Hashtags, Tweets, and Flex Hours: How Adapting to Multiple Generations Is the Key to Retaining Them

Have you ever had a moment when you see someone do something or hear them say something, and you think to yourself, “I would’ve never said that when I was their age!”? (And then, right after you say that, you proceed to feel like an old fuddy duddy and you retreat back to your crossword puzzle.) It seems like I’ve been having more and more of those moments lately, so I began to think about generations. The consumer population is changing at a rapid pace, and the new American twenty-something is, quite literally, altering the way we consume and digest information. And not only that,  the way we hire and retain top talent is changing too–and, I would argue, not out of desire but out of necessity.

So what are these generations we’re seeing in the marketplace and how do we keep the good people in our organizations?

First, let’s start with the basics. Most people in the workforce these days fall into one of the following generational buckets:

1. Traditionalists (1900-1945)

2. Baby Boomers (1946-1964)

3. Generation X (1965-1980ish)

4. Millennials (1981ish-2000) (also known as generation Y) and the subsequent subset–the iY Millennials (1990-2000)

The Traditionalists

This generation is one of resilience. Raised by parents who made it though the Great Depression and World Wars, this generation knows what hard times look like and were able to break though.

They’re patriotic, respect authority, and value hard work. They’re family-focused and tend to conform with the norm and expectations put before them. This generation is typically retiring with the same company they started with and are committed to their work and their organizations. To many people of these generations, seniority and tenure were the means to get to the next level–not merit. They’re used to top-down management and look for a clear chain of command in their organizations.

With fewer and fewer traditionalists still in the workforce (hovering only around 5%), how do you keep the ones you have?

• Recognize their experience
• Have clearly defined rules and policies that are consistent
• Change management is important–Traditionalists typically have trouble with change (which is basically all companies are doing these days) so managing that aspect for them and walking them through it is key
• They like the personal touch, so rewarding them for their service is important to them

Technologically, you’re going to have to walk them through most everything. It’s not that the Traditionalist generation doesn’t like technology, it’s just that they prefer face-to-face interaction or talking on the phone. You have plenty of traditionalists out there who have cell phones and iPads and love to face time with with their grandkids (after they taught them how) and then you have the ones who resist until the end. Case and point–there was a man on a team my Dad (a Baby Boomer) took over. This man was from the Traditionalist generation, and when the company decided to go to a new CRM system and manage customer profiles within a database, the man told my father (as he raised a freshly sharpened pencil in the air) “This is the only thing I need to manage my customers!” and promptly decided to retire.

The Baby Boomers

As products of post-war economic prosperity, Boomers entered into the world and were on hot pursuit of the American Dream. They lived in the era of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the beginning of space travel. Boomers grew up questioning authority and challenging social norms and then made their way into the corporate world.

Today’s Boomers are loyal to their companies (they were raised by those from the Traditionalist generation, after all) and are typically very good with change and crises. Early in their careers, work ethic and hours put in was a way to generate their worth, and now often times they still struggle to balance their families and work.

Boomers make up about 45% of the workforce these days, and while that is going to decline as more and more go into retirement, Boomers are key parts to most organizations and retaining their talent in your organization requires you to:

• Recognize them individually for their contributions
• Utilize teams and support an environment that values teamwork
• Have a clear mission and vision for your organization and its objectives
• Show them how their work fits into the big picture and matters to you and the organization
• Have direct and open communication
• Recognize achievements and milestones with money and title promotions

When it comes to technology, they’ve adapted to the changes out there (some more than others) but won’t be as savvy overall. While my dad (Baby Boomer) latched onto the cell phone before it was a widely adopted technology and has more technological doohickies than the average bear, my mom (also a Boomer) prefers to have the LARGE type on her cell phone and didn’t know how to check her voicemail on her cell for months when she first got it. However, put her in front of a computer to work with MS Office, and she’s off and running. The takeaway here is to never make assumptions, but when a Boomer is having trouble adapting to technology, walk him or her through it.

