For the first time in history, there are five generations in the workplace from Traditionalist (born up to 1945) and Baby Boomers (born up to 1964) to
Generation Z. (born from 2001 – 2020)
Purdue Global University
In this world nothing is certain except death and taxes.
Today I’d add multi-generational working, to Ben Franklin’s oft quoted statement. Yes, I know it doesn’t have the same pithy ring as death and taxes, but it is an increasing reality for many. For those starting out, for those in full flow and those gathering towards the finish, the world of work is now 5 generations strong.
The word strong is no accident of choice. It is the choice.
However, before moving on with 5 generations strong. I have something to declare. A very vested interest. I am 62 and I am in the process of growing my 4th career. I have neither the inclination nor the financial security to retire. In fact, even typing those 6 letters is difficult. My present path will take me to about 70, and then I’ll see where my knowledge and experience might be welcomed.
And now back to that phrase, 5 generations strong. A little context to set us on the road.
I started working at 17 in a challenging and ground breaking environment, where different ways of seeing, processing and interacting with the world was the norm. I also grew up in a multi-generational household, with a mum and dad who could have been my grandparents, a brother old enough to be my father, and nephews at school when I was a new born. A large extended community with a host of chosen aunties and uncles.
These are my privileges. At 17 I was given an extraordinary opportunity to live, learn and work with people whose experiences of the world were very different from mine and many of my peers. And from my earliest memories, I was part of a domestic world in which I saw and was actively involved in how different generations interacted socially and dealt with both individual and collective challenge and change.
So did these privileges free me from assumptions and biases about difference in general, and age in particular? No. I have a colourful array of them, some more deeply rooted than others. What it has given me is a starting point. A point of recognition and awareness. It gives me a place from which to ask myself and others…
What the world of work 5 generations strong needs to look like…
And
What individually, collectively and institutionally we must commit to DOING in order to bring that into reality. A reality where everyone thrives and grows in collaboration rather than competition.
The word DOING is in capitals for a reason. I spend a lot of time with people who are beyond frustration as yet another policy document, strategy framework or mass training initiative is launched amid fanfare, and for a while is lauded as The Answer to whatever question is being asked, before fading quietly into polite oblivion. Why?
Throw me a reason.
Here are three. Firstly, a lack of real consultation, where the result is pre-ordained, and voices throughout the organisation are filtered through layers of translation losing meaning and denying the speaker agency. Secondly, voicing anger, dissent, confusion or annoyance, to name but four, is viewed as obstructing the process, and rather than being carefully discussed and given time and space to embed is shut down and buttoned-up. Thirdly, monitoring, reviewing and reflecting aren’t part of the growth plan, and certainly aren’t considered equally necessary throughout an organisation with active buy in from everyone from the CEO to the newest intern.
So, what’s the doing?
Perhaps to start, by admitting that we all have something to declare: barriers - either clearly defined or hidden in the shadows. Whatever our current age, we all have a magnificent ability to leave memory and imagination at the door when talking about, never mind working with, those whose last birthday cake had more or less candles than ours.
Stereotyping a generation is an ‘Othering’ game par-excellence. Think for a moment about how you’ve heard your own generation labelled. Perhaps how you’ve labelled it yourself, often excluding yourself, because naturally you’re not like that. Now think about how a moment of irritation with a colleague can turn into a moment of labelling. How easily a label becomes an action, the action of not seeing the true cause of the irritation. The person in front of you is an OK Boomer, a Snowflake; the irritation is fed and festers, and the working relationship falters.
So, what’s the doing?
To use memory and imagination. To start being curious about the ‘Other’ – we’ve all been there or are travelling towards it as a port of call, it can’t be avoided. Building an organisation 5 generations strong starts with each of us asking ourselves some tough questions, challenging our assumptions, and sharing them in honest conversations. This process is led by everyone throughout the organisation; not from above, not from below. Regardless of our individual inter-sectioned identities, this is the one we all share. It’s a challenging one, but working 5 generations strong has extraordinary value now and in the future. It matters not whether your role is corporate or public or not for profit, freelance or outside the mainstream. Multi-generational working is here to stay, and its gifts are ready to be gathered. Go get started.
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