Across the Ages

Not surprisingly, tech firms such as Google and Apple, as well as companies like Starbucks and Zappos attract—and retain—many Millennials.  But according to Grodnitzky, even industries such as produce or manufacturing that don’t normally allow for blended lifestyles can position themselves to be more attractive to younger hires.  “You have to have a cause,” he says. “For one rebar manufacturing company, we came up with ‘we build things that bring people together’ because the rebar went to build stadiums and bridges.  For the produce industry, it’s ‘we feed the planet.’” 

Preventing And Resolving Problems

What incites  generational conflict at the office?  The reasons can run the gamut from resentment and not understanding different work styles to a lack of communication. 

According to Tom Klobucher, founder and CEO of Thomas Interior Systems  and author of The Great Workplace Revolution (Nextis Press, 2012), distrust and pride help sow discord.  Boomers and Traditionalists, for example, will see a Millennial texting and assume “the kid” has no work ethic. 

“But the manager who made that proclamation is on his way home at 5:00 p.m., and the Millennial, who may  be on her way home at the same time, is on her laptop doing work at 10:00 p.m.,” Klobucher says. “The nine-to-five timeframe has no meaning to the Millennial. She’s thinking, ‘I’m working and I can do it anywhere.’”

Burns advises changing the culture from the top down.  “If you’re a manager or owner of a company, it starts with you,” she says, to create a culture of open communication with mentoring programs and
generational coaching to help employees of all ages. 

Education, too, is critical.  Learning the core values of each generation leads to both better understanding and communication.  “Every company needs to have a generational leader who can set the pace, call the generations together, and set the example,” Klobucher says. 

Mattison, himself a Millennial, agrees, noting it is just as important to teach the younger generation about what the older ones have to offer as it is for the older generations to understand that Gen Y is changing the way work gets done. 

“Giving Millennials some perspective on other generations helps immensely in preventing unnecessary collisions and conflicts,” Mattison says. “We (Millennials) need to understand what we’re walking into and where the other generations are coming from.” 

The Evolving Workplace

Despite the apparent differences in age, taste, and style, generations ultimately have more in common than they think.  According to Burns, once people are regarded as colleagues and coworkers instead of the grumpy old guy or the brash new kid, the workplace becomes a much happier, more productive place.

“We all want the same things: meaningful work, good relationships with our coworkers, fair pay, and a chance for advancement,” Burns observes.  And if managers remember this premise it becomes easier to find “common ground” when conflict does occur.