Introduction
The extent of change that the planet has experienced over the past 50 years is a staggeringly high amount, and the speed at which many of these changes have come about is no less impressive. These changes have affected nearly every aspect of our lives beyond our basic physical needs and have had a profound effect on how we live our day to day lives.
One part of life that has not escaped these broad changes is the business domain. Modern companies may operate within the same fundamental 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 problem has been about for a long time, but as the needs of organisations change and the skills required have evolved, the differences between workers have become more obvious.
This is partly due to the increasing life expectancy of humans, particularly in first world nations, which consequently prompts an ever increasing retirement age. As people work to a later point in their lives, they may remain with the same organisation into their late 60’s or early 70’s, and sometimes as hands- on workers rather than simply sitting on the board.
There is also a demand for a more diverse range of skills in the modern business climate, triggered largely due to the quick development and wide reach of computer technology. Business processes, both internal and external, have been subject to significant changes which require a fresh way of thinking.
Problems
One of the most typical problems that face a modern enterprise that is operating with a number of different generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computers are commonplace in our lives these days and they form a vital piece of the corporate puzzle. This computing power can help businesses to run more efficiently, but they are only as able as the people who operate them.
There are also generational issues when it comes to external business aspects such as the law. New laws and business best practices are emerging all of the time and key business decision makers need to be aware of any that apply to their company.
Outside of this, there can be communication problems between different generations of employee, physical limitations of the older staff in an organisation and the need to fulfil a range of diverse wants and aspirations to keep an entire workforce happy. In a warehouse environment it is critical to utilise good industrial shelving off of an assured maker to keep the workforce secure.
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The Generations
The requirement to handle generations in the work environment may seem like an unnecessary task, but the distinctions between the generations of worker that are often found in business are worthwhile taking note of. The generations of employee that may be found in a modern business can be separated into the following four groups:
Traditionals
Senior, or “traditional”, workers are the oldest that would be found in a modern corporate 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 individual 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 mature generation will hold senior positions within a company their views and beliefs will generally carry more weight than those of younger generations. Their decisions will often be fundamental to the business and sculpt the future success or failure of the business.
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 globe. Baby Boomers will be aged between 45 and 65 approximately and are likely to form the vast majority of management roles within a modern company.
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 mother and father of the classic “nuclear family”.
When it comes to the work environment, 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 at ease when taking criticism(no matter how helpful) , 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 currently aged between 30 and 45 and will be spread amongst the various tiers of management within a modern company.
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 worked up through lower and higher education before working their way up within one or perhaps two businesses.
Therefore, they are often very good at problem solving and meeting short- term objectives but can struggle to grasp how their contribution influences 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.
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The Working Environment
Technology
Everyone is 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 Internet is, the void between the old and the new is made very apparent when it comes to technology.
In regards to the newer business, issues involving technology might have very far reaching implications. Computers are critical to many aspects of business, from managing payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a route for marketing. As such, an employee who is not familiar with the technologies being used by a company is likely to find difficulties in many parts of the corporation. This introduces the challenge of managing generations in the workplace.
A similar principle may also be applied in reverse. The younger generations might be very comfortable with new technologies and routines, but may lack knowledge of the older systems that still carry out many of the important functions of the business. Internal business procedures are rarely black and white so employees ideally need a range of technological skills and knowledge.
Physical limitations
There are obvious physical aspects that may affect how a successful company manages its workers 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, but as a generalisation it is correct.
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 understanding and experience rather than physical ability. It is nevertheless important to make sure that adequate support is given to any worker who struggles with the physical aspect of their role.
Modern ailments
Modern companies 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 environment itself can 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 damage. Tests are on- going to look into the full scale of the impact of the contemporary place of work on the human body.
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Solutions
The control of generations in the workplace has obtained more exposure over recent years and many additional companies have been made aware of the benefit of good 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 workers, 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 use members of that generation to carry out the job. This kind of specialisation demands good organisational management.
There are a number of ways in which your company can learn about managing several generations of staff. Seminars dedicated to the subject 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 an organisation.
There are also a lot of resources available on the web that discuss the problem in more detail, and draw together a range of different ideas for tackling various scenarios. Every company has individual needs and a unique workforce so it may take time before you find the correct management approach for your company.
If setting your own administrators the job of learning about generations within the office does not seem suitable there are many business gurus that now include the idea of generational management into their practice. Using their services may be the most recommended way to address your own business situation.
Conclusion
Different generations of worker can find that it is hard to work together. They have grown up in different times and learnt about a planet that has been continually changing. There are not simply concerns when it comes to the language used for communication, but issues of manners and etiquette.
Each generation is also stimulated by different things, and have come from various social upbringings. It will rarely be true that one solution can be applied 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. The company must do what is best for its own good results.
Modern organisations have a varied range of skills requirements and these requirements simply cannot be satisfied 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 strengths, mitigating the weaknesses and motivating accordingly - through informed and empathetic management.
