Introduction

The extent of change that the world has experienced over the past 50 years is a staggeringly high amount, and the pace at which a lot of these changes have come about is no less striking.

One area of life that has not escaped these vast changes is the business world. Modern businesses may operate within the same fundamental principles of profitability that have governed commerce since it started, but many of the characteristics of a successful company trading in the modern world would seem alien to businesses from years gone by.

An interesting issue that modern companies face is how to handle the different generations of individuals who make up their workforce. This challenge has been around for a long time, but as the requirements of companies change and the skills necessary have evolved, the differences between workers have become more obvious.

This is partly due to the increasing life expectancy of people, particularly in first world countries, which consequently prompts an ever increasing retirement age. Since people work to a later point in their lives, they may remain with the same organisation into their late 60’s or early 70’s, and sometimes as hands- on workers rather than simply sitting at the board.

There is also a demand for a more diverse set of skills in the modern business climate, triggered largely due to the swift development and wide reach of computer technology. Business processes, both internal and external, have been subject to significant changes which require a new way of thinking.

Problems

One of the most common challenges that face a modern enterprise that is operating with a number of distinct generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computer systems are commonplace in our lives these days and they form a pivotal piece of the business puzzle. This computing power can help businesses to run well, but they are only as capable as the people who operate them.

There are also generational problems when it comes to external business aspects such as the law. New laws and corporate best practices are emerging all of the time and important business decision makers need to be aware of any that apply to their business.

Outside of this, there can be problems with communication between different generations of employee, psychological limitations of the older staff in an organisation and the need to fulfil a range of diverse needs and aspirations to keep an entire workforce content. In a warehouse setting it is vital to make use of premium industrial shelving from a quality supplier to keep the workforce safe.

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The Generations

The need to handle generations in the work environment may seem like an unneeded task, but the distinctions between the generations of worker that are commonly found in business are worthwhile taking note of. The generations of worker that may be found in a modern business can be separated into the following four groups:

Traditionals

Mature, or “traditional”, workers are the oldest that would be found in a modern business environment. They’re the people who were born before the Second World War, and will be in their late 60’s or early 70’s.

Their approach to business and life in general is one of organisation and obedience. They were expected to make individual sacrifices for the greater good, and whilst this belief was nurtured under the shadow of a global conflict, lots of the older generation still harbour this opinion in modern times.

Since many of the mature generation will hold senior ranks within a company their views and beliefs will generally carry more weight than those of younger generations. Their judgements will often be fundamental to the business and shape the future success or failure of the organisation. This disparity between modern thinking and business influence requires direction.

Baby Boomers

The Baby Boomer generation includes those born between the end of the war and the mid- 60’s, while there was a general down turn in the birth rate around the globe. Baby Boomers will be aged between 45 and 65 roughly speaking and are likely to form the vast majority of management jobs within a contemporary company.

This generation grew up without a lot of the oppression and discipline that was commonplace amongst previous generations. They are an aspirational group of people that are very family- oriented. They would be the parents of the classic “nuclear family”.

When it comes to the work environment, this group of workers will often be able to grasp the bigger picture while still maintaining a grasp on modern advances in terms of technologies and business processes. Their family- oriented character tends to see them working well in teams, although it is often observed that they are not comfortable when taking criticism(no matter how helpful) , and they are not good at providing feedback to other employees.

Generation X

Members of Generation X were born between the mid- 60’s and the late- 70’s. They will be currently aged between 30 and 45 and will be spread amongst the various levels of management within a modern business.

Socially they grew up in extremely demanding times. Careers were an ever more important and defining part of people’s lives and this was made clear to Generation X from a very young age. Many will have worked up through lower and higher education prior to working their way up within one or maybe two companies. They are expected to work long and challenging hours and frequently both parties in a marriage or relationship will have jobs.

As such, they are often very good at problem solving and achieving short- term objectives but may struggle to grasp how their contribution influences the big picture. They will be motivated by monetary benefits rather than a sense of duty since they feel they have paid their dues through a life of study and work. Generation X need close management to ensure their efficient contribution to the organisation.

Generation NeXt

This generation were born after 1980 and are the youngest collection of people currently at work. They have borne witness to a changing social climate where being an extravert is rarely frowned upon. They are most open to radical ideas and procedures and find hyper- consumerism and relatively competitive promotion to be second nature.

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The Working Environment

Technology

We are all familiar with the gap between the older generations and modern technical equipment. Whether it is a parent struggling to operate a new mobile phone, or a grandparent being truly confused about what the world wide web is, the void between the old and the new is made very apparent when it comes to technology.

In regards to the newer business, issues involving technology can have very far reaching consequences. Computers are critical to many aspects of business, from managing payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a route for marketing. As such, an employee who’s not familiar with the technologies being used by a company is likely to find difficulties in many parts of the business. This introduces the challenge of managing generations in the workplace.

The same principle may also be applied in the opposite direction. The younger generations might be very comfortable with new technologies and practices, but may lack knowledge of the older systems that still perform many of the critical functions of the organisation. Internal business procedures are rarely black and white so employees ideally need a range of technological abilities and understanding.

Physical limitations

There are clear physical aspects that may influence how a successful company manages its workers in regard to age. Elderly generations will by and large by physically inferior to their younger counterparts, and as such they will be less suited to roles that involve physical exertions.

Luckily, most of the older generations of worker will have advanced to senior levels of management within the organisation they work for, and these roles reward based upon knowledge and experience rather than physical capability.

Modern ailments

Modern companies are faced with physical conditions that businesses of the past would not have had to confront. Complaints like RSI, or repetitive strain injury, have become much more common since the widespread introduction and use of computer keyboards.

The desk environment itself may create a number of problems if the ergonomics of any specific workstation are not great. Back problems and joint problems can develop after long intervals of sitting incorrectly, and long periods of exposure to computer screens can contribute to long- term eye damage. Tests are on- going to look into the full scale of the impact of the contemporary workplace on the body.

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Solutions

The management of generations in the workplace has obtained greater exposure over recent years and many more businesses have been made aware of the benefit of effective generational management. This has spawned several new ideas and practices that are in one way or another aimed at improving the working rapport between the business and its workers, no matter how old they are.

If there are specific jobs within your business that are most appropriate for a particular generation then it is often beneficial to only use members of that generation to perform the task. This kind of specialisation requires good organisational management.

There are a number of ways in which your business can learn about managing different generations of employee. Seminars dedicated to the topic have become a more common event in recent times, and the amount of helpful advice that can be obtained from these occasions can be of special benefit to an organisation.

There are also a lot of resources available on the Internet that discuss the problem in more detail, and draw together a range of different ideas for tackling various scenarios.

If setting your own managers the task of learning about generations within the workplace does not seem suitable there are many business consultants that now include the idea of generational management into their practice.

Conclusion

Different generations of employee can find it difficult to work collectively. They have grown up in different times and learnt about a world that has been constantly changing. There are not simply issues when it comes to the language used for communication, but issues of manners and etiquette.

Each generation is also motivated by different factors, and have come from different social upbringings. It will rarely be the case that one solution can be applied across a multitude of generations but it is also crucial that you make sure that your company does not micro- manage different age groups working for it. The business must do what is optimum for its own good results.

Contemporary businesses have a diverse range of skills requirements and these needs simply cannot be satisfied by just one of the generations discussed in this article. As is so frequently the case, the path to success depends upon discovering a balance between the generations- employing the advantages, mitigating the weaknesses and motivating accordingly – through informed and empathetic management.