Take It Or Lead It

Jun 6 2007 6:42AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |
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The whole concept of different generations in the workplace and how to attract and retain them is not just a hot topic, but also a contentious one, particularly for leaders who find themselves having to deal with and plan for it. If you are one of those leaders, the chances are that you’re also a Baby Boomer or Civic who’s had to sacrifice your work-life balance in order to get ahead,make a decent buck and take care of your financial and family commitments. You’ve earned your stripes the hard way. So you may find it irritating to read articles (like our last blog!) about pandering to “Generation Y” who have come of age in a largely prosperous society and who, let’s face it, are easily seen as overconfident,somewhat entitled and unrealistic in their expectations of the workplace. Sept 11^TH may be one of the defining moments of their lifetime, but that has only served to reinforce their commitment to a full life, with a healthy work-life balance as the anchoring principle.

Contrast this with the 78 million US Boomers who are ambitious, driven and hard-working and the older generation of “Civics” (who were born before 1946 and currently make up 7% of the US workforce) who are known for their dedication and personal sacrifice, respect for authority and conformity. Then there’s the Gen X’ers – the last group to have wreaked havoc on corporate everywhere : they’re independent, change oriented and questioning of authority. Throw Gen Y into the mix and the rocket scientists among you will not be the only ones to pick up on the potential for chaos in the new world of work.

The Gen X’ers are generally mid-career by now, but many late Boomers are nearing “retirement age” in a time where retirement looks increasingly like an outdated (and financially unrealistic) concept. Many Civics have tried retirement, got bored of it and are now out there looking for their second or even third careers. This may turn out to be the last generation to have had the option of full-time retirement, but they don’t all want it.

Case in point - one of our clients at UKNY owns a couple of companies, each of which has a number of older workers pushing 70 who are as active, motivated and productive now as they’ve ever been at any point in their careers. Furthermore, they bring a wisdom, maturity and level of patience to the workplace that can be a stabilizing influence for younger employees during hectic or difficult times. We’ve seen first-hand how these employees bring a lifetime of experience to work that can’t be matched, but can be complemented very well by the creativity and technological capabilities of younger generations.

As important as it is to think about how to attract and retain “Generation Y,” we also believe that companies who focus too much on a Gen Y strategy are missing ahuge opportunity. As much as we need ideas, creativity, energy and optimism to fuel innovation, we also need independent thinkers, bravery, respect, maturity, patience and experience. In other words – not only is there room for everyone, we need everyone.

Smart companies are reaching out to all demographics – thinking seriously about their ‘employer brand’ and how it resonates with, and meets the needs of, different age groups.

It’s tempting to believe that Generation Y is the group making all the demands, but if you want to hold onto your more experienced workers AND attract that kind of experience from other places, your employer proposition needs to be as compelling for Boomers and Civics as it does for the twenty somethings. Flexible working opportunities, sabbaticals, vacation and time off policies, job sharing, and health and wellness benefits are going to be as valued by older generations in years to come as they are to the youngsters making those kinds of demands now.

It seems that those youngsters are teaching us a thing or two, whether we like it or not.

Who knew?