Young, old, in-between: Can they all get along? - Virginia Gult

People naturally carry their formative influences to work with them. So, it's understandable that the youngest generation of employees, who grew up with constant feedback - "good for you for setting the table" - might expect the same at work, says Nora Spinks, president of Toronto-based Work-Life Harmony Enterprises.

However, these same young employees in supervisory positions might have no idea how offensive it is for a baby boomer to be told: "It makes me proud when my team completes projects on time." As if there was even a remote possibility that the work-obsessed boomer, old enough to be the supervisor's parent, would miss a deadline.

Hence the latest in corporate diversity initiatives: multigenerational diversity.

With four distinct generations now toiling cheek by jowl in the workplace, Ms. Spinks has found that a growing portion of her consulting work involves helping the different age groups understand each other's values.
Diversity initiatives traditionally have been aimed at removing barriers for women, visible minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees in the workplace.

Now, International Business Machines Corp. is among the first companies to develop a formal program on multigenerational diversity, says Ronald Glover, its vice-president of global work force diversity.

The role of managers has never been more complicated, says Mr. Glover, who was in Markham, Ont., yesterday for a diversity event at IBM Canada Ltd.

"There are significant differences in terms of work styles, familiarity with technology ... [and] attitudes" among the different generations, he says. They even like to sleep and work at different times.

This month, Mr. Glover plans to hold a summit at the company's Armonk, N.Y., headquarters to focus exclusively on issues of generational diversity and develop practices that reduce the potential for clashes.

Mr. Glover says he cannot predict the outcome - IBM is "just on the beginning of this journey" of figuring out ways to bridge generation gaps and meet the needs and aspirations of all 358,000 employees worldwide, whatever their age.

The overriding principle that applies to IBM's other diversity initiatives will apply here, too: To foster open communication, and get people "talking to each other, as opposed to about each other," Mr. Glover says.

Employees are encouraged to be assertive in declaring what makes them tick, he says. The reason is straightforward: "There's a war for talent."

In order to retain the top minds in technology, IBM is exploring ways to keep its experienced older hands connected to the work force - rather than losing them to retirement - while also finding ways to make the footloose younger generations sign on and stay.

"Employers will need to become much more focused and creative in how they address the differences and needs of generational groups in order to build and maintain the talent to survive. Doing so is an important part of managing workplace diversity," IBM says in a background document.

At IBM, this could involve "two-way mentoring" - with more seasoned veterans transferring their depth of knowledge to younger employees, while members of the iPod generation bringing their elders up to speed on the latest technological advances. The younger generation, after all, is an important market segment for IBM, Mr. Glover says.

Ms. Spinks says generational diversity has become "a hot, hot topic" with employers, who acknowledge the differences among their four generations of employees - but don't quite know how to deal with them.

It would be a mistake to try to insist on conformity, Ms. Spinks advises managers. Instead, they should learn how to "leverage the diversity."

CollegeRecruiter.com, a Minneapolis-based online career site, says in a recently published employers' guide to Generation Y that these youngest work force entrants are high maintenance, but worth the effort.

"Many of them are college-educated and experienced through internships and co-operative education programs. They know they have a lot to offer and are eager to share what they have learned," according to the CollegeRecruiter.com report.

However, they can get on the nerves of older generations of workers because "they are impatient to gain levels of responsibility that, in the eras of baby boomers and Gen-X, would have taken either several years or hundreds of hours of dedicated hard work to achieve," the report says.

Younger employees, on the other hand, can find the dominant boomer generation overbearing and difficult to work with, according to a report released this week by the online job site Monster.ca.

"Numerous changes to the Canadian workplace have magnified these differences ... and ignited generational conflict," Monster.ca said in its report, Generation Clash!

Opportunities for advancement have been curtailed by the downsizing of companies, mergers, acquisitions and consolidations, the Monster report says.

And, because seniority is no longer the sole basis for promotion, "people from different generations ... compete for the same jobs, which, in turn, sets in motion a generational identification, whereby people blame other generations for workplace problems."

Another reason that fewer jobs are coming open at the top is the reversal of the early-retirement trend. The intention of a growing number of aging boomers to work beyond traditional retirement age - many of them still holding power positions - has added to the frustration of Gen-Xers anxious for their turn to call the shots, Monster says.

Mr. Glover says he has not observed such profound dissonance between the different generational groups at IBM.

Still, IBM's goal is to "get ahead of the curve," educate its managers on the generational differences, and make the company an accommodating workplace for all, Mr. Glover says.

"Competition to attract and retain qualified employees will be essential and intense," he adds.

Talkin' 'bout the g- g- g- generations

Traditionalists

(Born between 1922 and 1945):

They have a strong sense of duty, sacrifice, loyalty and a great faith in institutions, people and governments. They are unlikely to rock the boat, break the rules or disrespect authority, and usually stay with employers until retirement. They measure work ethic on timeliness, productivity and the ability to blend in, and believe promotions, recognition and raises should come from job tenure.

Baby boomers

(1946-1964):

They run governments, they're the managers and CEOs - in short, they are in control. They believe in teamwork and relationship building, but are skeptical about technology, as they believe it brings with it as many problems as it provides solutions. They measure their work ethic in hours worked (and like to be seen working them). These are the workaholics.

Gen Xers

(1965-1980):

They are more skeptical toward authority and cautious in their commitments. They prefer free agency to company loyalty, and - as the first generation of latchkey kids - are self-reliant and independent workers. They value control of their time, flexibility and freedom; they embrace technology as a way to maintain control of their lives. They respect production, open communication and having options.

Gen Yers

(born after 1980):

They are ubiquitous with technology. Also known as Millenials, Gen-Yers value altruism, have positive can-do attitudes, and expect positive reinforcement from employers. They have a bit of a pack mentality (wanting to connect with their peers) and enjoy material comforts and the good life. At the same time, they will not take just any job, but will spend time searching for a job that provides the greatest personal fulfilment.