The Representor, Cover Story, Winter, 2012 Issue

Read on to learn what Barry said about all the generations and how to close the gaps in your workplace ... and perhaps at home too.

Who are the four generations?
Exactly who are the four generations? Barry's audience at the conference included members of each one:

Traditionalists (born 1925 - 45); Baby Boomers (born 1946 - 64); Gen X (born 1965 - 79); and Gen Y (born 1980 - 2000).

After attendees identified themselves by each generation, Barry asked, "How many of you are somewhat frustrated by members of another generation?" There was no surprise when all the hands went up!

Why Gen Y is so important to all
Describing Gen Y as "amazing," Barry first zeroed in on this newest age group in the workforce because, when Gen Y began graduating from college in 2001 and entering the job market, a deluge of publicity ensued. Much of that media attention focused on how members of Gen Y – also known as Millenials, Echo Boomers, the Internet Generation or Generation Why – were affecting the workplace.

One of Barry's favorite articles about Gen Y appeared in the New York Times. It was titled "When Whippersnappers and Geezers Collide," and that, she said, "is what's happening in many workplaces." Gen Ys, she elaborated, need to know why things must be done a certain way ... why they cannot wear flip flops to a job interview ... and why they should not post wild personal photos on their Facebook pages and still hope to land the jobs they want.

The expansive news coverage about Gen Ys has also given rise to the image that they are lazy, unmotivated slackers – a "myth," according to Barry, who insisted that "they are very motivated and very hard working. We just have to take the time to figure out what motivates them."

Who exactly are Gen Ys? Barry described them as independent, service-oriented, techno-savvy, optimistic, entrepreneurial, resourceful, determined, collaborative, innovative thinkers ... and "they love a challenge." So why are some employers a bit bewildered by this younger generation? "It may be," Barry answered, "because of what they want. This generation wants a sense of purpose. They want life-work balance, which is different from work-life balance. For this generation, life definitely comes before work. They want respect. They want to do real work and make a difference. They want transferable skills, mentors, state of the art technology, instant gratification, and they want to work for a community-minded organization. The reality is that they want the same things we all want."

However, Barry added, the sticking point is that Gen Y has a reputation for coming into the workforce and making demands. Why is that? She listed a number of reasons, citing what makes this generation noticeably different.

"Gen Ys are the children of Baby Boomers," she noted. "They have seen their parents work 50+ hours a week forever, and they don't want to be that stressed out. They have seen their parents work for the same organizations forever and then get downsized or laid off. They have grown up in a time when companies like Enron have crumbled with corruption. It's no wonder they want instant gratification, transferable skills and life-work balance."

Gen Y, Barry continued, is also known as the Trophy Generation. "All those Baby Boomer parents gave their kids a trophy for everything!" she said, as all the nodding heads in the audience agreed. "We gave our kids a prize for just showing up! They are the most praised, recognized generation in living memory, so it's no wonder they walk into our businesses with a bit of an entitlement attitude. It's possible, just possible, that we went a little overboard on this whole self-esteem movement."

Another factor that sets Gen Ys apart, Barry explained, is they have been raised by "helicopter parents," those Baby Boomers who hover, swoop in to save the day and then fly back up and away. "There are stories," Barry added, "about parents who are calling HR departments if their son or daughter does not get a good performance review. I have clients whose parents are so involved in the hiring process that they now ask the question, 'Do you think your parents have any questions before we make you an offer?' It's scary. There are even parents attending college career fairs on behalf of their sons and daughters. It is time to land the helicopter!"

And the fourth major reason Gen Y is different, Barry recounted, is "because of technology. They are the first completely tech-savvy generation to enter the workforce. They have never known life without computers. This is great news for Baby Boomers who are techno-challenged." Her audience clearly got Barry's point when she asked, "Who do you call when you have a question about technology?"

So why should everyone care so much about Gen Y? "Because there are 80 million of them," Barry replied. "They are key to the success of your organization, not only as future employees but as future clients. They are our future leaders as the Baby Boomers start to retire, and we need to begin grooming them."

Quoting statistics that Barry said are often overlooked by employers, she pointed out that there are 79 million Baby Boomers but only 47 million Gen Xers. As the Boomers retire, there will not be enough Gen Xers to take over all the current leadership positions. So the Gen Ys will have to be ready to move up sooner than most may expect.

Another reason to care about Gen Ys is their tremendous purchasing power. They not only have their own power, but they also influence the buying decisions of their families and friends.

And Barry's final reason to care about Gen Ys is "they tell all." When they have a positive experience, they tell everyone they know, but they also do the same when they have negative experiences, and they "tell all" very quickly.

