Here we are with the 9th out of 10 top HR and people trends in 2022. This week we are looking at different generations in the workplace and how to engage:
- What generational engagement?
- Why as HR professionals do we need to pay attention to it?
- How can we utilise it to aid attraction and retention?
Last month on my birthday, it occurred to me that I only had another 12 months before I move into the next demographic bracket on a survey.
In the UK, age discrimination is covered by the equality act. As talked about by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott in their book“The 100-year life” (2016) people are working longer and will consider different career pathways than those undertaken 50 years ago.
According to Forbes there are already 5 generations in the workplace, with more are being added all the time, who will all experience work differently and have different needs.
With this in mind we need to think differently about how we engage with multiple generations in the workplace.
What is it?
What do we mean by a generation?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a generation as:
Noun – “all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively”
In a workforce sense, this groups together individuals of the same or similar age. The five generations in the workforce at the current time are:
Traditionalists: people born 1945 and before
Baby Boomers: people born between 1946 and 1964
Generation X: people born between 1965 and 1980
“Millennials” or Gen Y : people born between 1981 and 1994
Gen Z: people born between 1994 and after
Traditionalists
Also known as the World War 2 generation. Raised in times of both economic depression and conflict. The values of people in this generation could be described as:
- Patriotism
- Hard work
- Discipline
- Respect authority
- Favour traditional book-based learning
- Prefer handwritten communications and personal interactions
Baby Boomers
Their parents are likely to be traditionalists so will share the same values. Baby boomers are:
- Hardworking
- Will know they have done a good job by the hours they put in
- Will work until the job is done
- Career development success is measured by level of seniority they obtain
- Will question authority more than traditionalists
Generation X
The offspring of baby boomers. Due to the time these are born, they will likely be the first generation to show and prefer a level of independence and autonomy:
- Forward thinking
- Flexibility
- Resent micromanagement
- More likely to move jobs more often
- Technical proficiency is in its infancy so will grasp tech, though maybe not as rapidly as those in later generations
Generation Y (or Millennials)
This generation is often described as being defined by technology:
- Natural networkers
- Thinking outside the box
- Require more engagement than previous generations as they thrive on connection & purpose
- Collaborative work environment with a flat organisational structure
- Like frequent feedback on performance & less formal, periodic reviews.
Generation Z
The newest generation to enter the workforce. These are continuing what the millennials began:
- Integrate the social part of work (social media, crowdsourcing etc)
- Collaborative, casual environment
- Emerging tech (i.e., use of Augmented and Virtual Reality)
- In person communications
Whilst on the surface of it these may seem vastly different, there are similarities between the generations. We will explore this a little more in the next section.
Why as HR professionals do we need to pay attention to it?
Having looked at what the generations are we can turn to the why.
For any organisation to thrive you need to put people at the centre of what you do. Whether that is the customers you serve, or the people who work with you.
By understanding the makeup of your workforce, you can understand how to make experience better. By knowing what generations are present in your organisation, will help you to create and implement the right strategies to enable your culture to evolve. For example:
Growth – providing access to different learning platforms to enable people to learn in a way that suits them
Connectivity – learning how each generation likes to be communicated with, will help you to develop a communications strategy that is more personal and make more of an impact.
Engagement – understanding how each generation likes to be interacted with can help you devise an engagement strategy that works.
The list goes on….
As an HR professional you are in a position of privilege that will enable you to create a culture that people want to belong to. By understanding people and their histories you can engage with them in a way that makes them feel valued and see the value they add in return.
You don’t have to think about creating different strategies for each generation. Once you understand the make up of your workforce you can look at common shared work values and build from there.
How can we utilise it to aid attraction and retention?
By looking at how the workforce is structured you will be able to decide what it should look like in the future. Aligning with your people and workforce strategies can ensure that people can align their personal values to the organisational ones to help attract and retain the right people.
Here are some top tips to help you get started:
- Each generation brings with them different skills set. Map out the demographics of your organisation by generation. This will help you identify where there are gaps in your workforce and allow you to target different demographics to help you have a workforce that is reflective of the industry/sector that you work in.
- Collect case studies/testimonials from people to show case your organisation as an employer of choice
- Create a personalised experience; use personas to help you attract and retain talent, as people will see they belong
- Don’t make assumptions; if a person is a generation X they won’t just have the attributes traditionally associated as we adapt and evolve ourselves through the world of work.
- Ask people what will work for them – particularly post pandemic. In Envoys latest research “return to the workplace” report they highlight how working habits have changed:
- People are returning to the office
- Not sticking to the old 9-5 schedule
- Hot desking in a hybrid environment. 40% of Gen Y people prefer to personalise their space, compared to 21% of Gen X and 34% of Gen Z
- Re-learn skills (i.e. time management, how to create small talk, in person presentation skills & good posture)
- Planning office time to connect
- Mental health days are key – especially for Gen Z
If you would like to learn more about personas or personalised experiences, and are not sure where to start; why not drop us a note
@Karen
