Understanding and managing generational differences in the workplace: How to successfully communicate and lead an intergenerational workforce

For the first time in history, there are five generations in the workplace, each seeing the world and interpreting their experiences in very different ways.

This feeds a media-driven paradigm of them and us, and locks each generation into a set of expected behaviours and responses from management and leadership.

IBM conducted a 2014/15 multigenerational study of 1,784 employees from organisations across 12 countries and 6 industries. It compared the preferences and behavioral patterns of Millennials with those of Gen X (aged 35–49) and Baby Boomers (aged 50–60).

It uncovered that Millennials want many of the same things their older colleagues do. While there are some distinctions among the generations, Millennials’ attitudes are not poles apart from other employees’.

To truly understand the differences, we need to take a look at history and politics, economics, the impact of the internet and social media on our behaviour and lifestyle, and look to the future for emerging trends and workplace statistics.

For instance, many baby boomers plan to work past 65 and 45% of baby boomers consider themselves to be entrepreneurs. Despite the common perception of the millennial "start-up" culture, baby boomers are twice as likely as millennials to start a new business. This means that for many, they have a commercially-savvy skill-set that the younger generations and organisation can benefit from.

According to Deloitte, by 2025, Millennials and Gen Z will represent 75% of the global workforce. In 2020 they accounted for 59%. Millennials are often described as optimistic about the long-term, but uncertain regarding the short-term future. Keep this in mind when managing them, but don’t assume this to be the case. In fact don’t assume anything – most important for the Millennial and Gen Z generation is that they are treated like human beings, given recognition when it’s deserved and are able to grow and develop within the organisation.  

With such a large demographic in the workplace, its absolutely key that each generation pays attention to emerging global trends post-pandemic, and looks at how these impact the various generations. Mental Health and Wellbeing are particularly highlighted, as is hybrid working arrangements and a shift in consumer spending and customer service expectations, which are higher, in addition to increased spending on-line.

Finally, Anne Donovan, Managing Director at Price Waterhouse Coopers, says:

“If businesses are not focused on millennials, they are at a competitive disadvantage. There is a clear business case to have these discussions and to change the culture in the workplace to attract and retain millennial talent. Organizations that understand how much millennials matter are going to win”.

Action Points:

• Move towards a coaching approach to leadership and management. Our CMI Level 5 Qualification is ideal for managers looking to develop their skills and flex their style accordingly.
• Start to implement reflective practice into your day-to-day business activities. We recommend the Stop-Start-Continue-Change formula which prompts you to ask yourself questions to understand key areas of improvement.
• Listen more and be present. Listening with the intent to hear and being fully present helps you uncover subtext and hidden communication which is otherwise missed.
• Ask more questions – be curious. A cornerstone of innovation and creativity, curiosity leads the way as one of the key foundational skills for high-performing individuals and teams. Our Communication and influencing skills course helps you to develop this and other business-critical communication skills.

Want to know more?

Join us and other engineering professionals in our upcoming ‘Managing across generations’ course and understand how you can improve multi-generational interaction within your team.

Useful resources:

Listen to our podcast: How to learn, unlearn & stay curious at work. Damon Klotz and Chip Conley explore what it means to be a modern elder, ponder the notion of our identity being wrapped up in our work, and why the older generation's emotional intelligence is just as important as the younger generation's digital intelligence.