There has been a lot of discussion lately about the “unretired” – seniors who are returning to the workforce in droves for economic or personal reasons. I call this formidable group “Gen U™” because they represent an astounding number of people who have a completely different mindset from that of prior retired generations. Thankfully, smart companies are beginning to embrace their value, wisdom and experience.
All parents, in some way or another, leave indelible marks on the world views that their children develop and bring into adulthood. In some cases, these marks are from strong, admirable qualities that we try to emulate ourselves because of the positive outcomes that resulted. In other cases, the marks come from behaviors that we observed causing damage to others or even themselves. In these situations, we make mental notes and likely try our best to do the opposite as we grow up. Most times, it was combination of both. Such was the case with my father.
With up to five generations currently in the workforce, each group brings their own set of attitudes and values based on their generation’s experience. Such large differences can often cause conflict, especially in the workplace. On the other hand, these differences can also lead to positive relationships, such as older workers mentoring younger colleagues. The following collection of posts from our blog provide insight into how to successfully manage the multiple generations currently working together in today's workforce.
There’s no shortage of opinions on Millennials, but let’s start with a fact: They will outnumber Baby Boomers in the workforce by 2015. You read that right. This generation, born between 1980 and 2000, will also make up 75% of employees by 2025. Because it’s clearly time for leaders to learn how to engage Millennials, here are three things to keep in mind.
If we are lucky, it is going to happen to every one of us…. Aging! Not only will we age in calendar years but our bodies and minds will age in physical years despite our best efforts. Along with these changes come the way people react to us. They will begin to treat us differently… [...]
Respectful communication in the workplace is very much influenced by how the generations have encountered personal life experiences. Older employees are well accustomed to communication that consisted of sit down, face-to-face type communication with lots of eye-contact, always looking for and reading non-verbal cues (body language), and empathic listening. However, this style of communication may be a struggle for younger management teams due to their dependence on technology based interactions. So how do we overcome this generational communication gap and find ways to overcome the differences in communication styles?
There was an article in a local newspaper today about senior citizens and how they are an “unexploited reservoir of human resources.” A recent study put out by a well known Marketing Institute reported that close to 70% of our senior population is eager to be employed and that if all eligible seniors were working, [...]
It’s commonly referenced that as a millennial I will have 5-7 careers in my lifetime. These reports on millennials in the workplace state that we are willing to leave a career - substantial salary and all - simply for the pursuit of something more engaging and fulfilling. Millennial career hopping does not necessarily have to be the case especially if organizations continue to change the way they manage their workforce.
It started out like any other July morning. Well, any other July morning that’s 64 degrees - but that’s another story. Anyway, it was a great morning for a run, and I intended to get a good one in. I woke up at 5:30, got the coffee maker set for Kim, slipped on my shorts [...]
A couple of months ago I met a charming woman at an intimate gathering of professionals. When I mentioned I worked in diversity training, she immediately told me about a piece her daughter had written for the NPR show This I Believe. Below is the insightful essay. Seeing Beyond Our Differences by Sheri White My mother is [...]
