Part-time nation
Posted On June 19, 2014
For better or worse, the American workforce is increasingly focused on flexibility. Some workers want the flexibility to work on their own time, often in their own environments. Some want the flexibility to pursue personal passions outside of their 9-5 jobs. Some companies want the flexibility of hiring and firing at will, with minimal HR administration. Some want the financial flexibility of limiting employee benefits. No matter which side of the conversation you are on, there are serious conversations happening about flexibility in the workforce. In “Rise of the ‘flex’ economy,” Christian Science Monitor writer Simone Baribeau provides a 360-degree… Read More
Categories: Generation X, Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
Is customer service a lost art form?
Posted On June 17, 2014
Much time is spent lamenting the work ethic of younger generations in the work force—they are disengaged, too attached to their social networks, not focused on the needs of their coworkers…they just don’t understand the way things work in the real world. And for years my argument has been you have to teach them. The same may be said of customer service. News stories and personal anecdotes tell a disturbing tale, especially in the professional services industry. Where Boomer and Mature workers valued and relied on face time and relationships, today’s workers value efficiency and technology. As a result, they… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
Youngest Boomers initiated into AARP
Posted On June 12, 2014
We are almost halfway through 2014, which means that in six short months every member of the Boomer generation will have turned 50. Orange is the new black, 50 is the new 40. So when the membership cards arrive in their mailboxes, these new AARP recruits will be welcomed with promotions aimed at enticing them to enjoy their later years with deals that are anything but old. New benefits include concert ticket deals with Live Nation, among other travel and entertainment-oriented options. In a recent Associated Piece, and AARP spokesperson confirmed this is a shift from as recently as just… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Retirement, Succession Planning
Millennials march to a different beat, or is it different beats?
Posted On June 10, 2014
In a recent meeting, a high-level leader lamented the conundrum of managing the younger members of his team: “They want everything done so differently.” Same complaint, different person. But then he continued…“Each one of them wants to be dealt with differently. So I can’t have a way that I manage; I have to have a way that I manage him, a way that I manage her, and another way that I manage the next person. It’s exhausting.” And it can be. There are some similarities that cross personalities, and leaders certainly have the right to lay down some ground rules,… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace
Search funds: a fast track to the boss’s seat?
Posted On May 29, 2014
I was listening to NPR the other morning, and this story came on during the Planet Money segment. It tells of two young Harvard Business School grads who turned down job offers to instead solicit search funds, where investors back individuals in their efforts to search for a new business opportunity. Not very different from a private equity group paying a salary to deal finders, but different enough to take notice. These are young folks, Millennials, with very little business experience. Also, they are not just looking for leads on businesses ready for acquisition; they are looking for businesses to… Read More
Categories: Entrepreneurship, Generation Y / Millennials
Older and younger workers have similar interest in workplace flexibility
Posted On May 27, 2014
Technology has enabled a virtual world that Boomers and Matures never imagined, and one that Millennials and Xers have come to expect–especially in the white collar workplace. Why should someone be tied to a desk all day if their peers are not in the same office, or even the same time zone? What difference does it make if I work from 7-2, take a break to handle afterschool duties, and then resume working at home from 8-10, as long as I meet my deadlines? This unorthodox balance of the personal and the professional, and the underlying message that time has… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Matures, Workplace
Overheard at Wendy’s…
Posted On May 22, 2014
Child: May I please have a double cheeseburger, fries, a coke and a vanilla frosty. Mom: And he only wants ketchup on that burger. I’ll have… Child: (sigh) I am 13. Mom: So? Child: So, I can order for myself. Mom: Except you didn’t. You forgot to tell them how you want it. Child: But you don’t have to fix it for me. Mom: (pause) You know, you’re absolutely right. And with that 45-second exchange, faith in the next generation is restored. Perhaps iGen will arrive at the job site with a sense of responsibility and ownership after all (assuming… Read More
Categories: Generation X, iGen, Parenting
Millennials and Boomers may work alike, but they don’t vote alike. Or do they?
Posted On May 8, 2014
I am frequently asked whether the differences in the generations are true differences or simply differences between ages. It is also a common belief that individuals grow more conservative as they grow older, however statistics do not necessarily bear that one out. The Pew Research Center recently reviewed 30 years of voting trends, comparing the percent of young (age 18-29) and older (age 65+) voters who voted democratic in each election between 1972 and 2012. With the exception of the 1972 Nixon election and the 2008 and 2012 elections of Barack Obama, the gap between the ages has only been… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials, Voting Behavior
A new take on engaging employees
Posted On May 6, 2014
Anytime you set about offering advice on a topic, someone will be out there offering opposing advice. When you hire a contractor to work on your house – he invariably points out what the person before him should have done differently. So, it’s not surprising that there are some differing views on how to handle the needs of different generations of employees in the workplace. My first book on managing across the generational divide is titled “Motivating the ‘What’s In It for Me?’ Workforce” and focuses on ways that business leaders can adjust to engage Gen X and Millennial employees…. Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace
Want to attract and retain top female Xer talent? Walk the walk.
Posted On April 29, 2014
While Xers are growing in leadership ranks throughout corporate America, in many cases the leadership tone and corporate culture is still set by Boomers. They are either still at the helm, or their values have so permeated the leadership circles that the generational norms of younger leaders have not yet sunk in. At the same time, businesses are realizing that each generation is different and they may need to engage different generations of employees in different ways. I’ve spent the past 15 years talking to companies about just that. But talking and doing are two separate things – and that… Read More
Categories: Blog, Generation X, Women, Workplace