Entitlement: Perhaps it’s not just for the kids
Posted On January 26, 2015
When considering the different generations in the workforce it is easy to slip into blame and pointing fingers: “Back in my day, we would never talk to our superiors like that” and “They are just so out of touch.” Some folks just like to simply deny the problem off the table: “Oh, the younger generations have always pushed limits, nothing to see here.” It’s not surprising that neither of these approaches helps attract, engage and retain a diverse workforce. But even as companies are looking at how to focus on the similarities between the generations (rather than complain about the… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Work, Workplace
Is Generation Z bigotry-proof?
Posted On January 8, 2015
Youthful idealism. Every generation has been accused of it, but a recent commentary by Bloomsberg View contributor Leonid Bershidsky suggests that for Generation Z (or iGeneration – born after 2000) this may be a lasting state. He writes “Gen Z may be different in being genuinely bigotry-proof. It may be the first generation for which diversity is a natural concept that will not be ruined by anything older people do or say.” This is not the main point in Bershidsky’s article, but it is what stood out when I heard him read it. Considering the younger generations’ views on gender… Read More
Categories: Generations, iGen
South Carolina is bringing apprenticeship back
Posted On January 6, 2015
With the movement of manufacturing jobs overseas, America largely lost the master-apprentice model of skill development. College transitioned from liberal arts to business prep. With manufacturing making a comeback, the need for vocational skills is growing and the labor force is not keeping up. In 2007, South Carolina recognized this gap and implemented an apprenticeship program with 777 individuals across 90 companies. In 2014, there are more than 670 companies participating and the program has reached 11,000 workers. NPR recently reported on the success of the S.C. program. Part of succession planning is passing along institutional knowledge from one generation… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Training Industry, Work, Workplace
Who are you calling a slacker?
Posted On December 30, 2014
The Bank of America Fall 2014 Small Business Owner Report warrants a second post. It’s chock full of generational tidbits, including a look at how the generations describe themselves. There is significant backlash against generational trends and analysis in the media these days—nobody wants to be defined by their generation alone. I get that. But the purpose of trends is to identify shifts and be better able to react to those shifts. And while not every member of a generation will possess every characteristic or fulfill every stereotype of a generation, the overall trends tend to ring true. The BofA… Read More
Categories: Generation X, Workplace
Millennials making their mark in small business
Posted On December 26, 2014
When Bank of America issued its semi-annual report on small business owners this fall, the focus was on generations, specifically Millennials. That may have surprised many of you right off the bat – Millennials are the youngsters, how do they have sufficient trends as small business owners? Remember, they aren’t all fresh out of college anymore (the oldest are in their early thirties), their parents are often Boomers who are ready to retire and pass down the family businesses, and they are very entrepreneurial as a whole. As with everything they do, Millennials are approaching business ownership differently. When reviewing… Read More
Categories: Entrepreneurship, Generation Y / Millennials, Work
Take your parents to work day
Posted On December 23, 2014
In November, LinkedIn hosted its second annual “Bring in your parents day,” a twist on the “take your child to work day” initiative that started back when Gen X was in elementary school. At first glance this may seem like a gimmick, but there is some sound strategy behind it. LinkedIn is achieving a double-win for the generations with this initiative: It helps educate an older generation about their technology-driven business It helps parents become supportive of their children’s career paths – even when they don’t understand them. Millennials, and to some degree Gen X, have a tendency to have… Read More
Categories: Blog, Generation X, Generation Y / Millennials, Workplace
Millennials keep us guessing at the polls
Posted On December 18, 2014
Harvard shocked the pollsters a week before the election with its report that Millennials favored the GOP. And then the Millennials went out and voted Democrat—at least 55% of them did. While still a majority, that represents a significant shift from 2012. Are Millennials becoming more conservative as they age? And if so, is that consistent across fiscal and social positions? One election is too soon to tell. I will admit the poll results surprised me. Millennials have always had a very strong sense of social justice, which has greatly influenced their politics. On the other hand, from a financial… Read More
Categories: Generation Y / Millennials, Voting Behavior
Don’t follow your bliss
Posted On October 23, 2014
Have you seen this story? Mike Rowe, the guy from the FORD truck commercials and Dirty Jobs, responded to a fan with an answer that would make many managers give him a standing ovation. The fan was asking Rowe why he should not follow his dream; a reaction to a Ted Talk where Rowe told the audience that “follow your dream” was awful advice. Rowe, a young Boomer, told the fan, whose generation is not disclosed, that “Passion is too important to be without, but too fickle to be guided by.” Rowe is known for Dirty Jobs and his new… Read More
Categories: Work, Workplace
The Boomer List: The stories of a generation
Posted On October 21, 2014
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, PBS has a new documentary film, The Boomer List, which provides a look at life from the perspective of 19 famous Boomers. I had a chance to watch it and I think it is worth the 1:22 of your time. The film doesn’t have a specific point other than that there are common threads and vast differences in the people who make up the Baby Boomer generation. The stories told by the 19 individuals, each born in one of the 19 years that make up the Boomer generation, are shared out of… Read More
Categories: Baby Boomers
Do-it-yourself customer service? Yay or nay
Posted On October 16, 2014
Back in the day, if a customer had a question, she went to the office or store and spoke to the manager. Perhaps she called on the phone. Either way it was a one-to-one conversation. The same was true with making a purchase. A person selected what they wanted, brought it to the checkout and paid a real, live person (and usually with cold, hard cash). Today, customers can engage in entire transactions – from purchase to return to replacement – without ever speaking to a single person. And while I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been frustrated by the… Read More
Categories: Product Design, Work, Workplace