Perhaps it’s just that my memory is failing, but I am fairly positive that I never called my father “dude”. And I think it would be safe to say that even addressing my parents by their first names was pushing the limits. But today, my kids have no problem using my first name and yes, from time to time, they will even call me ‘dude’.
This kind of casual interaction is just one of the many generational differences we see today that has overflowed into the workplace. In any conversation that I have, and no matter in what line of work, when I raise the topic of generational differences in the workplace the reaction is always the same – it is an increasingly significant issue.
This can be seen in a number of areas. Compensation, work-life balance, work ethic, loyalty, retention, hiring, job flexibility, benefit plans, workplace environment, workplace civility and respect, career planning, and use of technology are all potentially contentious issues. Underlying all of them is a clash of core values, which more often than not gets expressed in some form of conflict. As I have highlighted over the past couple of months, constructive conflict is about ideas and issues, not persons and personalities, understanding that all of who we are comes into any conflict we might experience. This is especially important to understand when dealing with the different generations that now make up the workplace.
Do any of these quotes, taken from the book Generations At Work, sound familiar?
“They have no work ethic. They’re just a bunch of slackers.”
“So I told my boss, ‘If you’re looking for loyalty, buy a dog.’”
“A hiring bonus! Wet behind the ears and he wants a hiring bonus! At his age, I was just grateful I had a job.”
“I have a new rule. I will not attend meetings that start after 5 P.M. I have a life.”
“If I hear, ‘We tried that in ‘87’ one more time, I’ll hurl in his wrinkly, old face.”
One could argue that clashes between the generations has always been with us and always will be. But what is unique at this point in history is that for the first time we have four distinct generations within the workplace. And while there are some common threads that run between all four, there are also some significant differences.
There are the Traditionalists and Boomers, who still hold many key leadership positions within most organizations, and then there are the Gen Xers and Millienials who are gradually becoming more and more prominent and influential. In fact, one of the most pressing and difficult issues organizations currently face is transitioning leadership from one generation to the next.
All of this holds great importance for today’s organizations and teams. There are many possible clash points, but there is also tremendous potential for creative synergy. If these differences can be understood and capitalized on, great things can happen. It is no secret that having a variety of perspectives can be a competitive advantage for any organization or team, but it also takes concerted time and effort to utilize that diversity well.
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My Kids Call Me “Dude”
This kind of casual interaction is just one of the many generational differences we see today that has overflowed into the workplace. In any conversation that I have, and no matter in what line of work, when I raise the topic of generational differences in the workplace the reaction is always the same – it is an increasingly significant issue.
This can be seen in a number of areas. Compensation, work-life balance, work ethic, loyalty, retention, hiring, job flexibility, benefit plans, workplace environment, workplace civility and respect, career planning, and use of technology are all potentially contentious issues. Underlying all of them is a clash of core values, which more often than not gets expressed in some form of conflict. As I have highlighted over the past couple of months, constructive conflict is about ideas and issues, not persons and personalities, understanding that all of who we are comes into any conflict we might experience. This is especially important to understand when dealing with the different generations that now make up the workplace.
Do any of these quotes, taken from the book Generations At Work, sound familiar?
“They have no work ethic. They’re just a bunch of slackers.”
“So I told my boss, ‘If you’re looking for loyalty, buy a dog.’”
“A hiring bonus! Wet behind the ears and he wants a hiring bonus! At his age, I was just grateful I had a job.”
“I have a new rule. I will not attend meetings that start after 5 P.M. I have a life.”
“If I hear, ‘We tried that in ‘87’ one more time, I’ll hurl in his wrinkly, old face.”
One could argue that clashes between the generations has always been with us and always will be. But what is unique at this point in history is that for the first time we have four distinct generations within the workplace. And while there are some common threads that run between all four, there are also some significant differences.
There are the Traditionalists and Boomers, who still hold many key leadership positions within most organizations, and then there are the Gen Xers and Millienials who are gradually becoming more and more prominent and influential. In fact, one of the most pressing and difficult issues organizations currently face is transitioning leadership from one generation to the next.
All of this holds great importance for today’s organizations and teams. There are many possible clash points, but there is also tremendous potential for creative synergy. If these differences can be understood and capitalized on, great things can happen. It is no secret that having a variety of perspectives can be a competitive advantage for any organization or team, but it also takes concerted time and effort to utilize that diversity well.
This entry was posted on Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at 12:41 pm and is filed under Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.