Generation Gap: Perspective key to dealing with generational divide

Here’s something you’ve probably never heard (or said): “Man, those kids in the younger generation really have their noses to the grindstone; they work much harder than we ever did.”

Fact is, there always has been a divide between generations. Each generation clashes and reacts to the one before it. Consider this analogy: The Internet is to Generation Y what rock ‘n’ roll was to the Boomers. Both are considered by the older generations to be fast and dangerous and therefore scary. Both shapes attitudes, unifies, and gives identity to those involved. Just like the Boomers’ parents couldn’t understand what all that loud music was about, the Boomers now can have a hard time relating to the global community Generation Y has found on the Web.

Another example: Tattoos and piercing are to Generation Y what “long hair” (read: below the ears) was to the Boomers. Both saw those things as forms of self-expression while the generations before saw them as tacky, even offensive, with no place in the workplace. Different experiences that are unique to specific times create different perspectives. Understanding those perspectives can help you bridge the generation gap in your office.

Who’s who? Different attitudes about work

Before beginning a discussion about the differences in each generation’s perspective, it’s a good idea to set out a basic definition of who is in each generation and their general views on work:

The Veterans: This generation is also known as the “Greatest Generation.” This is the generation that fought in World War II. Most grew up during the Great Depression and answered the call sacrifice for the greater good of the war effort. Not surprisingly, to this generation, work was a commitment and a way to support their families.

Baby Boomers: Born after WWII, these are the children of the Veterans. While this generation fueled the 1960’s counterculture, it also made the 60-hour workweek standard. Members were willing to work longer hours to earn the visible rewards of new cars and a house in the ‘burbs (perhaps in reaction to growing up with the sacrifices their parents had to make).

Generation X: The first wave of Boomer’s kids, this generation watched their parents work those 60-hour workweeks and decided it didn’t want the same thing. Generation X was the first to require work-life balance from employers.

Generation Y (also known as Millennials and Nexters): Really, this is the second wave of Boomers’ kids and the ones most employers currently are struggling to acclimate to the workforce. This generation takes Generation X’s ideas of work-life balance a step further, wanting not only the time and flexibility to balance important things in their lives with work but also a corporate culture that reflects their need to work for a company they can feel morally good about.

Shift in loyalty

For the Vets, loyalty in the workplace context meant showing up day in and day out from the first day of work until retirement some four decades or more later. The Veterans respected leaders because they were leaders. While the Boomers were more likely to switch jobs, they still gave long spans (decades worth) of service to the same employers. As a holdover from their hippie days, Boomers challenged leadership.

Generations X and Y, however, started to gain a new perspective on loyalty as they watched their parents and grandparents lose pensions they had worked their whole lives to earn. They saw their parents abruptly lose their jobs when companies had to downsize. They witnessed both the Enron scandal and the dot.com bust. So for these last two generations (Y especially), loyalty isn’t about years of service but the intensity of service you get from them every single day.

Interestingly, while Generations X and Y view loyalty much in the same way, they feel differently about leaders. Generation X tends to inherently distrust leadership – perhaps, again, because of events like the Enron scandal. Generation Y wants to connect with leaders. Once they’ve connected to those leaders, there will be more loyalty to your company.

Sitting around, wasting time

Possibly one of the biggest complaints from one generation about the next is that they are “slackers.” Not only do the generations have different attitudes about the purpose of work (from the Veterans’ “To make a living to support my family” to Generation Y’s “To make a difference”) they also have different ideas about what constitutes work.

A Boomer boss pops his head into a young worker’s office to see her listening to her iPod while surfing the Internet, and he automatically assumes she’s goofing off. To the Generation Y worker, that is multitasking. They grew up with the Internet and excel at doing many projects at once.

What does Generation Y see as wasted time? All those long, boring meetings their Boomer bosses insist they sit through. To them, that’s valuable time that could be spent making tangible progress on projects instead of sitting around a big table talking about progress.

Conclusion

Understanding the reasons behind each generation’s different perspective is the first step to bridging that gap.

If you are the Boomer boss with a flock of Generation X and Y employees, remember that their world was shaped by the workplaces injustices they saw your generation suffer (the disloyalty of employers that took away pensions and laid off long-term employees who had given up much family time for their companies). They also are following the groundwork you laid in the 1960’s fights for equality (when they demand a corporate culture that cares about social issues).

If you are a Generation X or Y employee who is baffled by Boomer bosses, remember that their hard work either created or sustained the company that now employees you. If they aren’t as tech-savvy as you are, make it your goal to introduce them to new innovations that would improve your workplace. Respect their rules and authority, and it will be easier to convince them that your habits of multi-tasking (i.e. listening to the iPod while working) and Internet surfing aren’t just goofing off.