awareness level about your communication characteristics by responding to these questions:
- What are your favorite or most frequent ways of communicating within the workplace and why?
- What do you think of the methods that other generations use to express themselves?
- How do you think attitudes about different types of communication can affect working relationships with members of other generations, whether one-on-one, in meetings, or on team projects?
- What do you think you can do to improve and expand your communication methods and style to increase the effectiveness of your working relationships with people from other generations?
Your success at work will depend on your ability to communicate with all types of co-workers. Be mindful of your communication style and how it differs from those around you. Pay attention to the communication methods and styles that seem to work best with different generations at work. Be willing to adapt your style to make others more comfortable. By taking these steps, you will forge stronger and more productive relationships with everyone at work—no matter their age or background.
Editor's note: This is the 2nd post of the generations in the workplace series. The next post will discuss the diversity of work styles among the generations.
