Introduction to a Multigenerational Workforce

Question:

Discuss about the Managing Multigenerational Workforce.

Organizations are currently recruiting three different generations, who are diversified in their characteristics, experience, and educational levels. Within the next 10 years the majority of the workforce will be represented in the Generation Y or the Millennials, who is described as the best educated generation, and the technology savvy generation. The HRM within organizations should have plans to recruit, select, and retain the younger generation. This process offers challenges as well as opportunities as the existence of multigenerations within the workplace create conflicts between three types of generations (Great Place to Work, 2016). Managing conflicts between the Boomers, who represent the managerial levels, and the Millennials, who represent the younger or new comers is essential, as organizations need the experience of the Boomers and the technology-driven younger generation. Also, Gen Y is considered as a multi-tasking group of employees who are committed to work within teams, optimistic, cultural sense, and like to have fun at work place. The Millennials like the fast based tasks enabled by technology, and constant feedback from their leaders. Regarding the work life balance, they prefer to engage with family and friends than to be committed to work (Lester et al., 2012). These manners usually contradict with the Boomers who tend to work hard and have their traditional way of work.

The following section provides an analysis to the multigenerations working within organizations, with a special focus on the Millennials who are considered the future leaders. Challenges, opportunities, and strategies to manage them will be discussed, also, recruitment and motivation through employee engagement, and internal branding will be analysed.

Many organizations hire and retain a multigenerational workforce, organizations need to evaluate their workforce from different perspectives, including, recruitment, retention, expectations, compensation, collaboration, training, and learning style. Multigenerational workforce, include four generations, the Silent Generation born (1933 to 1945); the Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964), Generation X (born 1965 to 1980), and Generation Y or the Millennial (born 1981 to 2000). According to Cekada (2012), the Multigenerational workforce has different characteristics, work ethics, values, and tolerance and, respect that affect the way they interact. Each generation characteristics could be described as follows:

• Silent Generation: This generation witnessed the great depression, accordingly they are self-sacrificing.
• Baby Boomers: They are called Boomers, as they were born after the 2^nd world war. They wish to retire early, they witnessed amid economic prosperity, and they have strong work ethics representing their willingness to work hard and work individually. Currently, they hold management positions and they experience conflicts with younger employees who find difficulties in adapting to the business rules they created. They like the face to face communications, and act as trainers to the younger employees (Eversole et al., 2012). They need to transfer their experience to the Gen Y before they retire.
• Generation X: Grew up in a different environment than the Baby Boomers, they are independent and not loyal to their workplace, as they experienced the layoffs of their parents, although they may be committed to their bosses and teams (Gratton, 2011). Accordingly, they are considered the team leaders of the younger generation.
• Generation Y/Millennials: It also referred to as the Net Generation. It is the most racially diverse generation in the history, this generation is the most educated and technology literate. They are self-confident, and capable to work in teams (Chaudhuri & Ghosh, 2012). This generation needs a regular feedback and evaluation to guide their performance and to give them the required support and help to engage with other generations (Anderson et al., 2016). The way the managers provide feedback to the younger generation should vary, by using different approaches to provide feedback according to the employees’ value system. Feedback could be provided through the performance appraisal or it may take the form of recognition or rewarding system.

Technology is part of the daily life of Gen Ys, they are connected through cell phones, PC’s, and other devices anywhere and anytime. Unlike other generations, Gen Ys are socially connected to others through blogging, messaging, e-mails, and different other ways that instantly send and receive messages. Gen Ys, are creative, ambitious, and people oriented, men are more relaxed than the Boomers, this trait reflects their innovation and creativity. They are not considered as natural leaders as the Boomers, but not relaxed workers, as they are willing to work long hours to increase their employability. For them, the career is not the way to go upwards. The organizational structure does not mean too much to the Gen Ys, as the largest technology companies, as Apple and Google operate in the form of huge, open rooms, where managers sit alongside employees. Gen Ys are described multi-task, impatient, and technology savvy (Austinbein, 2017). Technology helps the Millennials to perform their job faster and more efficient than the older employees.

Characteristics of Generation Y / Millennials

The diversity of the workforce through recruiting multigenerations brings a competitive advantage to the workplace. Each generation has its own experiences, characteristics, and knowledge that could benefit and add value to the business. Although, some researchers argue that different generations in the workplace may result in poor productivity, lack of good communication, and low customer satisfaction. Millennials represent the large number of workers entering the job market.  It is a big challenge for organizations to manage the needs of the three generations (Great Place to Work, 2016). The incorporation of the Millennials in the organizations, and leaders affects the communication within the organization and makes significant changes in the structure which may result in conflicts. The Silent Generation, and the Boomers will start to drop from the workforce in the near future, Flynn (2014) suggests that the Millennials will represent about 75% of the workforce by 2025. Accordingly, organizations should consider that their decisions in the current time will affect their willingness to recruit the Millennials within the coming 10 years.