Generation X

Unlike the Boomers before them, generation X came into their own with a different outlook than their parents. Watching the government fail them to the tune of Nixon and Watergate and seeing their parents get laid off and gas prices skyrocket in the late 70s and early 80s disillusioned this generation. This generation grew up faster than that of their parents, and it shows. They’re skeptical of the Boomer generation (and really everything overall) and are very self-reliant. They are the ones who shirked the establishment but are extremely adaptable. While Xers overall are unimpressed with authority, they typically are loyal to people and managers. They’re results-driven and flexible, and their time is incredibly important to them.

Second in size only to the Baby Boomers, Generation Xers make up about 40% of the workforce, and retaining their talent in the workforce is more important than ever.

Here are a few things to note about this generation:

• They are task and results-oriented, often doing well with owning project-based work.
• Gen Xers are independent and resourceful–they will figure out a way to solve a problem with the resources they have.
• They desire balance and are of the “work smarter, not harder” mentality, so giving them an opportunity to put forth maximum effort while in the office is important. (This mentality is largely a product of being raised by the Baby Boomer generation.)
• Generation Xers assimilated into the new technological landscape willingly–they view it as a way to stay relevant and productive
• They seek leadership that is accessible and a forward-thinking company strategy and vision. If they don’t see the point of a task or mandate, they will challenge it.
• They want direction but dislike micro-managing and hovering supervision.
• They tend to be more pessimistic and don’t understand the optimism of other generations, so it’s important to communicate directly to them and avoid sugarcoating messages

Aside from Millennials, Generation Xers are some of the most technologically savvy in the workplace. They crave the latest technology and are quick to test out new models and give feedback on their experience. They are heavy internet users but not as avid in social media as Millennials. Gen Xers utilize technology as a way to be more productive in the workplace and to stay plugged in with family and friends.

Millennials (Generation Y)

Making up about 10% of the workforce, Millennials have presented some of the biggest challenges and opportunities for companies across the country. Used to highly involved parents and participation trophies, this generation isn’t about “putting in dues” to get to where they want to be. They want to be there yesterday, and they’re going to show you why through their contributions they make to the organization. Millennials crave an “open door” style management and want coaching and mentorship, but not heavy-handed direction. They have a strong desire to figure things out on their own and use their creativity to create solutions. While many people believe that this generation has no loyalty to corporations, that’s simply not the case–as long as you keep them engaged and communicate with them about their career goals. A Millennial will be loyal, but along the way, they need to feel as if they have a vision for their career and next steps to achieve their goals. It’s when they lose sight of that vision and no longer feel fulfilled that they move on.

So what does it take to keep the most dynamic and complicated generation?

• They crave praise. It doesn’t have to be public, but it needs to be done–and frequently. When they lose sight of where they stand, they lose their motivation.
• Give specific direction but let them figure out the path. Millennials have a desire to problem-solve and be creative, but they don’t want to be told how to get there.
• Integrate technology into the workforce. Millennials consume technology by the minute. When you’re able to incorporate technology into their daily workflow (whether it’s an app to track productivity, social media, or website) they are more productive and more engaged.
• Map out a career plan for them. They desire coaching and mentorship, and in order to retain them, they also need to have a vision as to where they see themselves within your company.
• Utilize their strengths to build your business-if you see strengths in social networking and in-person networking-give them the direction and let them achieve the result. More and more Millennials are capitalizing on opportunities in marketing and social media for companies through their everyday interactions.

Technology and Millennials are synonymous these days, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find one who doesn’t have at least one social media account and a working knowledge i-Anything. Millennials are hashtagging, tweeting ,and posting their way through their careers, and to be quite frank, they’ve never really had to live without technology. Sure the earlier segment of the generation had VHS tapes and disposable cameras, but for the majority of their upbringing, cellphones, internet, and HD TV were always the norm.

Whether employers like it or not, the workforce is changing and the employee is changing too. Gone are the days of top-bottom management and 9-5 mentalities. As the Baby Boomers retire, Millennials will (gasp!) begin to take a stronger place in the workplace. Companies can either deal with the change or they can embrace it and see if for what it is–an opportunity. Managing and leading a multi-generational workforce is one of the greatest challenges of any leadership, but through that challenge, if we can learn to embrace the strengths of each generation, retaining our best won’t be so difficult after all.

So pat your Baby Boomers on the back, let your Gen Xers work independently on their flex schedule, and map out a detailed and creative career path for your Millennials. It is, after all, the way to #RetainTopTalent.