Mixing Generations in the Workplace Can Be a Challenge

Lisa DeNoia's company has a great software tool to collect data on clients. The trouble is, not everyone uses it.

DeNoia, 27, stores her contact information and notes on clients and proposals with the tool. But some older colleagues "don't understand how it works or how it helps. They're still using Outlook."

Her conclusion: "Generation Y tends to use technology to their advantage, whereas the boomers like to stick with what they've been doing for the last 20 years, which isn't necessarily the quickest way to do things."

The frustration cuts both ways.

J. David Glass, a project manager at an environmental engineering firm, recalled an older vice president complaining to him about the younger employees: "I see them in their cube. They've got a little TV picture up while they're doing their work. And I know they're fooling around."

For perhaps the first time in U.S. history, four generations with differing values and habits are jostling against one another in the workplace.

Much of the friction has been spawned by the newest and largest generation, the millennials, who thrive on technology and carry high expectations.

Keeping the generations satisfied and at peace with one another is a dramatic problem, said Tom Davidson, a leadership coach in Richmond who spoke about "Boomers, Geeks and Geezers" in Virginia Beach in the fall.

"I think it affects teamwork," Davidson, 52, said. "It affects motivation. It definitely affects retention of talented workers. It affects how much effort people put into the job."

The attitude toward technology -- from spreadsheets to MySpace -- isn't the only divide between generations.

Other tension points include work hours, feedback and dress code.

The solution for bosses, consultants say, is to increase communication and provide flexibility in areas from scheduling to compensation. That best suits the youngest set, known as Generation Y or the millennials, said John Johnson, who led a session on generational differences Thursday at Hampton's City Hall.

"The more choices in the workplace, generally the happier they are, because they have some control over their work environment," said Johnson, 59, executive director of the Hampton Citizens' Unity Commission.

The millennials, generally classified as age 30 and younger, are the largest generation in the work force, at about 80 million -- and by most accounts, the most challenging.

"Right now, they're driving employers nuts," said Chuck Underwood, founder and president of The Generational Imperative, near Dayton, Ohio.

They're used to consuming all forms of technology all the time. They don't want to work long hours. They switch jobs on average every 1.6 years, according to a survey by the JWT (NASDAQ:WPPGY) advertising agency. They're the children of soccer-moms-turned-helicopter-parents, so they crave instantaneous and generous attention and praise.

"They are much more in-your-face; they want lots of feedback," said Kim Blake, a senior account executive at CRT/tanaka, a Norfolk marketing agency, and herself a 28-year-old member of Generation Y. "They have an inflated view of where they should start out. They've always been told, 'You can do it.' "

Two other millennial members vouched for at least some of the generalizations pinned on their generation.

"We've seen a lot of weird stuff happen," including the 9/11 attacks and the Virginia Tech killings, said DeNoia, a business development coordinator in Norfolk for TranSystems, a transportation consulting firm. "We know that there's more to life than just work. So we want to make sure we're in a position where we're valued, and we want our jobs to have meaning. We do want to be coddled, we want feedback, and we want to do a good job."

Ryan Fedell, a 25-year-old account manager in the Chesapeake office of Aerotek CE, a national recruitment firm, owned up to lofty expectations: "Like most people my age, I want to have a big salary, I want to advance very quickly and want to be recognized very quickly for my contributions, and I kind of resent it when I don't get that."

The flashpoints tend to occur between the Y'ers and the baby boomers, who are between their mid-40s and early 60s. The boomers are the next-largest contingent, at nearly 80 million, and most often the bosses. They challenged the status quo in their day, but they're driven to succeed and willing to work long hours.

"I hear Generation Y talk about work-life balance," Fedell said. "I don't hear those words come out of the mouths of more senior folks. The way I interpret it is, what's the big deal if I'm there 5 or 10 minutes or an hour late if I'm producing the work or if I decide to stay later?"

Underwood said many workplaces can offer more flexible scheduling, even those that are customer-oriented. He said Macy's, one of his largest clients, last year launched a program requiring employees to work core hours, when the stores are busiest, but also allowing them to take flex time by swapping hours with co-workers.

As for technology, blocking sites such as Facebook at work frustrates Generation Y, DeNoia said, "not because we want to chat with our friends instead of work, but because we are simply used to having that network at our fingertips."

Seventh Point Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations in Virginia Beach tries to be open-minded, said vice president Chris Ciardi, 31. Employees may forward videos from YouTube, for instance, "but we're still emphasizing that work is work and work is to be done. It's allowing a little bit of home in the workplace."

Critics say the generational stereotypes are sweeping and not always on the mark. Look at President Barack Obama, a boomer very much attached to his BlackBerry.

Of course, some boomers are tech-limited. They should encourage millennials to "mentor up," sharing their wisdom about social networking and other high-tech trends, said Debbie Myers, 54, executive vice president at CRT/tanaka.

The boomers, in turn, should be sensitive to the way they manage the millennials. An annual performance review isn't enough.

Some employees, Blake said, may need daily feedback. Davidson suggests congratulating them even for showing up on time. Myers, who spoke with Blake on generational differences in the health care industry at a national conference in Chicago in November, said Generation Y thrives on frequent feedback, short deadlines, clear instructions and latitude to ask questions. Millennials also tend to like working in teams.

"One of the most important things is you've got to establish the ability for them to move laterally within their own interest areas," said Joe Delatte, 51, a vice president at Seventh Point and former marketing director at The Virginian-Pilot. "Let them experiment in different areas in a company. Recognition for a millennial is as much about added ability at it is about compensation."

Glass, a project manager at Malcolm Pirnie Inc., an environmental engineering firm in Newport News, said: "Teach them what you can, and if they want to leave, let them go. Stay in touch with them, and they may want to come back someday. We've had a couple drift back."

Glass, 36, is a member of one of the sometimes-forgotten generation, Generation X, sandwiched between the millennials and the boomers. They tend to share the Y'ers' yearning for a work-life balance and comfort with technology but are more independent.

Or as Glass put it: "My working style tends to be, just give me the assignment you want me to do and get out of my way, and I'll give you what you want at the end."

The fourth, and oldest, generation has mostly retired now. The veterans, or traditionalists, are known for showing fierce loyalty to the company, respecting authority and conservative dress, and believing in self-sacrifice. They're good at pinching pennies -- a valuable trait these days.

The recession, Ciardi said, could have a positive effect on generational interplay. "In a downward recession, you start developing a foxhole mentality," he said. "Everybody starts to learn from each other."

At least, said Underwood, 60, it will sound a belated "tough love" wake-up call for Generation Y.

"It will get millennials' feet on the ground," he said. "It will probably diminish that flawed sense of entitlement, and they will get a more accurate perception of the American workplace and their own careers."