Managing the Generations – Making Sense of What Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y Want

It seems like lately every time I open up a management or HR magazine, the topic of managing the generations is getting play. There’s no shortage of articles on why Gen Y has different expectations or why Gen X is so unhappy, and so on.

All this made me start thinking about how much of it is actually true, and to what extent do HR and/or managers have to actually deal with the issue? If I ask any of my Gen X peers, or even friends who manage a team, they will tell you there’s a generational difference. I hear the same from many of our customers that I speak to. So clearly, this issue is top of mind for many of us, and needs some attention.

Since I’ve seen so much on this lately, I wanted to share a few of the better articles I’ve come across.

From Employee Benefit News (July 2008), “Keep them at the table: Effective retention strategies depend on the generation” provides a great overview of how organizations are managing each generation a bit differently as a retention strategy. The article looks at various retention drivers including recognition, flex time, career development opportunities and having trust in the leadership team.

One of the best takeaways from this article is how what may work for one organization, may not work for another. One of the experts, Will Werhane from the Hay Group recommends using surveys and focus groups to find what’s important to workers. Good advice to consider, especially when there’s so much information available right now.

A final point from this article (which happens to be from one of my favorite Halogen customers) from Kathy Anthony of O’Sullivan Creel, “You have to create a culture and give people a reason to be here.” You can’t really argue with that, as that should be a guiding principle for all retention strategies and talent management as a whole!

Another article on the subject worth a read is from Harvard Business Online and Businessweek.com “Ten Reasons Gen Xers are Unhappy at Work“. This really caught my eye because it seems pretty much everything I’ve read focuses on retiring workers/boomer and giving lots of feedback and love to Gen y, with not a lot on Gen X. As the title alludes, the article outlines the ten reasons why Gen X is unhappy at work, but does so with the overarching point of how “corporate executives are taking this small and therefore precious group for granted.”

It shares some great insights, that quite frankly, I’ve not read too often elsewhere. Some of the 10 points are funny, and shockingly accurate. That aside, there’s some good lessons for employers here – mainly, don’t forget these workers as you worry about succession plans and training for your new recruits. Gen X has lots to offer, and is often stuck in the middle.

I don’t think the subject of managing the generations is going to go away anytime soon, so I will share more of these articles as I find them. There’s lots to be learned from every generation of workers, and with the right retention and talent management strategies in place, organizations will only stand to benefit from the diversity of experience and skills from each group.