The science of “fit”
Posted On July 15, 2014
It is fairly common practice for companies to hold team or peer-to-peer interviews for incoming employees, in addition to traditional human resources and manager interviews. The goal, of course, is to make sure that a candidate who looks good on paper is a good fit for the proposed peer team. And since we know that employees are more likely to stay OR leave a job because of the people than because of benefits or pay, this peer interview approach is important. But it is still based on gut feel, a hunch. And let’s be honest, one’s hunch can always be… Read More
Categories: Workplace
Out of the mouths of baby boomers. Or is that Xers?
Posted On July 8, 2014
I was scrolling through the online news when this caught my eye “I think (Generation X) is the last hardworking generation[…]Generations after us have become more spoiled. Kids aren’t disciplined.” And if it weren’t for the parenthetical I would have drifted right on by, expecting yet another complaint from a Boomer against the Xer work ethic. Except perhaps we’ve outgrown that one. Apparently the Xers are claiming a spot on the “back in my day” soapbox. Was it only a matter of time? The quotes are from an article discussing the Pew Research Center’s series “The Next America.” That series… Read More
Categories: Generation X, Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace
Snapshot of the generational gap: Humans of New York
Posted On June 24, 2014
Have you followed Humans of New York? Photographer Brandon Stanton takes portraits of random individuals and asks them a question or two. The answers appear at the photo captions. It’s utterly captivating art and social commentary. Every so often an image will strike a nerve with HONY followers as with this recent portrait. Or more accurately, the caption that accompanied the image. “I’m a little headstrong at work, which can get me into trouble with my manager. But if my way works just fine, why do I have to do things his way?” The generational gap in two sentences. The… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers, Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
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
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
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
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
Adultolescence and KGOY – what’s at risk?
Posted On April 24, 2014
I’ve talked here fairly frequently about the trend toward extended adolescence – younger generations holding off on typical adult milestones such as getting married, having children, and even moving out of their parents’ homes. There is a flip side to this, known as KGOY (kids getting older younger), where today’s children are entering into adolescence at younger and younger ages. Nine-, ten- and eleven-year-old children are now “tweens” interested in and exhibiting more behaviors that are typically considered teenaged than child-like. With the entrance and exit of adolescence being pushed earlier and alter, adolescence itself is getting stretched. That is,… Read More
Categories: Blog, Generation Y / Millennials, Training Industry, Work, Workplace