HHIQ Q2

BEST PRACTICES
F LE
BY BARBARA BOWES
BRIDGING THE
GENERATIONAL
DIVIDE
Do you sometimes feel like you need an interpreter to talk to your younger
or older employees? Here, an HR expert offers some tips on learning to
speak with and listen to your multigenerational employees and coworkers.
H
ave you ever wondered why work
team members Fred and Jane have
such different life perspectives? Is
it a case of male/female thinking? Usually
not. So, what about Fred and David? Why
do these two also always seem to end up
in some sort of conflict when discussing
how to do things? Is it a personality issue?
Probably not.
Is it an age thing?
It could well be.
In fact, today’s workplace has become
known for its “multigenerational” challenges;
yes, an age thing. After all, personal
perspectives are developed through the social
and family values of the generation in which
an individual was raised.
So you won’t be surprised to learn that
today’s workplaces may well have four generations
in their midst. The most well-known,
the “baby boomers”, are now in their 60s and
70s and are steadily moving onto retirement.
Generation X (1961-1981), populates many
of the career paths while individuals from
the millennial generation (1982-2005) are
making their way through the workforce.
And, readers can also expect that the next
cohort, referred to as Generation Z or the
“internet generation” (1995-2010) will soon
be on your doorstep.
Conflict between generations usually
arises from different styles of communication,
different career expectations, different
leadership styles and different values.
For instance, older workers often view their
younger counterparts as being impatient
28 SECOND QUARTER / 2019
Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly
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