Introduction

The degree of change that the planet 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 impressive.

One area of life that has not escaped these vast changes is the business world. Modern companies may operate within the same fundamental principles of profitability that have governed business since it began, 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 problem that modern companies face is how to handle the different generations of individuals who make up their staff. This challenge has been around for a long time, but as the needs of organisations change and the skills necessary have evolved, the differences between workers have become more obvious.

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

There is also a demand for a more diverse range of skills in the modern business climate, triggered largely due to the swift development and extensive reach of computer technology. Business processes, both internal and external, have been subject to significant changes which require a fresh way of thinking. These modern ways of thinking are most commonly found within the younger working age group.

Problems

One of the most typical challenges that face a modern business that is operating with a number of different generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computers are commonplace in our lives nowadays and they form a vital piece of the business puzzle. This computing power can help businesses to run well, but they are only as able as the people who operate them.

There are also generational issues when it comes to external business factors such as the law. New laws and corporate best practices are emerging all of the time and important business decision makers must be aware of any that apply to their company. This can be said of sales as well as promotional channels that have come forth with the rise of the World Wide Web.

Beyond this, there can be communication problems between different generations of worker, psychological limitations of the older personnel in an organisation and the need to satisfy a range of different wants and aspirations to keep an entire workforce content.

Many businesses find that they possess a need of racking solutions over many departments of their business.

The Generations

The requirement to handle generations in the workplace may seem like an unneeded task, but the distinctions between the generations of worker that are commonly found in business are worth taking note of.

Traditionals

Mature, or “traditional”, employees are the oldest that would be found in a modern business environment. They are 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, many of the older generation still harbour this opinion nowadays.

Since many of the mature generation will hold senior ranks within a company their views and opinions will generally carry more weight than those of younger generations. Their judgements will often be fundamental to the business and sculpt the future success or failure of the organisation.

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 world. 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 collection of people that are very family- oriented.

When it comes to the workplace, this group of workers will frequently be able to grasp the bigger picture whilst still maintaining a grasp on modern advances in terms of technologies and business procedures. Their family- oriented character tends to see them working well in teams, although it is often noted that they are not at ease when taking criticism(no matter how constructive) , and they are not good at giving feedback to other workers. These communication issues can become very disruptive in a business environment.

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 distributed amongst the various levels of management within a contemporary business.

Socially they grew up in extremely stressful 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 early age. Many will have progressed through lower and higher education prior to working their way up within one or perhaps two companies. They are expected to work long and challenging hours and frequently both parties in a marriage or relationship will have jobs.

Therefore, they are often very good at problem solving and achieving short- term objectives but may struggle to grasp how their contribution affects the big picture. They will be motivated by monetary benefits rather than a sense of duty because they feel they have paid their dues through a life of learning and work. Generation X need close supervision to ensure their effective contribution to the company.

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 environment where being an extravert is seldom frowned upon. They are most open to radical ideas and procedures and find hyper- consumerism and aggressive promotion to be second nature.

Many organisations who have done interior refurbishments report people become happier within their new workspace and are more motivated.

The Working Environment

Technology

Everyone is familiar with the gap between the elderly generations and contemporary technical equipment. Whether it is a parent struggling to operate a new mobile phone, or a grandparent being genuinely confused about what the Internet is, the void between the old and the new is made very apparent when it comes to technology.

In regards to the newer business, problems involving technology can have very far reaching implications. Computers are critical to many aspects of business, from controlling payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a channel for marketing. As such, an employee who is not familiar with the technologies being used by a company is likely to find difficulties in many areas of the corporation.

The same principle can also be applied in reverse. The younger generations might be very comfortable with emerging technologies and routines, but may lack knowledge of the other systems that still perform many of the critical functions of the organisation.

Physical limitations

There are obvious physical aspects that may influence how a successful company manages its workers in regard to age. Older generations will by and large by physically inferior to their younger counterparts, and as such they will be less suited to roles that require physical exertions. There will be exceptions to this in lots of companies, however as a generalisation it is correct.

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

Modern ailments

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

The desk setting itself may create a number of problems if the ergonomics of any particular workstation are not good. Back problems and joint problems can develop after long intervals of sitting incorrectly, and long durations of exposure to computer monitors can contribute to long- term eye impairment. Studies are on- going to look into the full scale of the impact of the modern workplace on the human body.

Our local supplier of office chairs astounded me with their knowledge on office chairs, I thought an office chair was just an office chair and I didn’t realise there were different types of chairs for specific tasks. Contact the company directly at www.tjhall.co.uk to get advice and information about what is right for you.

Solutions

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

If there are particular roles within your business that are most appropriate for a particular generation then it is often beneficial to only use members of that generation to carry out the job. This kind of specialisation demands good organisational control.

There are a number of ways in which your company can learn about managing different generations of staff. Seminars dedicated to the subject have become a more common event in recent times, and the amount of useful information that can be obtained from these occasions can be of great benefit to an organisation.

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

If setting your own administrators the job of learning about generations within the office does not seem appropriate there are many business consultants that now include the idea of generational management into their practice.

Conclusion

Different generations of worker can find that it is hard to work together. They have grown up in distinct times and learnt about a planet that has been continually changing. There are not simply concerns when it comes to the language used for communication, but matters of manners as well as etiquette.

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

Contemporary organisations have a diverse range of skills requirements and these needs simply cannot be fulfilled by just one of the generations discussed in this article. As is so often the case, the route to success depends upon finding a balance between the generations- utilising the advantages, mitigating the weaknesses and motivating accordingly – through educated and empathetic management.

http://www.news-n-reviews.com