Closing the generation gap
While there is debate over the exact breakdown, most people view the five generations in the workplace as: traditionalists (born 1922-1945), baby boomers (born 1946-1964), generation X (born 1965-1980), millennials or generation Y (born 1981-1997), and the iGeneration (born 1998 and later). The latter generation are those who typically grew up with a smartphone in hand.
Traditionalists tend to be loyal, cautious, formal, and proud. They believe in a top-down hierarchy, clear reporting structures, and the ‘uniform’ of a suit and tie. They tend to be by the book and ‘how’ is just as important as what gets done. They are known for their company loyalty and working at one place their entire career. Much of this is due to the fact 50 per cent of men from the traditionalist era shared the experience of serving in the military compared to the less than one per cent of today’s population.
Baby boomers are seen as optimistic, hard-working, and team players. They are not in a rush to retire and tend to prioritize work over family matters. They will get it done, no matter what it takes, even if they have to spend nights and weekends in the office. One of the more important things they look for in a job is meaningful work and they see benefits (i.e. health care and retirement) as the most important perk.
Generation X are seen as an independent, hardworking, productive part of their organization and the tech pioneers. They ‘grew up’ independent, self-reliant, and supportive of technology (e.g. microwaves, video games, personal computers). They like to find the fastest route to results and protocol is secondary. They are not afraid to do their own thing and prefer to work independently. They believe hard work is the key to getting ahead.
Millennials tend to be self-expressive, group-oriented, and tech dependent. They see themselves as authentic and are not willing to compromise their family and personal values. According to a study by Zipcar, “40 per cent of millennials believe losing their phone would be a bigger hardship than losing their automobile.” They tend to work for deadlines rather than to a regular schedule. They feel success should be measured by more than profit and prefer on-the-spot and frequent recognition over formal reviews.
What the business world has seen about the iGeneration so far is they tend to be cautious, technologically advanced, and entrepreneurial. They believe in volunteering to gain experience and they want technologies incorporated into the workplace (e.g. social media, wearables, virtual).
How can one manage all of these traits under one roof?
Simply stated, pool and hot tub business owners/managers need to use this diversity to their advantage. Just like one would want to see different personality traits on teams they create, it is important to look to the common traits of each generation and offer them an opportunity to use their strengths. This can be accomplished by determining one trait that can be appreciated from each generation and then thinking of a way to incorporate them into the company’s departments and/or project teams. This could be the first step to answering how everyone can work together. That said, how does one take this a step further to ensure they are creating a productive work environment?
- Foster a clear company culture
- Define what the organization stands for.
- Know the core values, as this will help to align the right people with certain objectives.
- Have a mission and vision statement. This helps give the company direction, establish a sense of purpose for each individual’s job, and gives a clear understanding of the cause.
- Owners/managers need to put themselves in other people’s shoes
- Do not assume. Ask questions and make sure everyone has a clear idea of what is being discussed/planned or worked on.
- Emphasize. When one feels appreciated, they are much more motivated and productive.
- Offer coaching and/or mentoring
- This helps owners/managers get frequent feedback to employees.
- It gives the opportunity for all those involved to
be open around their successes, failures, and struggles. - This also allows for more ‘real-time’ discussions and feedback.
- Work events
- Offer brainstorming sessions around a specific task. This is a good place where knowing an employee’s personality traits become handy. For instance, there may be someone with great ideas but are too intimidated to knock on the owner’s/manager’s door to share them. Therefore, this setting offers them the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions.
- Offer social events or time that does not involve work to allow for co-workers to get to know each other and find commonalities amongst themselves. This is a great opportunity for an owner/manager to learn about the team he/she is managing, as well as get a clearer idea of their motivations.
In reading these suggestions, this author hopes it helps business owners/managers formulate some organic ideas. While there is not an exact solution or science to managing a multi-generational workforce, it is important to remember that communication is integral. By focusing on active listening skills, people become better communicators. Most are already aware that everyone’s communication style is different, but what this author is reminding pool and hot tub business owners/managers is that this is a good thing. Where would the challenge be in managing if it was not? When one takes the time to recognize their employees’ differences (as well as their own) and proactively works on developing their diverse teams, businesses will come out stronger and more productive than ever.
Kate Rabe is a communications and marketing consultant located in Beacon, NY. She has more than 10 years of marketing experience in the pool and spa industry. Rabe can be reached via e-mail at kate@katerabe.com.