Stressing her passion for helping Gen Ys be successful, Barry provided five tips for those who manage or work with this younger generation.

1) Treat them like valued employees from day one, not like kids who don't know anything. If they are treated with respect, they will return that respect. 2) Be aware that they want to get on board and up to speed very quickly. Managers must be ready when Gen Ys start work because they want to "own" a project from the beginning. 3) Give them a seat at the "big table." Gen Ys want to share their ideas and be listened to. They are smart and can help their organizations if they are allowed to. 4) Understand that they expect their bosses to be team players – leaders who are also willing to get down in the trenches. Many say Gen Ys are not loyal, and despite the statistic that this generation changes jobs every 18 months, Barry argued that they are loyal – but to people, not institutions. So the manager-employee relationship is critical to retaining them. 5) Realize that they want feedback and praise. Gen Ys want to know what they've done well and what they can do better, and they don't want to wait for their annual reviews to find out. They want daily feedback and praise, a desire that Barry said some employers rebel against. But the recognition doesn't need to be significant, she added. "It can be as simple as a thank you or calling them by name. They just want to be acknowledged." And that includes their first day on the job. "Make them feel special and welcome from day one," she urged.

Most of all, Barry added, "This generation is bright, they care and they want to make a difference."

About Traditionalists
Moving on to the other generations, Barry provided capsule descriptions of their characteristics, stereotypes, communication styles and opinions about work-life balance. The oldest generation in today's workplace, the Traditionalists, are characterized by loyalty, respect for rules and authority, dedication and self-discipline. This is the generation that is the least likely to abuse privileges, question instructions or make a scene in public. The only recognition they need is the personal satisfaction of a job well done.

They're stereotyped as being a bit old-fashioned, rigid and a little adverse to change. Traditionalists might say, "We've done it this way forever. Why change now?" Their communication style is personal, formal and done through the appropriate channels. When it comes to work-life balance, Barry noted that Traditionalists "believe that work and family should be kept separate."

About Baby Boomers
What about those post-World War II Baby Boomers? Noting, "I'm right there with you," Barry described their primary characteristics as optimism and respect for accomplishment. They are team players who value self-gratification.

Boomers are stereotyped as being workaholics and somewhat unrealistic. Their communication style is somewhat formal and a combination of personal and electronic. When it comes to work-life balance, they consider family important, but work typically comes first.

"This generation," Barry stressed, "is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, including working long hours, working weekends, whatever is necessary. Their gratification comes from rewards like promotions, a big title on their business card or maybe a front row parking space at the office."

Before moving on to the younger generations, Barry addressed the Gen Xers and Ys in the audience, pleading, "I need you to give the Traditionalists and Baby Boomers a little break when it comes to technology. We are doing the best we can!"

"It wasn't until just a few years ago," she continued, "that Traditionalists and Boomers learned to send text messages – not because we wanted to but because we had to in order to communicate with our children. You know the drill. When you call a Gen Y, you don't get an answer. But when you text, you get an immediate reply."

There was knowing laughter from the audience when Barry quickly related why it takes a little while for some Traditionalists and Boomers to answer a text message.

Not everyone has a smartphone, she noted, so it's "almost painful" to type messages. And there are also steps to be followed. "First," she said, "we have to find our strongest reading glasses to read your text, and when we reply, we use complete sentences and check our sentence structure and grammar. We use no abbreviations. Then, before we hit the send button, we read the message one more time for its tone to make sure you'll feel good when you get that text message. So please, Gen X and Y, go easy on us."

About Gen X
Returning to her profiles of each generation, Barry next addressed Gen X. They are results-oriented, informal, self-reliant and pragmatic. They are stereotyped as slackers, impatient, cynical and somewhat skeptical.

The communication style of Gen Xers is casual, direct and electronic. In their work-life balance priorities, they are the opposite of Boomers. Gen X works to live.

"This is a generation that is very independent," Barry footnoted. "These are the latch-key kids, so they can handle life on their own. If you are working with Gen Xers, one of the key things you need to know is that you can tell them what needs to be done and when you need it, but don't tell this generation where to do it or how to do it."

Barry added that those working with Gen Xers may find them a little frustrated in the workplace. That is a result of their being "sandwiched between the Traditionalists and Baby Boomers and Gen Y. On the one hand, Gen Xers are looking at the older generations and saying to themselves, 'Are you ever going to retire, or are you going to be here forever? Is there any hope for me to move up?' They also have Gen Ys coming into their organizations, nipping at their heels, ready to take over. And they're saying, 'Who are you? Get off of me!' So Gen Xers are feeling crunched right now."

