CovSearch Blog

Introduction

The extent of change that the world has experienced over the past 50 years is a staggeringly high amount, and the pace at which a lot of these changes have come about is no less striking.

One area of life which has not escaped these vast changes is the business world. Modern businesses may operate within the same underlying principles of profitability that have governed commerce since it began, but many of the characteristics of a successful organisation trading in the modern world would seem alien to businesses from years gone by.

An interesting issue that modern companies face is how to manage the different generations of individuals who make up their staff. This challenge has been around for a long time, but as the requirements of companies change and the skills necessary have evolved, the differences among workers have become more obvious.

This is partially due to the ever increasing life expectancy of people, 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 company into their late 60’s or early 70’s, and sometimes as hands- on workers rather than merely sitting on the board.

There is also a need for a more diverse set of skills in the modern business climate, triggered largely due to the swift development and extensive reach of computer technology. Business processes, both internal and external, have undergone significant changes which require a fresh way of thinking.

Problems

One of the most typical challenges that face a modern enterprise that is working with a number of distinct generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computers are commonplace in each of our lives these days and they form a pivotal piece of the corporate puzzle.

There are also generational problems when it comes to outward business aspects such as the law. New laws and corporate best practices are being created 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 worker, physical limitations of the older personnel in an organisation and the need to fulfil a range of different needs and aspirations to keep an entire workforce happy. In a warehouse setting it is vital to use high quality industrial shelving by an assured supplier to keep the workforce safe.

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The Generations

The requirement to manage generations in the work environment may seem like an unnecessary task, but the distinctions between the generations of worker that are commonly 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 industry and life in general is one of organisation and obedience. They were expected to make individual sacrifices for the greater good, and whilst this belief was nurtured under the shadow of a global conflict, many of the older generation still harbour this opinion nowadays.

Since many of the senior generation will hold senior positions within a company their views and opinions will generally carry more weight than those of younger generations. Their judgements will often be fundamental to the business and sculpt the future success or failure of the organisation.

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 business.

This generation grew up without much of the oppression and discipline that was commonplace amongst previous generations. They are an aspirational group of people that are very family- oriented. They would be the mother and father of the traditional “nuclear family”.

When it comes to the workplace, this group of workers will often 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 well in teams, although it is often observed that they are not comfortable when taking criticism(no matter how helpful) , and they are not good at providing feedback to other workers. These communication problems can become very disruptive in a business 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 tiers of management within a modern business.

Socially they grew up in extremely demanding times. Careers were an ever more important and defining part of people’s lives and this was pointed out to Generation X from a very early age. Many will have progressed through lower and higher education before working their way up within one or maybe two companies. 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 can struggle to grasp how their contribution affects 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 supervision to ensure their effective contribution to the organisation.

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 seldom frowned upon. They are most open to radical concepts and processes and find hyper- consumerism and relatively competitive promotion to be second nature.

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The Working Environment

Technology

Everyone is familiar with the gap between the older 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 world wide web is, the void between the old and the new is made very apparent when it comes to technology.

In regards to the modern organisation, issues involving technology can have very far reaching consequences. Computers are vital to many aspects of business, from controlling payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a route for promotion. As such, an employee who is not familiar with the technologies being used by an organisation is likely to find problems in many parts of the corporation.

The same principle may also be applied in the opposite direction. The younger generations may be very comfortable with emerging technologies and routines, but may lack knowledge of the other systems that still carry out many of the critical functions of the business.

Physical limitations

There are obvious physical aspects that may affect how a successful company manages its workers 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 business they work for, and these jobs reward based upon knowledge and experience rather than physical capability. It is however 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 problems that companies of the past would not have had to confront. Complaints like RSI, or repetitive strain injury, have become more common since the widespread launch and use of personal computer keyboards.

The desk environment itself can create a number of problems if the ergonomics of any specific workstation are not good. Back problems and joint problems can develop after long intervals of sitting incorrectly, and long durations of exposure to computer screens can contribute to long- term eye damage. Studies are on- going to investigate the full scale of the impact of the contemporary place of work on the body.

Far too often, office workers think desk chairs barely impact their bodies in a negative way which is not always true.

Solutions

The control of generations in the workplace has received more exposure over recent years and many more companies have been made aware of the benefit of good generational management. This has spawned a number of new ideas and practices that are in one way or another aimed at improving the working relationship between the business and its workforce, no matter how old they may be.

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 control. It will also be necessary to pass the knowledge on from generation to generation when your workforce ages.

There are a number of ways in which your business 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 advice 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 problem in more detail, and draw together a range of different ideas for tackling various scenarios.

If setting your own administrators the task of learning about generations within the office does not seem appropriate there are many business gurus that now incorporate the idea of generational management into their practice.

Conclusion

Different generations of worker can find that it is hard to work collectively. They have grown up in distinct times and learnt about a planet that has been continually changing.

Each generation is also motivated by different things, and have come from different social upbringings. It will rarely be true that one solution can be used across a multitude of generations but it is also crucial that you make sure that your company does not micro- manage different age groups working for it. The business must do what is best for its own good results.

Modern businesses have a diverse range of skills requirements and these needs simply cannot be satisfied by just one of the generations discussed on this page. As is so often the case, the route to success depends upon finding a balance between the generations- utilising the advantages, mitigating the weaknesses and encouraging accordingly - through educated and empathetic direction.