Business Management for Multiple Generations of Workers

Introduction

The degree of change that the world has experienced 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 shifts have touched nearly every aspect of our lives beyond our basic physical needs and have had a profound impact on how we live our everyday lives.

One area of life that has not escaped these vast changes is the business domain. Modern companies may operate within the same underlying principles of profitability that have governed business since it started, but many of the traits of a successful company 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 workforce. This problem has been about for a long time, but as the needs of companies 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 people, particularly in first world countries, 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 often as hands- on workers rather than merely sitting on the board.

There is also a demand for a more diverse set of skills in the modern business climate, triggered largely due to the quick development and extensive reach of computer technology. Corporate processes, both internal and external, have been subject to significant changes which require a fresh way of thinking. These modern ways of thinking are most commonly found within the younger working generation.

Problems

One of the most common problems 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 our lives nowadays and they form a vital piece of the corporate puzzle.

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 critical business decision makers need to be aware of any that apply to their company. This can be said of sales and promotional channels that have emerged with the rise of the Web.

Beyond this, there can be problems with communication between different generations of worker, psychological limitations of the older personnel in an organisation and the need to satisfy a range of diverse needs and aspirations to keep an entire workforce happy.

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The Generations

The need to handle generations in the work environment may seem like an unneeded 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

Mature, or “traditional”, workers 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 individual sacrifices for the greater good, and while this belief was nurtured under 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 beliefs will generally carry greater weight than those of younger generations. Their judgements 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, when there was a general down turn in the birth rate around the globe. Baby Boomers will be aged between 45 and 65 approximately and probably form the vast majority of management roles within a modern business.

This generation grew up without much of the oppression and discipline that was commonplace amongst earlier 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 work environment, this group of workers will often be able to grasp the bigger picture whilst still maintaining a grasp on modern developments in terms of technologies and business processes. 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 providing feedback to other employees. 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 spread amongst the various levels of management within a contemporary 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 worked up through lower and higher education before working their way up within one or maybe two businesses. They are expected to work long and hard hours and often both parties in a marriage or relationship will have professions.

Therefore, 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 monetary 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 supervision to ensure their efficient contribution to the company.

Generation NeXt

This generation were born after 1980 and are the youngest group of people currently at work. They have borne witness to a changing social environment where being an extravert is rarely frowned upon. They are most open to radical ideas and processes and find hyper- consumerism and aggressive marketing to be second nature.

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The Working Environment

Technology

We are all familiar with the gap between the elderly generations and modern technological equipment. Whether it is a parent only just coping 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 becomes very apparent when it comes to technology.

In regards to the modern organisation, issues involving technology might have very far reaching consequences. Computers are vital to many aspects of business, from operating payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a channel for promotion. As such, an employee who’s not familiar with the systems being used by a company is likely to find problems in many areas of the business. This presents the challenge of managing generations in the workplace.

A similar principle can also be applied in the opposite direction. The younger generations might be very comfortable with emerging technologies and practices, but may lack knowledge of the older systems that still perform many of the important functions of the business.

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 involve physical exertions.

Luckily, most of the older generations of worker 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 capability. It is nevertheless important to make sure that proper support is given to any employee who struggles with the physical side of their role.

Modern ailments

Modern businesses are faced with physical conditions 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 personal computer keyboards.

The desk setting 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 intervals of sitting incorrectly, and long periods of exposure to computer screens can contribute to long- term eye impairment. Studies are on- going to look into the full scale of the impact of the contemporary workplace on the body.

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Solutions

The management 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 many new ideas and practices that are in one way or another aimed at improving the working rapport between the business and its workforce, no matter how old they are.

If there are particular roles within your business that are most appropriate for a particular generation then it is often beneficial to only get members of that generation to carry out the job. 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 business can learn about managing several generations of employee. 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 events can be of great benefit to an organisation.

There are also a lot of resources available on the Internet that discuss the matter 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 office does not seem appropriate there are many business consultants that now incorporate the idea of generational management into their practice.

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 things, and have come from different social upbringings. It will rarely be the case that one solution can be applied across numerous generations but it is also important to make sure that your company does not micro- manage the different age groups working for it.

Modern organisations have a diverse 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 finding a balance between the generations- utilising the strengths, mitigating the weaknesses and encouraging accordingly – through informed and empathetic direction.