About Gen Y
Barry returned briefly to Gen Y to compare it to the older generations. Among their main characteristics, Gen Ys are self-confident, task-oriented, inquisitive and techno-savvy. They are stereotyped as spoiled, disrespectful and with short attention spans.

Their communication styles are very casual, fast, direct and high tech. And for this generation, when it comes to work-life balance, Barry re-emphasized that "life definitely comes before work."

Gen Ys want work to be fun and fast-paced. "They expect attention," she reiterated. "They tend to be demanding, and they are the least likely of all generations to work long hours. Their work style is goal-oriented with no set hours or operation. So if you want to make this generation happy, let them set their own hours."

How all can work together
It's no wonder, Barry summarized, that it's challenging to get four generations to work well together when they have different values, styles and priorities. Employers are struggling with this issue, she noted, "and in my opinion, we're making it way too hard."

She then outlined three simple ways to help the multiple generations better relate to and work successfully together.

1) Accept the fact that everyone can learn from others' perspectives and experiences.
"Everyone on the team has something of value to offer," Barry stressed. "That's why you hired them. It's important to be open to everyone's ideas." Among the many benefits of a multi-generational team, she highlighted the "opportunity to gain and maintain greater market share because your employees represent all the markets you serve." Plus, better decisions and more innovation also result when all generations collaborate.

Barry then strongly suggested "reverse mentoring programs." Acknowledging that traditional mentoring – when younger workers are guided by older, more experienced employees – remains highly valuable, she recommended that Gen Y employees could just as well mentor and share ideas with their older associates.

On the subject of training, Barry went on, "As you are planning your programs, keep in mind that there are different learning styles among the four generations. Traditionalists and Baby Boomers typically like face-to-face classroom settings, complete with manuals. They're paper people. They want to hold the manual and refer to it later. Gen Xers may prefer an on-line experience, training when they have time. Gen Ys want it to be fun, fast-paced and experiential. So as you develop your training formats, remember that one size does not fit all."

The one commonality among all generations, Barry added, is "they are all crazy busy, so I recommend short bursts of training. If we ask people to sit for too long in a training session, without access to their smartphones or Blackberries, it's not going to be pretty!"

2) Focus on what everyone has in common.
Rather than being preoccupied with the differences among the generations, Barry urged, focus on the fact that "we are working on the same team toward one common goal, and that is to provide exceptional service to our clients. It should not matter how old people are, what position they hold or how long they've been with the company. What matters is the talent they bring to the organization."

The four generations have a great deal in common, Barry affirmed. "All the generations want respect. They want to be heard and appreciated for the work they do. They all need clear expectations. They want to feel connected to the business, and they all want the opportunity to impact the bottom line."

3) Get everyone talking to each other.
Barry urged, "Instead of talking about each other, let's focus our energy on getting all the generations to talk to each other. If you want a 59-year-old Baby Boomer to understand why a 24-year-old Gen Y doesn't want to work all weekend, and if you want a 35-year-old Gen Xer to understand why he can't send text messages to a 72-year-old Traditionalist, we need to get them talking to each other.

"There may be days when you wonder if you're speaking the same language. For example, let's say you had a project you asked your associate to get to you by the end of the day. For a Traditionalist or Boomer, that's 5 p.m. sharp. To a Gen Xer, end of the day may be 6 or 7 p.m. But end of the day to a Gen Y is 11:59:59 p.m."

On the same subject, Barry said research shows that "we are not talking the same language." She cited Marc Prensky's 2001 study of Gen Y where he described this generation as "digital natives." The author wrote, "They were the first generation to grow up with new technology. As a result, they think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors. They are native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet."

If Gen Ys are native speakers, what are the older generations? Prensky labeled them "digital immigrants," and noted, "As digital immigrants learn to adapt to their new environment, they always retain, to some degree, their 'accent,' that is, their foot in the past. Today's older folks were socialized differently from their kids and are now in the process of learning a new language."

The obvious conclusion? Barry was adamant: "We are speaking different languages!"

Concluding with "the most important advice I can share with you about working with all the generations," Barry encouraged, "Ask them what they want. Always remember that people support what they create. Getting all the generations to work well together is not that hard. It's a matter of creating an environment of open communication, collaboration and mutual respect."

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To listen to Nany Barry's presentation and the feedback from the attendees' round table workshops, visit the ERA Post-Conference Pages - accessible from the Home Page Spotlight.
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