Organizations face a big challenge in managing the multigenerational workforce, due to many factors, that could be displayed according to Adams (2017), as follows:

• Negative stereotyping: As different generations have different viewpoints for each other’s. The Boomers see the Gen X, and the Millennials as lazy workers, and technology savvy. On the other side, the Millennials argue that the older workers refuse change, and lack the innovative way of thinking and getting things done.
• Conflict between knowledge and experience: The Millennials have the innovative knowledge, and the Boomers have the experience. As the Boomers are moving out, knowledge transfer from the old to the new generation will stop.
• Increased workload: Older employees load the younger employees with work to train them. The younger employees who depend on technology, do not realize that jobs need their hard work more than the technology to get the job done.
• Delivery issues: Younger employees depend on the technology in fulfilling their job tasks. The older employees take more time and pride in completing their tasks. Accordingly, younger employees can deliver their work on time, and more efficiently than the Boomers.
• Decrease in morals and an increase in stress: These negative feelings tend to affect the work platform as a result of conflict miss management among different generations.

The combination between the experience of the old generation and the expertise of technology users by the young generation result in benefits to the organization if it could manage both of the two parties in a proper way. If managers could work with Gen Y as partners, who complement each other, there will be a positive impact on the organizational performance. Also, the ability of the younger employee to learn through the distance learning mechanisms can result in time, and cost saving, and will enhance the organizational learning (Homewood Human Solutions, 2012). It is important to the HRM to promote for a new culture of collaboration between the older, and the younger generations to create a higher level of job satisfaction.

The new dynamics resulted from the entrance of the Millennials, are represented in the new ways of communications, valuing the staff strengths, and managing stress (University of New Hampshire, 2017). This generation faced a depressing job market conditions, went in debt, and experienced high stress levels, they are likely to move from job to another, unlike the Boomers who preferred to stay with one employer. They like the type of jobs that offers them confidence and goal achievement. Work should not be a waste of time, and should be meaningful, for example, they consider meetings as a waste of time. Iden (2016), proposes strategies that leaders need to follow to best lead the Millennials among the other workforce generations, as follows:

• Flexibility at workplace: The openness of work schedule enables employees from different generations to work in a platform free of stress. Also, flexibility can satisfy different professional, and personal needs.
• Matching coherent group strengths: To promote knowledge sharing, and build the learning organization.
• Utilizing multiple channels of communication: A mix of different communication channels is required, as the Boomers prefer the standard meetings, but the Millennials prefer more innovative ways of communication.
• Creativity in using engagement methods: Mixing up events and tasks requires creativity in management to lower the stress of the different generation workforce.
• Involvement of project team members: Managers can coordinate between team members, and manage collaboration among them.
• Providing feedback: The Millennials prefer to get continuous feedback for their performance from their supervisors.

Challenges in Managing a Multigenerational Workforce

Organizations should be aware of the needs of the younger workers to attract and retain them. Millennials prefer the extrinsic rewards, benefits, and good compensations which could be used to stimulate them to stay in the workplace. The developmental opportunities are ranked as the priority of the Millennials, the work life balance, and company environment are also important factors for them to stay in the workplace. Organizations may retain the Boomers longer to ensure the knowledge transfer to the younger generation, and to develop their leadership skills. Helping the younger generation to focus on their goals and opportunities is likely to retain them at the workplace (Ng & Parry, 2016). It is also important to provide the younger generation with training programs to increase their skills along with the knowledge transferred from the Boomers to them.

Internal branding can position a certain brand image in the younger employees’ minds, who are expected to promote for this brand image inside, and outside the workplace. Brand image engages the employees through deep commitment, honor, and pride, as employees feel that they are emotionally attracted to their workplace, and work for its success. HR plays an important role in the internal branding during the recruitment process, as they have to find a common value to encourage between the new employees, the organization, and the brand. Offering a different workplace that ensures a work-life balance can improve the employee engagement, and retention (Özçelik, 2015). Focusing on the internal branding is highly recommended by organizations, and promoting for it by the HRM from the early stage of recruitment and selection is likely to attract and retain the younger employees, but the reality should match the given promises.

The attractive work conditions, and healthy work climate encourage the younger employees to stay. Employee engagement should be the top priority for any employer to keep the younger generation as they will represent the majority of the work force within the coming 10 years. If employees like their workplace, they will be less likely to leave. Providing leadership opportunities to the Millennials is likely to give them ownership of their work (Thompson, 2011). It is impossible to make all of the employees act as leaders, but building the leadership capabilities of the employees, and delegation are likely to empower them and increase their satisfaction level.

Conclusion

Organizations should be aware of the needs of the younger workers to attract and retain them. Technology helps the Millennials to perform their job faster more efficient than the older employees. Millennials prefer the extrinsic rewards, benefits and good compensations which could be used to stimulate them to stay in the workplace. It is also important to provide the younger generation with training programs to increase their skills along with the knowledge transferred from the Boomers to them.

The new dynamics resulted from the entrance of the Millennials, are represented in the new ways of communications, valuing the staff strengths, and managing stress. Internal branding can position a certain brand image in the younger employees’ minds, who are expected to promote for this brand image inside, and outside the workplace. Brand image engages the employees through deep commitment, honor, and pride, as employees feel that they are emotionally attracted to their workplace.

References

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