managing generations in the workplace
by Paul Leblanc
Who among us has not noticed a change in the demographics of their workplace?
In 2011, the first wave of Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, will reach 65 years of age. The Conference Board of Canada in a December, 2007 report, noted that at current levels, Québec will lack 363 000 qualified workers between now and 2030.
The March 5, 2008 Les actualités section of Le Devoir newspaper notes that at current rates, from now until 2010, Québec needs to receive 55 000 immigrants per year to grow its population.
How does that affect your workforce? Probably for the first time, you are dealing with a much broader range of ethnic origins and with four generations of employees, each with its own characteristics and expectations.
These generations are typically identified as Builders or Mature, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y, Echo or Millenials.
But what are generations, and why should they matter?
Sean Lyons Ph.D, a professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the University of Guelph, is an expert on this topic. His research has focused on inter-generational differences and their impact on workplace dynamics and managing people. He defines generations as groups of people born and raised in the same historical and social context who share formative experiences. It might result from significant social change due to an event e.g. WW II or Vietnam, or a dramatic shift in technology e.g. the Information Age and pervasive computer use.
Why awareness of different generations matters is that values and practices rooted with one group often go unnoticed until they are violated or disregarded. They affect perceptions, attitudes and behaviors, whether in societal practice in general or the workplace in particular. In Québec we are more cognizant of diversity issues through the recent Bouchard-Taylor public examination and report.
The following is an overview of many of the factors that can help you identify and manage your employees in these categories. Recall that these are generalizations, not psychological profiles. Some of these data are also from Shirlaws consultant Marc Johnstone’s November, 2008 presentation at the International Coach Federation conference in Montréal.
The Achievement Centre is well placed to assist you in better understanding and dealing with these issues. We have a variety of products and processes on leadership, teamwork, coaching, selling, hiring, organization climate and 3600 feedback which assist business owners and organizations
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